Soccer Betting

William Price66 said:Not sure how much heat Italy is taking after those match-fixing scandals, but if Russia plays like they did against Lithuania, they aren't losing tonight. I'll just take the double chance on them and call it a day.

Russia’s a disaster right now, and Italy’s got their own mess to deal with... smells like an under and a draw to me. Unless Italy gets all fired up—think Coach K style—to actually show up, but the odds on a home win are way too low for my taste.🤷

Honestly, Penarol should absolutely steamroll this Cerrito squad tonight. I mean, look at the stats—they’re freaking lethal right now. They just went out and hung seven on their last away game! Back home? They’re sitting pretty with a 6-0-2 record. Sure, they dropped two games against those top-tier teams from Montevideo, but that run of six straight wins proves they aren't just playing around or throwing matches against the bottom-feeders. On the flip side, what is Cerrito even doing? They aren't exactly a powerhouse. Three draws and four losses on the road? Please.

Let's see what we're dealing with here—MLS...😁

Man, I am absolutely losing my mind over this one... Monaghan United vs. St. Patrick's—it was sitting right there at 1.70, just begging to be taken, and they go and drop a 0-2? Seriously? You see these odds and you think it’s a lock, a total no-brainer, but then everything just falls apart in the second half and you're left staring at your screen like an idiot... It's honestly infuriating how these things play out when you know you had the edge... Just a complete disaster...
Monaghan is just such an unpredictable mess—honestly, if you’re looking to place any money on a final score, you’re better off staying far away from them. It doesn't matter if you're betting on them to pull it off or rooting for their opponent... they'll find some weird way to ruin your parlay... just total chaos...
Right now, they’re sitting dead last at the bottom of the standings. It’s honestly pathetic—they managed to scrape together two wins on the road, but once they get back to their home turf? They’re a complete disaster... 0-2-4, and don't even get me started on that goal differential. A measly 1 to 7... just absolutely embarrassing...
St. Patrick's is a powerhouse on defense—seriously, they’re easily the second toughest squad out there, right behind the Sligo Rovers...
Look, I've been crunching the numbers on these guys, and honestly? It's kind of pathetic... Out of their last 13 matches, they've managed to scrape by with two goals or fewer in ten of them. Just ten! Only three games where they actually showed some teeth and pushed past that mark—which, let's be real, isn't exactly impressive...
Look, they were absolutely clinical during their last road trip—I mean, pulling off a 3-3 thriller over at the Braves stadium was huge—but let’s be real for a second... the odds of them stringing together back-to-back high-scoring games like that? It’s basically zero. We're talking about asking them to hit four straight games with three or more goals after they just got shut down in a 1-2 loss last round. It’s just not happening... mathematically impossible, if you ask me...
In the meantime, they were also busy playing in the US Open Cup... and man, what a disaster. They went out on the road and got absolutely smoked by some bottom-tier side from the suburbs—Crumlin United—losing 3-0. Just pathetic...
It’s honestly pretty rare for this crew to go on a run like this—I mean, hitting that over 2.5 goal mark several games back-to-back? It almost never happens... usually they're just grinding out these low-scoring, boring affairs, but lately, things have actually been opening up...
The first round of the Premier League is officially in the books:
March 16, 2012—St. Patrick’s Athletic vs. Monaghan United... ended in a 1-1 draw. Honestly? What a total waste of an afternoon. Just sitting there watching everything go sideways... nothing but frustration...
So, here’s the breakdown for the cup match...
September 7, 2009—St. Patrick's Athletic vs. Monaghan United... final score was 1-0. Just one goal to settle the whole thing. Honestly, a total grind of a match... barely anything to write home about, but that's soccer for you sometimes, I guess.
August 14, 2009—Monaghan United vs. St. Patrick's Athletic... ended up a total nothingburger at 0-0. Just a complete waste of an afternoon if you ask me. Honestly, watching these guys play can be a real test of patience—just endless running for absolutely zero payoff on the scoreboard. A scoreless draw like that? It’s just frustrating... especially when you realize how much energy was poured into such a lifeless match.

