Friday night viewing has never been this good as we’ve got two blockbuster games that will definitely satisfy your sports craving. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated quarterfinal showdown between the United States and China in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Then, over at the MLB, the league-leading St. Louis Cardinals square off with the Chicago Cubs in a mouth-watering NL Central clash. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two pivotal matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our latest take on the coaching carousel that is happening right now in the NBA.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]The U.S. Women’s National Team recorded its third consecutive shutout in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, blanking Colombia, 2-0, to book a place in the tournament quarterfinals Monday. Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd scored the winning goals for the Americans who have now shut out opponents for 333 straight minutes in this year’s World Cup.
They will have their work cut out for them tonight, however, as standing in their way in the last eight is Asian powerhouse China. The Chinese booked their place in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Cameroon at the Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday. Forward Wang Shanshan scored the winner in the 12th minute for China who has allowed just three goals in this competition thus far.
Line: Chicago Cubs (+112) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (-122); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
The Chicago Cubs stumbled to their second consecutive defeat this Thursday with a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs will look to return to their winning ways tonight when they take on the streaking St. Louis Cardinals in the opening game of their three-game set. Starting for the Cubs tonight is Jake Arrieta (7-5, 3.07 ERA). He was phenomenal in his last start for the Cubs, throwing a four-hit shutout in Chicago’s 8-0 victory against the Minnesota Twins on June 21.
The Cards, on the other hand, will counter with veteran right-hander John Lackey (6-4, 3.41 ERA). The Cards have won four of their last five games with Lackey as their starter. He has been solid in his last two starts for the Cards, allowing just three earned runs in 15 innings of action.
