Embarrassed Argentina moves on against Japan

Soccer Betting Lines

09/13/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina will try to pick up the pieces from an 11-0 loss to Germany on Monday and move forward in search of points against Japan on Friday.

The Japanese were fortunate to come away with a draw against England on Tuesday as Aya Miyama scored on two free kicks, including the equalizer right before the final whistle.

England outplayed Japan for much of the match, but a stubborn defense and resilient attitude kept the Japanese in the game and in position to steal a point.

Despite the draw, Japan has plenty of room for improvement, especially in the offensive third.

Star midfielder Homare Sawa had little impact on the match, and it is usually the play of Sawa that determines Japan's fortunes. The Japanese showed little creativity in the offensive third and failed to seriously threaten the England net outside of the two free kicks.

While Miyama emerged as a true threat from dead-ball situations, Japan must get more from strikers Eriko Arakawa and Azusa Iwashimizu if it wants to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1995.

If the Japanese attack fails to hit their stride against Argentina, the South American side is capable of snatching points despite its horrendous result in the opener.

There is talent on the Argentina side, it just didn't show on Monday.

Manager Carlos Borrello made a questionable decision to start keeper Vanina Correa instead of veteran Romina Ferro, and the young netminder struggled mightily, scoring two own goals and generally looking lost throughout the match.

Better play in goal and a few adjustments in defense are good places to start for Borrello, but he feels that his side is capable of making things difficult for its next two opponents.

"I don't want to comment a great deal about tactics. We have to congratulate the German team on this overwhelming victory," Borrello said. "Our players were very nervous about taking on such powerful opponents as Germany, the World Cup holders. It was a nightmare for our team. Our goalkeeper had a very unfortunate day and gave away two own goals. Obviously, my players are disappointed after such a heavy defeat, but they have plenty of character. We're not yet at 100 percent, but I'm certain we'll see a very different Argentina in our next two matches."

Argentina was overwhelmed in every aspect of the game against the Germans, but should stand a chance to hang in there with a very average-looking Japan side.

The Japanese must take three points from this game if they want to move on, but don't expect Argentina to make things easy for them.

This game will give Sawa and the rest of the Japanese attack a chance to find their form before they take on Germany in the final group stage match.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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