Man, Monaghan absolutely got smoked in Sligo—lost that one 1:3... just a total blowout.
Three games in... and we’re still sitting there undefeated. Unbelievable...
St. Patrick's is seriously lacking...
Mark Rossiter and James Chambers... man, United is absolutely falling apart at the seams. Everything is just completely broken...

Bray W.-UCD 1 1,95
March 16, 2012 — University College Dublin vs. Bray Wanderers. Final score: 2–3.
September 21, 2011 — Bray Wanderers vs. UCD: 4 - 0.
July 8, 2011 — UCD vs. Bray Wanderers: 1 - 2. Just another day at the ballpark, I guess... though "another day" doesn't quite capture the absolute headache this match was. Honestly, watching these guys play—it’s like watching someone try to assemble IKEA furniture in the dark without the instructions. Total chaos. One minute you think you've got a handle on the momentum, then boom, everything falls apart... just typical.
May 13, 2011—Bray Wanderers vs. UCD ended up being a 2-1 nail-biter... honestly, just one of those games that leaves you feeling completely drained after watching the whole mess unfold.
March 25, 2011 — University College Dublin vs. Bray Wanderers: 0 - 1.
They’ve been dropping games for a few weeks straight now... and to make matters even worse, they're out on the road without their star trio in the lineup... honestly, it's just a complete mess...
So we’ve got Ger Barron holding things down in the net, plus Chris Mulhall and Cillian Morrison out there on the pitch... honestly, I don't even know where to start with this lineup...
And then there are these other guys, too... just completely questionable...
Man, I'm telling you, Graham Rusk is absolutely tearing it up—seven goals already and he's sitting right there at the top of the scoring charts... seriously impressive stuff. But let's be real for a second, we can't just talk about him without giving some credit to David O’Connor and Ciaran Nangle too. They're putting in that work behind the scenes that actually makes those numbers possible... it's a total team effort, even if Rusk is grabbing all the headlines right now...
Bray is out here playing with more draws than anyone else in the league, but honestly? Even they aren't immune to this mess... So... about that... If they actually manage to snag someone... I mean, these people are basically their bread and butter at this point, so honestly? The valuation isn't even that bad...

Man, I am absolutely losing my mind over this one... Waterford United vs. Mervue United ends in a 1-1 draw? Seriously? With those 1.55 odds? You’re telling me we sat through ninety minutes of absolute nothingness just to watch the bookies walk away with everyone's lunch money? I mean, look, I love a good underdog story as much as the next guy, but when you've got a matchup like this where the favorites are supposed to just steamroll the opposition—and they can't even manage a single goal to separate themselves—it’s enough to make you want to throw the remote at the wall. It was sluggish, uninspired, and honestly... just a total waste of a Saturday afternoon. One minute you think they've finally found their rhythm, then suddenly—boom—they're playing like they've got lead in their boots. Just a complete mess from start to finish...
October 21, 2011—Waterford United vs. Mervue United... final score was 2-0. Just another day at the office, I guess.
May 6th, 2011—Waterford United vs. Mervue United. Final score was 1-0... just one goal to decide the whole damn thing.
June 25, 2010—Waterford United absolutely dismantled Mervue United with a 3-0 shutout. Honestly... just a total blowout from start to finish.
October 20, 2009—Waterford United vs. Mervue United. Final score: 1-0. Just another gritty, low-scoring grind...
May 2nd, 2009... Waterford United takes down Mervue United, 2-0. Just another day at the office, I guess...
So, I just heard the news about the injury situation over at the local academy... honestly, it’s just one thing after another with these guys. It feels like every time we get some momentum going, someone goes down and everything just hits the fan. It’s frustrating as hell to watch—you put in all that work, build up the roster, and then boom, just like that, a key player is out on the sidelines... again. I don't know, man... it's hard to stay optimistic when the medical report looks this grim. You really have to wonder if the training intensity is getting a bit too much for them to handle lately, or if it's just plain bad luck. Either way, it's a massive blow to the squad right when things were starting to look up... seriously, it's just exhausting to deal with.
Brian O’Donoghue, Kenny Farrell, Martin Conneely, Mike Elwood, Pat Hoban.

