Brazil advances to play U.S. in Confed Cup final
Soccer Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Alves scored in the 87th minute, helping Brazil edge South Africa 1-0 on Thursday in the Confederations Cup to set up a rematch with the United States in the final.
Alves, who entered the match as a substitute in the 81st, lined up a free kick from 19 yards and drilled a shot to the right of a five-man South African wall, just off the post and into the side netting.
Brazil, which beat the United States 3-0 in group play, faces the Americans on Sunday at 2:30 (ET). The U.S. shocked world No. 1 Spain on Wednesday to advance to its first FIFA final.
South Africa will play the third-place game Sunday against Spain, which won the teams' group meeting 2-0.
Brazil opened Thursday's semifinal with the first scoring chance when Ramires unleashed a 20-yard blast that tested South Africa goalie Itumeleng Khune, who dove to make the first of four saves.
South Africa followed with three straight chances, the best in the 21st minute when Aaron Mokoena ran between Brazil center defenders Lucio and Luizao to meet a free kick and headed just high with only goalie Julio Cesar to beat.
Brazil's Kaka had two chances in a five-minute span late in the half, but his first shot was wide and Khune saved the second.
South Africa's Steven Pienaar capped the back-and-forth first half with a blast inches wide of the left post in the 43rd as the game went to half scoreless.
The African club had the first good chance of the second half also, with Teko Modise unleashing an 18-yard shot in the 58th that deflected off Luizao's arm and changed directions but was still stopped by Cesar at the right post for the best of his four saves.
Over the next 30 minutes, both sides had a few chances but rarely finished well and overtime and penalty kicks seemed like the only way the match would end.
But just minutes from the end of regulation, Ramires earned a foul just outside the area and Alves lined up the kick from 19 yards out on the top left side of the area.
South Africa lined up a good wall but Alves eyed the right side and drilled the shot just past a defender and a diving Khune for a near-perfect goal, his third for Brazil.
The Brazilians nearly added a second goal before the final whistle, but Luis Fabiano was denied from close-range to give the South Africans some hope in the closing seconds.
South Africa couldn't find the equalizer, though, and settled for the rematch with Spain, which will be trying to rebound from its first loss in 36 games, despite an inspired performance.
Brazil extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games (11-0-4), and improved to 3-0-0 all-time against South Africa.
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Women's Professional Soccer announced Thursday that The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo., will be the site of the 2009 WPS All-Star Game on Aug. 30. The league will employ a unique format
<< San Jose waives Denton, Gray
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes placed defender Eric
Denton and midfielder Kelly Gray on waivers Thursday.
Denton appeared in 10 matches this season and had an assist. In 2008 he started
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G
<< Winnpeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
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<< United fails to lure Brazilian starlet
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gremio has rejected a request from
Manchester United to take rising star Douglas Costa on trial.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the brightest talents in South
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<< Pirates send Snell to minors
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned struggling
pitcher Ian Snell to Indianapolis of the International League on Thursday.
Snell has made 15 starts this season, compiling a 2-8 record with a 5.36
earned r
Dundee, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dundee United manager Craig Levein is hoping to hold off interest in Morgaro Gomis this summer. Gomis, 23, is under contract with the Terrors until 2011, but has been the subject of interest fro
Berkman clubs two homers to help Astros crown Royals >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman hit a pair of two-run homers and
reached the 1,000 RBI plateau as the Houston Astros edged the Kansas City
Royals, 5-4, in the finale of a three-game interleague set at Minute Maid
Park.
Werder completes Marin signing >>
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werder Bremen has finally completed the
signing of Germany Under-21 international Marko Marin.
The 20-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year contract to officially seal
his $10.6 million transfer
Lions give C Raiola contract extension >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday
they have agreed to terms with center Dominic Raiola on a contract extension
that will keep him with the club through the 2013 season. Financial terms of
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Hawks acquire Crawford from Warriors >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Jamal Crawford
from the Golden State Warriors on Thursday in exchange for guards Acie Law and
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"We feel we have gained tremendous flexibility with the addition
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.
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MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.
(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977. Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.
Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer. In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season.
MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season. Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite. After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.
Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions. They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown.
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