Andell Holdings close on purchase of Chicago Fire

Soccer Betting Lines

09/07/2007 - Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andell Holdings, a Los Angeles-based private investment firm, announced Thursday the closing of the transaction to acquire AEGs interests in Major League Soccers Chicago Fire. The purchase price was not disclosed.

"As a longtime soccer fan, I am so excited about our purchase of the Chicago Fire," Andell Holdings Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Hauptman said. "Everyone at Andell, especially my wife Ellen and I, shares the Fires commitment to tradition, honor, and passion. We're fully dedicated to working with the team, its fans and the Chicago community to build a championship franchise. (President and CEO of AEG) Tim Leiweke and his team at AEG, (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber and everyone at Major League Soccer, and Bridgeview Mayor Landek have been tremendously supportive of our ownership plans, and we're greatly appreciative of their cooperation and collaboration to successfully complete this transaction."

Now AEG, which once owned the majority of teams in MLS, owns just two teams - the L.A. Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo.

"Selling the Chicago Fire was a very difficult decision for AEG," Leiweke said. "The team, its fans and the Chicago community have been a special part of Major League Soccer and AEG. Ultimately, the reason we agreed to sell the Fire was to reduce the number of teams operated by our organization. We believe that bringing in a new partner like Andrew and Andell will help the league and the sport continue to grow and become more successful."

The Chicago Fire Soccer franchise was founded on Oct. 8, 1997 as a MLS expansion team. The Fire won the MLS Cup in its inaugural season in 1998 and was crowned the champion of U.S. Soccer's national tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. In June 2006, the Fire moved into their 20,000-seat, soccer-specific home of Toyota Park in Bridgeview, just outside of Chicago.

"We proudly welcome Andrew Hauptman and Andell into the MLS ownership group," Garber said. "I am confident that they will be dedicated and innovative leaders of the Chicago Fire organization. As our group of owners continues to grow and diversify, Andells investment further illustrates the strength of our business and the bright future that lies ahead."

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FOOTBALL BETTING LINES

NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

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