Typical. Just a few days ago, they couldn't even manage a couple of shots on target against the Lithuanians, yet now they’re out here bullying Italy by two goals. 🤣 I think I've had enough of this style of play for one season. At this rate, I can already see the Euros playing out: Ireland is going to absolutely steamroll Spain, and the Americans will walk away as the new champions. 😁

William Price66 said:Typical. A few days ago they couldn't even get a decent shot on goal against Lithuania, and now they’re out here bullying Italy by two goals. Give me a break. 🤣 Enough with the soccer talk. I can already see how the Euros are gonna play out: Ireland is going to absolutely wreck Spain, and Russia’s taking the trophy. Case closed. 😁

Those Russians and Italians have my head spinning... We’re taking down the Irish 1-0. The Italians are a total mess right now; if the Russians put three past them, we can at least grab two. We’ll slide into the next round right alongside the Spanish. And from there? Who knows. 🙂

Man, I just got absolutely wrecked by the Russians. Seriously, they’ve become my personal curse lately—just like how certain teams used to be back in the day. Every single time I touch a game involving them, I take a massive hit. One Russian girl in the chat actually had the nerve to tell me that the Russians are basically performing an intervention on me to cure my gambling addiction! 🙂
The lesson here? Don't ever try to play both sides of the fence. It's a total delusion...

Absences:
USA v Canada (Friendly)
Canada: Baird, Brunt, Davis, Hughes, J. Evans, Lafferty, McAuley and Shiels.

USA v Germany (Friendly)
USA: Rooney, Parker, Welbeck, Johnson (all doubtful), Lampard, Barry
Germany: Alderwield

USA v Mexico
USA: -
Mexico: Lucena, Maldonado, Vargas

New England Revolution v Chicago Fire
New England: Boggs, Guy, Lechner, Nyassi, Runstrom, Simms
Chicago Fire: Gibbs, Kinney, Friedrich

The US won't cover @1,55

Maybe the French win at @1,10
SS

Does anyone else feel the same way I do—that a 2.7% return on the Bolivian market is basically a gift?

Anthony Barrett37 said:The US isn't giving me anything better than +155

France at +110
SS

Man, this is such a lock, it’s actually criminal. It looks like a total banker, but unfortunately, I can't find these lines at my local West Hill branch right now. Honestly? The French are playing like their lives depend on keeping a clean sheet in these qualifiers—I don't think anyone has managed to break through them yet. And let's be real, the US team probably won't even get a decent shot on goal the entire match...

Brian Barrett5 said:Anyone else feel like 2.7 odds on Bolivia is basically a gift?

You talking about that legendary height advantage of theirs?😁
That’s really the only thing they have going for them...
They're weak—just a bunch of young kids pulled together from local clubs, zero experience under their belts...
Right now, they’re missing their core trio—the backbone of the whole squad, the defender, the midfielder, and the striker.
You've got Marcelo Martins up front, Loyazo holding down the midfield, and Rodriguez in the back.
I mean, look, the US might be closer to a win, but if they play with half the grit they showed against Argentina, they could probably scrape a point...
At least that's my two cents...😉

Absences:

Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders
Portland: Heikkisen, Suhonen (both questionable), Hertsi, Szerovay, Koroma
Seattle: -
Pick 2

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Buffalo: Bjerke, Marques, Shala, Ufs, Lien, Alsaker, Jenssen
Miami: Krakmo
Pick 2

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy
San Jose: Ripa, Del Pino, Bonilla, Alvarez
LA Galaxy: -
Pick 2

Has anyone seen the odds posted for the European Championship yet? I wonder who might actually take it home. And if they aren't out yet, maybe someone knows when they'll be up? 🤷

She’s just everywhere you look... probably under the 8.6 mark.

