Rapids, Dallas both gunning for points in Western showdown

Soccer Betting Lines

07/30/2010 - Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids host FC Dallas at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night.

The Rapids (6-5-5), who are winless in six league fixtures, should have their hands full because not only is Dallas (6-2-8) unbeaten seven, but only has one road loss this season.

"I think its a physical thing," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman told mlssoccer.com of his team's recent surge. "The guys are prepared for the contest, for the war. I think it's a mental thing where every time we find ourselves coming back, it just builds confidence that we can come back. If we keep working hard, we know we'll get the goal and the result."

A lot of it also has to do with the lay off 2010 MLS All-Star David Ferreira, whose four goals and two assists over the last 10 games only show part of what he has been contributing for his team.

"We're starting to put it all together," Hyndman said. "This is a huge game for us. This is a really important game because Colorado just lost on the road and they're behind us, so it's a six-point swing. They're looking for something to feel good about."

The Rapids are coming off a 2-1 loss at Seattle last week in which they gave up two goals for the first time in four games. The Rapids are winless this season when they allow more than one goal.

"The start killed us, but after that we played all right," Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens told mlssoccer.com. "They had limited chances, but they scored. We had way more opportunities than they did. Being away from home, it's overall a decent performance, but we didn't get the points. Giving up two goals is just unacceptable on the road. We need to really tie it down."

Rapids coach Gary Smith was happy with his squad's performance after the first 20 minutes, when both goals were scored by Steve Zakuani.

"They showed a lot of spirit, a lot of determination," he told mlssoccer.com about his team. "For probably the vast percentage of the game we were the better team overall. Better chances, more clear-cut chances, better football; I thought we looked the more composed and more efficient. The two big stats were the goals that they scored, and they've gotten the points."

Now the Rapids will be gunning for the points on Saturday in an effort to move into a tie with FC Dallas.

Imustlottto Soccer Betting News

<< Sounders aim to continue winning ways against 'Quakes
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC will go for their third straight win on Saturday when they visit Buck Shaw Stadium to face the San Jose Earthquakes. The Sounders followed a 1-0 win over D.C. United with a 2-1 vi

<< Hilliard, Tyree retire as Giants
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Giants receivers Ike Hilliard and David Tyree each signed contracts this week to retire as members of the organization. Hilliard played in 98 games, starting 92, during his career

<< Crew chief Letarte extends contract with HMS
Pocono, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Letarte, the crew chief for four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, has signed a multi-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports. Letarte and HMS made the announcement Frida

<< Robinson agrees to five-year deal with Saints
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms with rookie cornerback Patrick Robinson on a five-year contract. Financial terms of the deal for the 32nd and last pick in the first round of April's draft were

<< Gaming: Mountain West mediocre outside of league play
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mountain West's non-conference straight-up records point in a favorable direction at 41-28 over the last two years, but don't be so quick in jumping to the windows to wager on the league against outside c

K.C. hopes to build on win vs. Man United in league play vs. TFC >>
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a disappointing season to so for the Kansas City Wizards, but the Major League Soccer club is hoping it can use a 2-1 win in an exhibition against English premier League side Manchester United

Niners ink draft picks Davis, Mays, Bowman >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed three of their first four picks from April's draft, including first-rounder Anthony Davis. In addition to a five-year deal for Davis, an offensive tackle from Rutger

AL Central: Twins putting the heat on Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins continue to prove that it takes more than high-profile personnel moves to compete for a postseason berth. While the Detroit Tigers inked Johnny Damon and Jose Valverde in the offseason, Minnesota stayed

Revs searching for league success against Union >>
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England has won four straight games without allowing a goal, but just one of those matches was in Major League Soccer. The Revolution hope to build on their SuperLiga success in league play Saturday at PPL Par

Youzhny ousted in Gstaad quarters >>
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Mikhail Youzhny was a quarterfinal upset victim Friday at the Swiss Open Gstaad. Qualifier Yuri Schukin upended his world No. 14 fellow Russian Youzhny 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 in 2 hours, 12

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


You've come to the right place if you're searching for a great legal online sportsbook ! The sportsbooks featured on this page accept sports wagers for the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, NCAA, Tennis, Soccer, Auto-Racing, Golf, Boxing, Horseracing, and many more. Using the information displayed on this page, you'll be able to make a wise-decision when selecting an online sportsbook and wagering service.

If you've never wagered at an online sportsbook before, you will find the process of starting to be straightforward. First, you choose a sportsbook from the list provided below. We feature the top sportsbooks on the web, with rankings based on company size, reputation, security, web site usability, and payment options. Once you've chosen the betting site that's right for you, the next step is online registration. You'll need to provide some basic information to create your account and receive a username and password. At this time, you'll also select a payment option. The books reviewed accept Visa, Mastercard, BankWire, and several others. Once you have an account created with the Sportsbook, you're ready to start wagering. You'll want to get familiar with their website and contact their Customer Service department if you have any questions.

Also, make sure you read the terms and conditions, which is usually located at the bottom of the homepage. The terms and conditions will outline all of the rules and regulations for the sportsbook. Once you are comfortable with the website and fully understand all of the rules, you are ready to start betting on your favorite sports teams or even on some hot current events!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.