D.C., Dallas take mid-week confidence boost in weekend

Soccer Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United and FC Dallas, the two last place teams in their respective conferences, square off in a Major League Soccer clash on Saturday night.

While both teams have gotten off to slow starts this season, both are also feeling good after earning mid-week victories.

United (1-5-0) got two goals from forward Danny Allsopp to top the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 at RFK Stadium on Wednesday.

"Obviously it feels great," United coach Curt Onalfo said of his team collecting its first win of the season. "It's just one win but it's certainly an important one. What we've dealt with over five weeks in terms of adversity has been very trying and I commend our group for not letting any negativity enter into our group and understanding along the way what it takes to win games in this league. It takes hard work, it takes sacrifice, it takes playing every play like it's the last. We had a very good, hard-fought, workmanlike effort for 90 minutes and it's really encouraging to get the victory."

United rookie Bill Hamid also stepped in goal and played very well in place of veteran Matt Pickens, who has been disappointing so far this season.

"I thought [Hamid] performed extremely well," Onalfo said. "He's 19-years-old and it's his first MLS game. I think he looked a little bit shaky on a couple of plays but that's normal but he's a gamer and that's the kind of performance he put in during preseason and that's the reason why he's our backup. I'm proud of his performance and I thought he had a really solid game."

Dallas (1-1-4) is also coming off its first win of the season after earning draws in four of its first five league fixtures to start the season. A 1-0 result at Houston while playing down a man is as good as it gets for Dallas faithful.

"I think the team is on the right track and I think it was a heck of an effort [at Houston on Wednesday]," FCD coach Schellas Hyndman told mlssoccer.com. "Maybe I'm a stubborn coach, but I look at that as the level of expectation. You expect your players to work hard, you expect your players to be physical and you expect your players to be courageous."

Ugo Ihemelu scored the game winner with a little over 10 minutes to play when he knocked home a Dax McCarty's free kick. The kick was headed by Brek Shea to Ihemelu, who headed it home from close range.

FC Dallas will be without defender Jair Benitez on Saturday because of the red card he received late in the game on Wednesday. Also out are defender Kyle Davies and midfielder Marvin Chavez with injury issues.

OUnited will be without defenders Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic and Bryan Namoff, and forward Chris Pontius, while defender Julius James is questionable and defenders Juan Manuel Pena, Barry Rice and Clyde Simms are probable, all with injuries.

Roolingstone Soccer Betting News


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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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