11/14/2008 - Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The question is, after upsetting the two-time defending Major League Soccer Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference semifinals last week, can the New York Red Bulls keep their improbable playoff run going.
"It's not over," Juan Pablo Angel told MLSnet.com. "We know that we're on the doorstep of the big party of the year. We would like to get it right, but we have a very difficult challenge ahead."
The challenge comes Saturday night when the Red Bulls (1-0-1) travel to the Salt Lake City area to take on Real Salt Lake (1-0-1) in the Western Conference final at Rio Tinto Stadium.
"The way the system is set up it's only a one game round this time," RSL's Clint Mathis told his team's official website. "So it's important to have the home crowd behind you because they definitely help us out. They are our 12 player out on the field. It's important to win this game at home and then we are in the finals."
RSL - which has a 9-1-6 record at home this season and playoffs - also earned an upset in their semifinal series with Chivas USA. But the fact that the Red Bulls were the last team to sneak into the second season, combined with the fact that they upset a team many believed was the class of MLS gives them a lot of confidence heading into Saturday's game.
"If you look at the game between Houston and New York, Houston had so many chances," RSL's Robbie Russell told his team's website. "Houston threw everything forward and everything forward and couldn't put it in the back of the net. And New York took advantage of all the chances they got. That will be the big thing, is who can score on their chances."
The chances New York got were mainly generated by speedy winger Dane Richards, who had a goal and an assist as well as drawing a penalty kick - which was converted by Angel - in the Red Bulls' 3-0 win at Houston this past weekend.
"He played with a controlled aggression. A lot had been said about the rivalry between him and [Houston] fullback [Wade] Barrett, but I think at the end, Dane got the better of the two with his pace," New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "He's doing a lot better work now. He comes inside and looks for a pass, now his combination play is better, and we always know that he is a threat in behind, and we're very pleased with his performance."
Most of RSL's chances have been coming from midfield maestro Javier Morales, presenting a challenge in the middle of the field for the Red Bulls' defense.
"We have to play the way we have been playing the last coupe games," RSL's Will Johnson told his team's website. "We've played a very high pressure style, we got after teams, we've worked very hard with each other."
But New York defender Chris Leitch likes his team's chances of another upset over the No. 3 seeded Real Salt Lake squad..
"We had guys who were willing to execute the game plan, willing to battle for 180-plus minutes and that was the difference," Leitch said of upsetting Houston. "It was unbelievable effort by every single guy, which is why it feels so rewarding right now. If we can continue doing this, who knows?"
Who knows, the Red Bulls could be the team squaring off against the Columbus Crew for the MLS Cup on Nov. 23 at the Home Depot Center.
<< Vikings S Williams doubtful, Allen questionable for Sunday
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings safety Madieu Williams
may miss Sunday's contest at Tampa Bay with a shoulder injury, while defensive
end Jared Allen's shoulder has improved.
Williams, who missed the first seven game
<< NBA suspends Nash, Barnes and Alston
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA has suspended Steve Nash and Matt
Barnes of the Phoenix Suns, as well as Houston's Rafer Alston, for their roles
in an altercation Wednesday.
Barnes and Alston were the main participants in t
<< NBA Southeast: Youth movement paying off in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baby-faced NFL quarterback Matt Ryan has led the local
Falcons to a winning record so far this season, as have most of the members of
the Atlanta Hawks.
Led by shooting guard Joe Johnson, small forward Marvin Williams, inj
<< Report: Giants OL McKenzie arrested for DUI
Hackensack, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants starting right tackle Kareem
McKenzie was reportedly arrested for driving under the influence on Thursday
night.
The Bergen Record reported Friday on the arrest. The Record, citing Litt
Quick change; Melrose out in Tampa >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning made a coaching change
Friday, firing Barry Melrose after just 16 games and replacing him on an
interim basis with associate coach Rick Tocchet.
Melrose was hired on June 24 af
NHL Central: Hossa fitting right in with Red Wings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It hasn't taken Marian Hossa long to find a comfort level
with his new team, the Detroit Red Wings.
When Hossa signed with Detroit this past offseason, inking a one-year deal
with the team that had just beaten him in the S
FCS Previews: Week 12 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are the predictions for the top 25
games and other notable contests from week 12 of the FCS season.
GAME OF THE WEEK
No.12 William & Mary (7-2, 5-1 CAA) at No. 1 James Madison (8-0, 6-0 CAA), 1:
Rams' Jackson won't play again Sunday >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson
will not play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers because of a strained
right thigh muscle.
"Steven's [Jackson] out, he's not traveling [to San Francisco]
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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