08/28/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. men's national team coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 20 players that will train in advance of the pair of FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches against Cuba on Sept. 6 in Havana and Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 10 in Bridgeview, Ill.
Of the 20 players Bradley has named for the upcoming fixtures, 16 were part of the squad that claimed a 1-0 victory against Guatemala at the Estadio Mateo Flores on Aug. 20 in Guatemala City. The win, the United States' first World Cup qualifying victory in Guatemala, gave Bradley's side an important three points to open the semifinal round.
"These next two games are very important to help us position ourselves to advance to the final stage," Bradley said. "With the win against Guatemala, we have put ourselves in a good situation at the start of the semifinal round. I was very pleased with the way our team stuck together in a difficult environment. We need to have that same type of effort in the matches against Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago."
Seven MLS players - defenders Frankie Hejduk and Marvell Wynne, midfielders Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan and Eddie Lewis, and forwards Brian Ching and Landon Donovan - have been named to the roster.
One curious absence is FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper, who is second in Major League Soccer with 13 goals.
The team will begin gathering in Miami on Aug. 31 and assemble throughout the week before departing on Sept. 4 for Cuba. From Havana, the team will travel to Chicago on Sept. 7, where preparations will continue ahead of the Sept. 10 game against Trinidad and Tobago.
Below is the U.S. men's national team roster by position:
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton FC).
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).
MIDFIELDERS: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Eddie Lewis (Los Angeles Galaxy).
FORWARDS: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Eddie Johnson (Cardiff City).
<< Hornets add depth in Marks
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets strengthened their
bench on Thursday by signing free-agent forward/center Sean Marks.
Marks was not re-signed by the Suns after averaging 3.1 points in 19 games for
them last season
<< Bolton loses Elmander, Taylor to injuries
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton boss Gary Megson has confirmed his
worst fears that both Johan Elmander and Matty Taylor will be sidelined for the
foreseeable future.
Sweden international striker Elmander limped out of last we
<< Atletico signs Banega on loan from Valencia
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid signed Argentinian midfielder
Ever Banega on loan from La Liga rivals Valencia on Thursday.
The 20-year-old only joined Valencia in January but struggled to break into the
first-team picture
<< Royals extend agreement with Omaha until 2010
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals announced Thursday
that the franchise has extended its Triple-A affiliate agreement with Omaha
through the 2010 season.
Omaha, which currently plays in the Pacific Coast League,
Kings ink another first-round pick >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on a
three-year entry-level contract with defenseman Colten Teubert on Thursday.
Per team policy, terms were not disclosed.
Teubert was the Kings' first-round (1
Boston's Beckett to miss Friday start, will visit Dr. Andrews >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett has
been scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago White Sox on
Friday because of right elbow inflammation.
The 28-year-old righty plans to have
Dodgers activate Wade, designate Sturtze >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers activated pitcher
Cory Wade from the 15-day disabled list and designated pitcher Tanyon Sturtze
for assignment Thursday.
Wade was 2-1 with a 2.56 earned run average in 40 app
Report: Colts C Saturday out six weeks >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday
will reportedly miss the first six weeks of the season due to ligament damage
in his right knee.
The Indianapolis Star contacted Saturday's agent Ralph Cindrich,
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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