Seattle edges D.C. United with late winner
Soccer Betting Lines
07/15/2010 -
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Levesque scored in the 89th minute
and Kasey Keller made five saves, leading Seattle Sounders FC to a 1-0 victory
over D.C. United in MLS on Thursday night at RFK Stadium.
Keller made a few great saves for his fifth shutout of the season and Levesque
scored his first goal of the year to end Seattle's four-game winless skid.
Seattle (5-8-4) won for just the second time in its last eight matches and for
just the second time on the road this season.
D.C. United (3-10-3) became the first team to lose 10 matches in MLS this year
and is winless in four straight.
Both clubs created tons of scoring chances, as Fredy Montero and Steve Zakuani
both missed wide on early chances and United 17-year-old Andy Najar was denied
by Keller in the eighth minute.
Montero forced a save from D.C. goalkeeper Troy Perkins in the 15th minute and
D.C.'s Stephen King forced Keller to turn his shot by the post in the 19th.
Najar found the side netting in the 32nd, then Zakuani and Moreno responded on
the other end with chances that were both off target.
Seattle's Patrick Ianni turned a header over the crossbar early in the second,
and Montero continued the trend of missing the target with a free kick around
the right post in the 55th.
United's Chris Pontius followed with a shot wide left in the 59th but D.C. was
gifted a chance to take the lead minutes later when Keller came out of his box
to challenge Najar. Keller remained on the ground after the challenge, but his
absence in goal was wasted by D.C.
Santino Quaranta fired a quick shot at the empty net but Ianni headed the ball
off the line to prevent a goal. Keller, who finished the game with a limp, had
another save in the 67th on new D.C. signing Pablo Hernandez.
Keller then tipped a long drive from Quaranta over the bar in the 76th and was
up to the task again in the 87th when D.C.'s Branko Boskovic directed the ball
on goal from close range.
Zakuani fired wide again in the 87th but Seattle found the game-winner seconds
later through Levesque. Montero took the ball to the right edge of the box and
crossed over Perkins to the far post, where Levesque lunged to head the ball
just inside the left post.
Seattle will try to build on the win July 25 when it hosts the Colorado Rapids
and D.C. will try to bounce back Sunday when the Los Angeles Galaxy visit.
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<< Hamilton leaves game with knee problem
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton left
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Hamilton went 3-for-4 in the game with three doubles and upped his batting
average to a major league
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San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants have signed
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<< Scola staying in Houston
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets and forward Luis Scola have
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Last season with Houston, his
Rangers use big first inning to beat Red Sox >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bengie Molina's two-run home run capped a six-
run first inning as the Texas Rangers downed the Boston Red Sox, 7-2, to start
the second half of the season.
Nelson Cruz went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a r
Goldberg leads Canadian Tour's Players Cup >>
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Goldberg had six birdies in a flawless round on the Pine Ridge course to build
a one-stroke lead over Brady Stockto
Nuggets sign Harrington >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets have signed free agent
forward Al Harrington. Terms of the deal weren't released, but it's believed
to be a five-year, $34 million contract.
Harrington averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1
Carpenter masters Dodgers again >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Carpenter pitched eight strong innings
and remained unbeaten against the Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals started
the post All-Star break with a 7-1 win in the opener of a four-game series.
Carpent
Ramirez, Cubs clobber Phils >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez wiped the slate clean from a
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over Philadelphia in the first of four games at Wrigley Field.
The second half st
“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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