Chicago Fired up to face Revs

Soccer Betting Lines

04/07/2007 - Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire have a bit of a history, especially recent history. Last season, the Revolution knocked the Fire out of the playoffs in a penalty kick shootout in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinals.

Now, to open their 2007 MLS regular season, Chicago has a chance for a little revenge as it hosts New England at 8:30 p.m. at Toyota Park Saturday night. It will be the 28th meeting between the two teams with New England holding the advantage, 12 wins to 10.

"First and foremost, our minds are to really get a good start to the season, it really doesn't matter who we play in the opening game," Fire head coach Dave Sarachan said. "Our guys are really chomping at the bit to get the season underway. Obviously playing New England in the first game adds a little bit to it.

"You know we don't really like one another as teams so there is a real rivalry that has been created and our guys certainly remember the last team they faced last season. It is not really something we talked about. I wouldn't say that it is going to be that much of an added motivation but clearly the level of concentration will be up knowing it is against the team that knocked us out of the playoffs," Sarachan added.

Chicago is also excited to be opening its season at home after starting 2006 on the road for the first two-plus months of the season while its new soccer specific stadium, Toyota Park, was being completed.

"Last year was really a unique year as we were on the road for 2 1/2 months to start, so having a game right off the bat is exciting for us," Sarachan said. "(The temperature) is supposed to be in the high 20s (Saturday) night and I am hoping that won't deter too many from coming to the game but I anticipate a good showing. It doesn't matter in terms of numbers, the quality of the fans here is so great so whatever the numbers should be, we are going to have a real exciting building (Saturday) night."

Fire faithful are also on a bit of a high after the team filled its designated player slot this past week with Mexican legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco who is expected to join the team on July 1.

Until Blanco joins the squad, Chicago is hoping to get some offense from young players like Justin Mapp, Chris Rolfe, Chad Barrett and Brazilian Thiago. That should be no easy task this week with Matt Reis - one of the better goalkeepers in MLS - in the opposing net.

"We think we have the firepower that can get goals for us," Sarachan said. "It is like the old joke that famous Yankee player said, 'Hit it where they ain't.' Shoot it where he can't get it is one way to look at it. If our guys get good looks at goal, obviously it is going to take a great shot to beat Matt Reis so we have to be patient to finish those opportunities. He is capable of big saves so hopefully we can really pick our spots and keep a good amount of possession and when we do take strikes at goal, we have to make sure they are good enough to beat a good goalie like Reis."

Up top, the Fire will look to shut down the New England offensive attack by limiting the chances of former MLS MVP Taylor Twellman and company.

"Clearly it all revolves around Taylor," Sarachan said. "He is a guy who is arguably as good a target guy as there is in this league. In the history of our games, he finds space and finds a way to get chances at goal and if we can minimize that to zero that gives us a much better opportunity to keep a clean sheet. They rely on a lot of service and if we can take away that strength and deal with guys like Taylor it gives us a real opportunity to keep them off the board."

Longtime captain Chris Armas and fellow midfielder Diego Gutierrez will team up with defenders CJ Brown, Jim Curtin, Logan Pause and Osei Telesford to try and shut down the New England attack.

"We obviously want to get off on the right foot and make it an entertaining game in game one and our attacking players are responsible for that," Sarachan said. "We just hope that at the end of the day our number is higher than their number on the scoresheet."

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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