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Written by Jamal Gordon
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Friday, 06 November 2009 19:44 |
The New England Revolution are in control of the Eastern conference semifinals as they won 2-1 against the Chicago Fire last Sunday and will look to take game 2 Saturday night at 8:30pm EST at Toyota Park. The Revolution have a 1-goal lead and with either a win or draw in MLS odds, New England will claim a spot in the Eastern conference championship. However, if the Fire win by two or more goals then the season for the Revolution is over. This will be the eighth time in 10 years that the two teams have faced off in the playoffs with Fire outscoring the Revolution 15-2 at home in the playoffs.
New England is a +350 underdog in MLS soccer odds against Chicago -150 at online sportsbooks with a draw paying +240. The Fire are favored in MLS odds but are nursing some injuries with defender Wilman Conde out for the past two weeks with what doctors think to be a pinched nerve, defender Gonzalo Segares tweaked his knee once again and midfielder John Thorrington returning after having a hernia two months ago. With Chicago’s bench looking like a scene from E.R., taking the Revolution could offer nice payout. For every $100 bet on New England, you would receive $350 back.
If the Fire cannot tie up the Eastern conference semifinals, then it might be the last time you see a lot of familiar faces in a Chicago uniform as contracts are ending. Cuauhtemoc “Temo” Blanco is scheduled to play in Mexico with Veracruz starting in January; Chris Rolfe has signed with a team in Denmark and Brian McBride is in negotiations. "We are talking to guys who are basically finishing," technical director Frank Klopas said. "We have addressed this with all the players. But after the season, we are going to sit down and make all those decisions. Right now, let's just win this Saturday's game." The winner of this game will be playing Real Salt Lake next Saturday for the conference finals.
Gordon's MLS Soccer Picks: All the sports handicappers are favoring the Chicago Fire in this must win match-up for the Eastern conference semifinals against the New England Revolution but I'm not so sure. The Fire are fighting a lot of injuries and have their back against the wall with many players probably playing their last game before starting elsewhere. Who wants to get hurt in the last game of the season? My soccer pick for Saturday's match-up is to take the Revolution +350 in MLS soccer odds. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 28 November 2011 21:06 |