United, TFC square off at BMO for 'important game'

Soccer Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last-placed D.C. United travels to take on a desperate Toronto FC club on Saturday afternoon in Major League Soccer action at BMO Field.

The Reds (7-9-7) are in must-win mode if they have any hope of making the playoffs, especially after battling to a scoreless draw at Chicago in a mid- week fixture.

"It's definitely is a big point, but I think we should have came out with a win, but we'll take the point," Toronto captain Dwayne De Rosario told Rogers Sportsnet after the game. "It pushes us up a little bit, we have another important game coming up against DC on Saturday."

Toronto has proven to be a different club at home than on the road. It is 6-1-5 this season at BMO Field, and just 1-8-2 away from it. Because of its road woes, the team is under immense pressure to get all three points against a struggling D.C. United club on Saturday.

"We can't lose anyone right now, we need as many guys as possible," De Rosario said. "We do have a little bit of injuries [concerns] in important positions. We've got to carry on with it and, hopefully, the guys that do get their chances are 100 percent ready and focused and take the opportunities."

United (4-16-3), on the other hand, is having one of the worst seasons in franchise history. After a 1-0 loss vs. Columbus last weekend, it tied the MLS mark for times being shut out in a season at 15. If it happens again in the club's next seven games it will own the dubious mark.

"It's a bit of a broken record at this point, right? Unfortunately we're not making big plays," D.C. United interim coach Ben Olsen told mlssoccer.com. "You've heard this before. This is who we are right now. I think there's part of us that's growing, and there's part of us that is kind of staying the same, and the part that's staying the same is costing us games. So I don't know what else to tell you."

Last week it was a goalkeeping blunder by Bill Hamid that cost his team the game when he misplayed a ball right to Guillermo Barros Schelotto in his own six-yard box. The Argentine easily slotted the ball home for the only goal in a 1-0 United loss.

"The field's playing kind of poor, but at the same time, there's no excuse for that mistake on my part," Hamid said after the match. "It shouldn't have been a goal, shouldn't have been a mistake. Maybe I could've one-timed it out, who knows. But I apologize to my teammates, to the coaches, to the staff, to the fans, for the mistake."

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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