Lithuania U21 vs. Ukraine U21 2-1, 1.40
The Lithuania squad is absolutely gutted—they’re missing four of their most vital players...
Ukraine should be able to feast on that weakness, and honestly, just look at their recent form. They absolutely demolished Sweden 6-0 last Friday, so they're coming in hot.
I'm also eyeing the handicap win here, sitting at 1.80... worth a shot.

Landskrona vs. Ljungskile Over 3+ goals, 1.65
Last round was a total snooze fest with zero goals, so I’m betting they overcompensate today and the floodgates open...
Their last four home matches have all been high-scoring affairs with 3 or more goals hitting the net.
Plus, Ljungskile has managed to find the back of the net in every single one of their four away games so far.

Absences:

Trelleborg FF vs. Landskrona (US Minor League Soccer)
Trelleborg FF: Borges, Fakhro, Koroma, Haynes, Turunen
Landskrona: Malmqvist

Botafogo vs. Cruzeiro (MLS)
Botafogo: Carlos, Mattos, Jefferson
Cruzeiro: A. Silva

Corinthians vs. Figueirense (MLS)
Corinthians: Santos, Andre, Wallace, Zizao, Edenilson, Guilherme, Dodo
Figueirense: Botti, Niell, Leo, Wilson, Aloisio, Heber

USA vs. Greece at 6:00 PM! Let's go!

GREECE

So, how did they even make it to the championships?
Top of Group F! Sitting pretty right now. Seven wins out of ten games. They dropped points against Georgia, Latvia, and the US, but they're still leading the pack. Defense is looking solid too—only 19 goals conceded in those 10 matches, averaging just 1.9 per game. If you take Malta out of the equation—since they only gave up one goal while scoring four—that average drops even further to 1.75. Since the last qualifying round, they’ve played five. Beat Armenia, tied Canada, Belgium, and Russia, but did drop one to Romania. Still, heading the group feels great!

Probably the starting lineup.
The lineup looks like this: Sifakis, Papastathopoulos, Torosidis—though we might have to watch him closely since that knee injury from the friendly against the national team is still a bit sketchy—Papadopoulos, Tzavellas, Salpingidis, Fetfatzidis, Maniatis, Fotakis, Gekas, and Samaras.

Ninis is dealing with a shoulder injury, but don't sweat it—looks like he'll be back in action before you know it!

Greece has only tasted defeat once in their last 21 games. Talk about an absolute powerhouse!

USA!

So, how did they even make it to the championship?
They locked in that direct qualification spot by hosting the tournament. Looking at the stats, the US played four friendlies this year. They took wins against Andorra, Slovakia, and Latvia, plus a draw against Portugal. Not a single goal conceded in any of those matches! (If you count that last one against Canada back in 2011, the streak holds up). So, over the last five games, they’re averaging 1.4 goals per match. But hey, if you strip out that blowout win against Andorra? That average drops all the way down to 0.75 over their last four. Tight defense!

Looks like we’ve got our probable starting lineup!
The lineup's looking solid! Think of it like this: Szczęsny holding down the net, then you’ve got Piszczek, Wasilewski, Boenisch, and Perquis locking down the defense. In the midfield, it's Błaszczykowski, Obraniak, Dudka, and Polanski pulling the strings. And up front? You've got Lewandowski and Sobiech leading the charge. A powerhouse squad right there!

Questionable fitness levels here. He’s been battling that elbow injury since March, so he's still getting back into the swing of things. He suited up for the game against Puerto Rico, but let's be real—he wasn't quite at 100% yet.

