Rapids aim to continue Independence Day dominance

Soccer Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire returns to Major League Soccer action for the first time in three weeks on Saturday when the club travels to Dick's Sporting Goods Park to meet the Colorado Rapids.

Chicago has been busy with its participation in the SuperLiga for the past few weeks, and although they were successful in advancing to the semifinals of the competition, not a lot has gone right for the club in league play recently.

The Fire has lost its last three games in MLS, dropping the club to fourth in the Eastern Conference, although they are still only two points back of East leaders D.C. United.

Head coach Denis Hamlett's side was also bounced from the U.S. Open Cup this past Tuesday, losing 1-0 to a USL2 side, the Wilmington Hammerheads.

The loss is the fifth in seven games in all competitions for the Fire, but things don't figure to get much easier on Saturday against the Rapids.

Colorado will be hosting a game on Independence Day for the 14th time, and judging by their 11-1-1 all-time record on the nation's birthday, Chicago had better be in top form.

The Rapids had their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped last time out in a 3-0 defeat at Seattle, but head coach Gary Smith believes that his team simply did not make the most of its chances.

"Seattle had seven shots and hit the target four times. We had six shots and hit the target twice," Smith said. "We missed a penalty at a very, very important time and we come in at 1-1 and are in the game. It still gives a nice foothold into the game. We never really took advantage of our possessions and opportunities."

Colorado enters Saturday's match in fourth place in the Western Conference, seven points back of leaders Houston, but the club will be missing a pair of key players due to international duty.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup will rob a number of teams of important contributors, and the Rapids are no exception.

The club will be missing midfielder Colin Clark and striker Omar Cummings, who have combined for nine goals and 11 assists so far this season, while leading scorer Conor Casey, who missed the team's past few games because of the Confederations Cup, could also be in action for the United States at some point during the tournament.

Chicago is without two players of their own due to international duty as defender Gonzalo Segares and midfielder Logan Pause will miss Saturday's match.

Wwwlnhl Soccer Betting News

<< Mariners activate P Kelley off DL
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners activated rookie reliever Shawn Kelley from the 15-day disabled list on Friday. Kelley has been sidelined since May 6 with a strained oblique muscle in his left side. The right-han

<< Canucks ink former Red Wing Samuelsson to three-year deal
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks signed free agent right wing Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year contract on Friday. Per club policy, financial terms of the pact were not disclosed. The 32-year-old Swiss had

<< Echenique in front in France
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafa Echenique was in the news last week for his amazing double-eagle on the 72nd hole of the BMW International Open that almost snatched him the trophy. On Friday, he made the news for a different reason.

<< NL West: Dodgers welcome back Manny with road trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's some sort of buzz going on right now in Los Angeles. Is Eric Karros making a return to the Dodgers? Did Juan Pierre embarrass himself by rapping in public again? Oh wait, Manny Ramirez is returning f

<< Sol's Abily claims WPS Player of Month
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Sol midfielder Camille Abily was selected as the WPS Player of the Month for June. The 24-year-old French international from Rennes had five goals in the month of June, helping the Sol to

Pavlyuchenko unsure over Spurs future >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is seeking talks over his future when he returns for the start of preseason training. Pavlyuchenko scored 14 goals in 32 games in his first season in the Pr

Wenger: Adebayor going nowhere >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsene Wenger is confident that Emmanuel Adebayor will start the new season as part of his Arsenal squad. The Togo striker has been mentioned as a possible transfer target for AC Milan for the second ye

Bremen hopeful of Pizarro stay >>
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen have confirmed their interest in re-signing Claudio Pizarro on a permanent basis. The Peruvian striker spent last season on loan at the Weserstadion from Chelsea and scored 26 goals in

All expected Haskell favorites at Monmouth >>
Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two days after Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem arrived at Monmouth Park for next month's Haskell Invitational. Belmont Stakes champ Summer Bird settled into his stall at the Jersey shore track. With th

Sunderland rejects Ferdinand rumors >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has rejected suggestions that the Black Cats are willing to part with Anton Ferdinand this summer. Ferdinand had a mixed first season on Wearside following

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.