After statement win, Revs head to Seattle

Soccer Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution snapped a seven game winless streak in their last Major League Soccer fixture, and they are hoping it is something to build on against the Seattle Sounders FC in their next one.

"This is huge for us," Revs defender Pat Phelan said after his club's 3-2 win over Red Bull New York last weekend. "We're going to look at this as a turning point in our season. We played much better than we have in the past few games. We gave [New York] some soft goals, but on the whole, I think it was a much better performance and its always nice to end a streak like that at home."

New England will be gunning for a positive result on Saturday, because it is its last game before the extended World Cup break.

"You don't want to go on a break with a loss," Phelan said. "It's a tough place to play, although I don't think we've ever lost to Seattle, only two games, but still. They're a team that's struggling, too, a bit like New York was, a bit like we were. They're a dangerous team, but I think it's definitely possible for us to go out there and get a result."

When the Revs travel to Seattle on Saturday, they will be facing a Sounders club that is trying to get out of its own funk. The second-year MLS club has just one win in its last seven league fixtures, including consecutive losses in its last two.

"I think all the boys were fighting real hard but the way that level of the game was allowed to play there was little chances," Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg told mlssoccer.com. after his team's most recent setback, a 1-0 loss at Colorado. "It was typical but very difficult and disappointing."

The Sounders, who are currently second-from-the-bottom in the Western table, know they need to start picking up points fast if they want to be in the playoff picture at the end of the season.

"It is never too early to think about our points so far," Sounders coach Sigi Schmidt told mlssoccer.com. "Points are worth the same now as it is in the end. It has been frustrating because I don't think we have walked off the field being an outplayed team. We just have to keep working and keep our belief in ourselves."

Seattle will be without forward Nate Jaqua, midfielder Michael Fucito, and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, while midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Peter Vagenas are doubtful, all with injuries.

The Revs will be without defender Darrius Barnes, goalkeeper Preston Burpo and forward Taylor Twellman, while goalkeeper Matt Reis is doubtful, and midfielders Nico Colaluca and Mike Videira, forward Kheli Dube, and defender Cory Gibbs are questionable.Defenders Kevin Alston and Emmanuel Osei are expected to be available.

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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

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

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.