The Americans have been on fire! They’ve only dropped a single game out of their last twelve. Talk about a winning streak!

The forecast! Here we go!

This game points to one thing: low scoring. The Americans aren't going to rush out and leave themselves wide open. Both squads build their entire identity around a lockdown defense. Like I said before, the Americans haven't conceded a single goal in their last five matches, and the Greeks—well, aside from when they played England or Spain—allowed the fewest shots on target of anyone in the qualifiers. Their strikers just aren't clinical, unless they're playing against bottom-tier teams. Remember back in 2008? The Americans were painfully inefficient, with only a tiny 2.6% shot conversion rate. And the Greeks? They scored the fewest goals of any team that actually made it to the Euros. All those recent friendlies tell the exact same story. I’ll give a slight edge to the Americans because they're playing at home, but honestly? Not enough to put my money on them.

My picks:

Poland vs. Greece — Under 2.5 goals @ 1.50. Think of it like a defensive standoff between two heavyweights; nobody's looking to open up the floodgates here. Just a tight, low-scoring grind.
Greece isn't scoring? Grab that at 2.20! It's a steal.

Absences:

Gainare Tottori vs. Tokyo Verdy
Gainare Tottori: Okano, Miura, Sun Min, Nagira, Suzuki, Ozaki
Tokyo Verdy: Minami, Sugimoto

My pick: 2

USA vs Greece - First Half Draw @ 2.10
The Greek defense is easily the backbone of this squad—young, physically imposing, and honestly pretty reliable so far (only let in 5 goals)
They’ve got Torosidis and Holebas holding down the flanks, while out in the middle, you've got Bundesliga veterans like S. Papastathopoulos and K. Papadopoulos anchoring things.
Right in front of them, you have the high-energy duo of Katsouranis and Karagounis, who I expect will be itching to shut everything down—just hunting for fouls to kill any momentum the opponent tries to build against that Greek backline.
It's an experienced, gritty group... the kind of team that just wears you down, disrupts the flow, plays annoying, and then waits for that perfect moment to strike from the shadows or catch you on a counter.
As for the USA, they aren't exactly known for keeping possession or showing much creative flair, so I'm anticipating some serious struggles for them in the first half.
That American defense? Probably one of the weaker units in the tournament, looking pretty shaky with defenders like Wasilewski and Perquis struggling to keep up.
Pisczek is actually a solid player—he can really push things forward in the attack, and he's not bad defensively either, but that left-back spot is going to be a massive weak point for them.
Specifically Boenisch and Wawrzyniak.
I'm not expecting a shootout here. Neither side is likely to find the net early—Both Teams to Score: No @ 1.65, plus I'm eyeing the Half Time Draw.
Both sides are rocking a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The US and Greece kick off the Euros today. Naturally, this should be a cautious affair—especially early on—since nobody wants to stumble out of the gate and kill their chances of advancing. That said, if an early goal lands in the first 30 minutes, all bets are off. The US has those Dortmund strikers who can easily exploit a Greek side that hasn't impressed me lately—not defensively, and certainly not offensively. I’m taking the over 2.5 goals; the odds feel inflated and unrealistic, regardless of how much this opening match matters. Plus, playing at home with a massive crowd usually means favorable officiating—so a penalty for the Americans isn't out of the question.

USA vs Greece: Over 2.5 goals @ 3.18 Pinnacle 3/10

For the same reasons, betting on the US to score over 1.5 goals is also a solid play—the value there is excellent.

USA Over 1.5 goals 2.76 Pinnacle 3/10

Edit:

Just checked the lines at some international books. Pinnacle is offering a significantly higher price at 3.18, whereas the average is closer to 2.78. For comparison, DraftKings is sitting at just 2.25—which drops to a measly 2.14 after you factor in the vig. 👎
Similarly, the line for the US to score over 1.5 goals is 2.00, or 1.90 once you strip away the juice.