Columbus hosts Chicago in rematch of Eastern final

Soccer Betting Lines

04/24/2009 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire travel to take on the Columbus Crew in a Major League Soccer clash at Crew Stadium on Saturday. The fixture will be a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference final, although the teams are on the opposite sides of the table five games into the 2009 season.

The Crew are one of just two winless teams in MLS with an 0-2-3 record while the Fire (2-0-3) are one of only two unbeaten clubs, meaning their fortunes have changed since Columbus defeated Chicago route to the 2008 MLS Cup championship.

Chicago is coming off a 2-2 draw with Kansas City last weekend in which it gave up two late goals to settle for a share of the points.

"It was a great game for 75 minutes," Fire defender Bakary Soumare said. "And then we lost our concentration. We kept things tight and kept playing the way we had been playing. Being up 2-0, we didn't feel much pressure to score a third or fourth goal. You play hard for such a long time and then blow it at the end ... it's unspeakable."

Despite the fact that the team felt it gave two points away, Fire coach Denis Hamlett was very happy with his team's performance, especially in the first half when two Brian McBride goals gave his club the early lead.

"I think it was the best half the team has played this year," he said. "I think our mentality showed from the start. We were on the same page - playing one and two touch soccer, moving the ball and when we created opportunities to go one-on-one we did that.

"Brian [McBride] scored two good goals. It was unselfish soccer and I tell the group when we play like that, it looks good. I think the second half got away from that in terms of trying to get that third goal, we didn't really need it, we just kept pushing and we got caught in an open game."

The Crew, who haven't played since April 11, are coming off a 1-1 draw with Colorado that snapped a two-game losing streak. The team actually had an early lead, but gave up a late goal.

"I am proud of the team because they had a very good performance. We were better in every aspect of the game," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "We were just unlucky not to score some goals. We give up a goal at the end and we give up two points."

Columbus' bye week has allowed it to get a little healthier, but veteran back Frankie Hejduk will be out, and goalkeeper Will Hesmer is questionable for Saturday. Also out for the Crew are forward Jason Garey and midfielder Cory Elenio, while defender Chad Marshall midfielder Robbie Rogers are probable with injuries.

"I feel so much better. I don't even feel it [hamstring] at all," Rogers said. "I'm glad I took the rest. I was in more of a passing role . I really couldn't take guys on. Pressuring guys defensively was tough because it was hard for me to stop and cut but I was trying to help as much as possible. It's going to be a different me when I start playing again."

Chicago will be without forwards Peter Lowry and Calen Carr and defender Daniel Woolard, defender C.J. Brown is doubtful, defender Wilman Conde is questionable, and defender Gonzalo Segares is probable with injuries.

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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

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