07/03/2009 - Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two Major League Soccer clubs stuck in the bottom third of their respective conference tables square off on Saturday when the Los Angeles Galaxy host the New England Revolution at The Home Depot Center.
The Galaxy (3-3-9) are actually coming off an impressive 1-0 win over league leading Houston in their last league match on Sunday.
"I thought for the first time this year our central backs played extremely well over 90 minutes," Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena said. "They were pretty consistent. They didn't make any mistakes. They controlled the line very well, and organized the team extremely well. To me, it was all about our central backs, the start of the game was better. We consistently at home have given up the first goal, played with 10 players and done all the things you do to lose games. Fortunately, we got a point out of a lot of them. We corrected those mistakes [vs. Houston]. We didn't put ourselves behind the eight ball and chase the game."
The Galaxy are hoping a busy July schedule will propel them right back into playoff contention.
"We talked about trying to get ahead of in games, and play the game on our terms while also doing a better job in reacting to goals against us if we do fall behind," L.A.'s Eddie Lewis said. "But in general, it was a very good win for us. It is another building block for us as we move on in the season."
New England (4-4-4), on the other hand, is coming off a 3-1 loss in its last league fixture on June 13 at Kansas City. The team has been successful as of late, however, with two wins in three tries in SuperLiga action.
"I don't know if you guys have looked at our bench, but it's looking pretty slim. We only have three or four guys. Rosters were cut this year and it's become a lot more difficult on us," said defender Jeff Larentowicz. "At this point, we're playing in essentially three different competitions right now so we're going to have four or five games in two weeks. It's a lot of games with half the roster."
The Revs will be without defender Jay Heaps because of his participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, while defender Chris Albright, midfielders Mauricio Castro, Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston, and forward Taylor Twellman are out with injuries. Defenders Kevin Alston and Gabriel Badilla are questionable with knocks of their own.
"We're already bare-bones coming into the game," Revolution defender Chris Tierney said. "What did we have, 15 guys? We've had so many games. Guys are struggling with knocks and we just can't take risks. If someone pulls something, they have to come out. There's nothing we can do about it."
The Galaxy will be without goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts because of international duty and defenders Sean Franklin and Julian Valentin because of injury. Midfielder Dema Kovalenko and defender Yohance Marshall are questionable and goalkeeper Josh Saunders is probable.
<< Stockton shares Edmonton Open lead with two others
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Stockton posted a three-under 69 Friday
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The Oregonian newspaper originally reported Tu
<< Lopez solid on the mound as Phils handle Mets
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phillies recalled Rodrigo Lopez from
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Philade
<< Wizards will try to make move vs. powerful Houston club
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Wizards face a tough task
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White Sox stay hot, upend Greinke's Royals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Danks was dominant in 7 1/3 shutout
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Danks (7-6) h
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Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarrett Hoffpauir came through in a big way
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Mariners squeak past Red Sox in 11 >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rob Johnson went 3-for-5 with three doubles,
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Moss and Vazquez lead Pirates over Marlins >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Moss and Ramon Vazquez hit early home
runs, and the Pittsburgh Pirates shut down Hanley Ramirez, on the way to a 7-4
win over the Florida Marlins in the opener of a three-game series.
Charlie Morton
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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