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09/13/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. coach Greg Ryan didn't hesitate to say Friday's game against Sweden is like a "championship" match.
After starting the tournament with a 2-2 draw against North Korea on Tuesday, the top-ranked United States faces an historically tougher opponent with its tournament possibly on the line.
The United States and Sweden, ranked third in the world and the 2003 World Cup runners-up, both tied on Tuesday. If either team pulls out a win on Friday, it would grab a comfortable three-point edge on the other with just one game left in the group stage.
The scenarios are endless, but if the United States lost to Sweden and Group B's other game between North Korea and Nigeria didn't end in a tie on Friday, the Americans would need a victory in their final game just to have a chance to advance.
"(Friday's) an important match, just like every other match at the World Cup and we know that. Obviously, the draw wasn't what we were looking for, but we are going to learn from it and move on," U.S. forward Lindsay Tarpley said.
The United States doesn't want to put itself in a situation where it needs to watch the scoreboard on Monday morning when its playing its last game. That's why Ryan didn't understate the importance of the Sweden game.
"I think this group is like playing a semifinal and a final in our first two games," Ryan said. "That's the quality of the teams."
If there's any advantage between the two world powers on Friday, it goes to the United States.
The Americans lead the all-time series 14-3-5, and are 2-0 in the World Cup against Sweden. The United States beat Sweden in the group stage of the '91 tournament, 3-2, and in the group stage of the '03 event, 3-1.
The United States has also won the last two meetings between the teams, 3-2. Overall, the winner of the last five meetings between the teams - Sweden's only win during the stretch was in March of 2004 - has scored three goals.
Ryan expects offense - especially off set plays - to again be the difference, and he has to feel good about having an offensive duo as good as any. Captain Kristine Lilly has 126 goals in her career, and Abby Wambach - who scored in the tie with North Korea - has 78.
If there is a country that can come close to matching the American stars, it's Sweden. Hanna Ljungberg has 71 career goals and Victoria Svensson - who scored the team's lone goal in a 1-1 tie with Nigeria - has 59.
"Usually it's the big players that decide games. Not always, but now it's a question of 'can the USA's top players create that advantage for the U.S.? Can Sweden's top players create the advantage?'" Ryan said.
Both sides have plenty of other firepower as well, as the United States showed with Heather O'Reilly scoring the crucial tying goal against North Korea. The Swedes also feature young 6-foot striker Lotta Schelin, Sweden's Female Player of the Year in 2006.
"Sweden is very good in the air and very strong," U.S. midfielder Shannon Boxx said.
Although the United States failed to win its opener for just the second time in five World Cups - it tied China in its first game in 1995 - it should be a little more settled after six players made their Cup debuts on Tuesday.
The United States has won its second game in the previous four World Cups by combined scores of 19-1, but it hasn't faced a team as good as Sweden in its second match before.
Although Sweden's tie against Nigeria was a bit of a shocker, it was the first result the Swedes have ever gotten in their first game of a World Cup. Sweden was winless in its previous four Cup openers.
"We were unlucky at times (against Nigeria), but now we have to get our heads right and come out better in our next two games," Svensson told FIFA.com.
Neither team has ever failed to reach the quarterfinals in any of the previous four World Cups.
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Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators named center Jason
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Arnott, 32, is the fourth captain in Nashville history. Tom Fitzgerald, Greg
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Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden
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"Disappointed" North Korea ready for Nigeria >>
Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Korea, a bit of a mystery entering the
World Cup, has stepped into the spotlight following its surprising tie against
the United States.
But the players for North Korea, which is ranked fifth in the w
Ryan resigns as Twins GM >>
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Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terry Glenn had
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Germany faces tougher test against England >>
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Argenti
“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.
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.
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.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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