Houston heads across the country to take on L.A.

Soccer Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three days after suffering a heart wrenching last-second loss to Red Bull New York in Harrison, NJ, the Houston Dynamo travel across the country to take on the undefeated Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.

"It's Wednesday, we just lost a tough game here," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said after Juan Pablo Angel scored on a 30-yard free kick in second-half stoppage time to hand the Dynamo a 2-1 defeat at New York. "I think we'll let this one sink in, and then we'll start thinking about Los Angeles. The next game after something like this is important."

The loss was the second straight for Houston, which is under .500 at 5-6-1 this season. It was also the second-straight loss in which Houston has given up a late winner.

"Just a lack of concentration, a lack of confidence, I think," Houston forward Brian Ching said of the recent trend. "I think as a team we're kind of unsure about ourselves right now, and you saw that at the end of the game. I think two years ago, we close that game out pretty easily. You look at the way this year is going, we're making mistakes because of a lack of confidence. I think after we scored our goal, we took our foot off the gas and were unsure. They're the home team and they took it to us. Disappointing, extremely. But hats off to Juan Pablo [Angel] for putting a great ball into the back of the net."

Things don't get any easier on Saturday, with Los Angeles (9-0-2) aiming to keep its record unblemished.

The Galaxy are coming off a 2-0 victory at Columbus last weekend, getting the result even though they were outplayed.

"When you have an advantage on the road and the other team doesn't score you have a chance to win," L.A. coach Bruce Arena said after the win. "At the end of the day that's what it's about. We came here to win. The only thing we were worried about was the score. We didn't concern ourselves a whole lot at the end of the game with who had the most corner kicks or shots or fouls or all that other stuff. ... I'll take the three points and I'm out of town. I'm not going to worry about all that other stuff."

L.A. has played the last couple games without leading scorers Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle, who are with the U.S. World Cup team, and will have to find a way to get by without them for at least the next two games.

"Our roster is a little weakened; our roster is not as strong as it will be during the year," Arena said.

The Galaxy could also be without forward Alan Gordon, midfielder Dema Kovalenko and defender Leonardo, who are all listed as questionable on the club's injury report.

The Dynamo will be without midfielder Geoff Cameron, while defender Mike Chabala is doubtful and defender Eddie Robinson is questionable, all with injuries.

Lesseters Soccer Betting News

<< Braves aim for 10th straight win in clash with Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves winless starter Kenshin Kawakami will try to get in on the action when he takes the mound for Friday's second portion of a four-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Kawakami hasn't won

<< Fowler ties 36-hole record, Woods improves at Memorial
Dublin, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rickie Fowler fired a six-under 66 and matched the 36-hole scoring record Friday at the Memorial Tournament. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods secured his spot on the weekend after missing the cut his last time out.

<< Trio of FBS transfers joins Georgia State
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Georgia State football program continues to stockpile FBS transfers, adding former Georgia Tech offensive linemen Joseph Gilbert and Clyde Yandell, and former Auburn tight end Bailey Woods, GSU head coach Bill

<< AL Central: The aftermath of the Call Heard 'Round the World
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball's latest, and perhaps most compelling, argument for more instant replay came during the ninth inning of Detroit's 3-0 win over the Cleveland Indians Wednesday night. Tigers' right-hander Armando Galar

<< Cavaliers GM Ferry resigns
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry has resigned, the team announced. Ferry had been the team's GM since June 2005, and the Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, made the playoffs in every season durin

Giants bring up Burrell >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants recalled outfielder Pat Burrell from Fresno on Friday and optioned outfielder John Bowker to their Triple-A affiliate. Burrell, 33, was previously released by the Tampa Bay Rays aft

Mass. gov raising funds with Lakers' Magic Johnson >>
BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts Gov. Deval (deh-VAL') Patrick is taking advantage of the NBA Finals being played in Boston to hold a re-election campaign fundraiser featuring Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson.The hoops legend and

Back sidelines Shockey from start of minicamp >>
METAIRIE, La. (AP) -Saints coach Sean Payton says Jeremy Shockey unexpectedly sat out the first practice of minicamp because of a recent onset of back spasms.Payton says Shockey's absence from practice had nothing to do with the star tight end's hos

Rays activate catcher Shoppach >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have reinstated catcher Kelly Shoppach from the 15-day disabled list. Shoppach had been sidelined since April 11, undergoing surgery April 19 to repair the meniscus in his right knee

Essien inks new Chelsea contract >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea enforcer Michael Essien has been handed a new contract that will keep him at the Premier League champions until the end of the 2014-15 campaign. The news will come as a boost to the Ghana interna

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.