Dallas draws Toronto to extend road unbeaten run

Soccer Betting Lines

07/24/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milton Rodriguez scored his first Major League Soccer goal in the 77th minute and FC Dallas tied Toronto FC, 1-1, on Saturday at BMO Field to extend its road unbeaten streak to seven games.

Maicon Santos scored his first goal for Toronto in the 61st minute, but Dallas responded to earn its seventh result in eight road matches this season.

Dallas (6-2-8) suffered its only road defeat in mid-April at Red Bull New York and has two wins and five draws on the road since. Dallas is also unbeaten in its last seven overall.

Toronto (6-5-5) remained unbeaten at home this year but settled for its fourth draw in nine home matches.

Dwayne De Rosario, third in MLS with eight goals, nearly put Toronto in front in the 28th minute off a free kick but Hartman pushed the dipping 25-yard shot over the bar. Chad Barrett had the only other shot on goal in the first half for either side in the 45th, but Hartman made an easy save at the near post.

Barrett set up De Rosario for the first scoring chance of the second half, but the Toronto captain wad denied by a fingertip save from Hartman. Santos tried to turn the rebound on goal while he was on the ground, but shot wide.

Santos was on target three minutes later, as he took a perfect through ball by Julian de Guzman and beat Hartman at the near post. De Guzman found Santos on the left and he dribbled into the box and, despite being well defended by Zach Loyd, found the bottom-left corner in the 61st. Santos scored once for Chivas USA earlier this season before joining Toronto.

FC Dallas answered just over 15 minutes later through Rodriguez, who headed by TFC goalie Stefan Frei from six yards. David Ferreira delivered the corner for his fifth assist, and Rodriguez jumped between two defenders to drive the ball past a helpless Frei.

Frei, who made one save in the first 85 minutes, preserved a point for Toronto when he dove to make a one-handed save on a deflected shot from Dallas' Atiba Harris with three minutes remaining in normal time.

Dallas reserve goalie Dario Sala was red carded on the bench in stoppage time, but neither team threatened on the field in the six added minutes.

Dallas will try to extend its road unbeaten streak against the Colorado Rapids on July 31, when Toronto also plays its next match at the Kansas City Wizards.

Wcondenast Soccer Betting News

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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