Seattle, D.C. could welcome reinforcements for MLS clash

Soccer Betting Lines

07/14/2010 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two Major League Soccer clubs that sit second-from-the-bottom in their respective conferences square off on Thursday night when D.C. United hosts Seattle Sounders FC at RFK Stadium.

Both teams have been disappointing this season, but both expect to be better the second half thanks to improved play as of late and reinforcements entering the ranks.

For Seattle (4-8-4) that will come in the form of 35-year-old Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo, who joined the club in training of Wednesday.

"I'm really happy to be back on the field and I'm ready to play the next months," Nkufo told his club's website.

Nkufo comes to the Sounders after his appearance in the 2010 World Cup with Switzerland.

"Well, it was my first training session [Wednesday] after 15 days off," he said. "I'm going to work on my own and, of course, I want to be a part of the team and playing [Thursday]."

On the club level, Nkufo last played for FC Twente in the Dutch League, scoring 114 goals over the past seven seasons.

Don't expect Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid to start Nkufo Thursday after limited training with his new club, but he could use him off the bench.

United (3-9-3) also could be unveiling two new players in Montenegrin midfielder Branko Boskovic and Argentinean forward Pablo Hernandez if their paperwork is completed in time.

That could be a big boost to the club, which is starting to find its form, having just one loss in its last six league fixtures. Also, after going the first 10 league games of the season without one, United have earned shutouts in two of their last five games.

D.C. will be without midfielder Brandon Barklage, defenders Marc Burch, Bryan Namoff, Juan Manuel Pena and Rodney Wallace and forward Luciano Emilio because of injuries.

The Sounders are just as banged up, with midfielders David Estrada and Brad Evans, forward Michael Fucito and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado all out with injuries. Midfielders Freddie Ljungberg and Michael Seamon are questionable, and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso is probable, all with knocks.

Hallnark Soccer Betting News

<< Bunbury goal helps Wizards snap losing streak at Columbus
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 win at the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night in Major League Soccer action. Rookie forward Teal Bunbury scored his first MLS goal to n

<< Agent: Hornets withdrew contract offer for Head
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -The agent for Luther Head says his client is healthy and the New Orleans Hornets have not offered a reasonable explanation for why they rescinded a two-year contract offer for the veteran guard.Mark Bartelstein says the Hornets inf

<< $5 LeBron James pendant pays off for Ohio woman
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio woman who paid $5 at a yard sale for a LeBron James pendant she thought was costume jewelry has found out it's worth nearly $10,000.Twenty-year-old Vaneisha Robinson says she used to wear the basketball jersey-shaped penda

<< Griffin advances through first round of match play
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stroke-play medalist John-Tyler Griffin was among those that advanced past first-round match play at the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship on Wednesday. Griffin, 23, edged Andrew Perez 1-up at B

<< Peavy undergoes successful season-ending surgery
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to repair a detached latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder. The injury will sideline Peavy for the remainder o

Jazz, Bell agree to terms >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz have reportedly signed guard Raja Bell to a three-year contract worth $10 million. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Bell was scheduled to meet with the Lakers on Wednesday before com

Toronto comes back in fourth to top Calgary >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Johnson scored a late touchdown and Toronto scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as it stunned the Calgary Stampeders at Rogers Centre, 27-24, in its home opener. Defense was key fo

Report: Bobcats agree with G Livingston >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Charlotte Bobcats have reportedly agreed to sign guard Shaun Livingston to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million. The Charlotte Observer first reported the deal, while The Washington Post report

Rockets retain Lowry >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets have retained the services of guard Kyle Lowry after matching Cleveland's offer to the restricted free agent guard. Houston general Manager Daryl Morey said on

With Yost, Royals looking at better days to come >>
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -The first thing Dayton Moore told Ned Yost was that his chances of becoming Kansas City's permanent manager would be considered at the end of the season, along with other candidates.Now it must be tempting for Kansas City's ge

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.