Dallas' slow climb up Western table to be challenged by Wizards

Soccer Betting Lines

07/02/2010 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas will aim to continue its slow climb up the Western Conference standings when it hosts the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night.

After not earning its first league win of the season until its sixth match, Dallas (4-2-6) has gone 4-1-2 and positioned itself in the middle of the Western table. A 2-1 win at Chivas USA last weekend was the latest success.

"It was a very tense and hard game," FCD attacker Davis Ferreira told mlssoccer.com. "Thank God that we were able to win it. It was a very important game for us so that we can keep building momentum."

Ferreira scored the winning goal on a penalty kick last weekend, and has been a steadying force on the offense all season.

"At that moment, you have to be really calm and take your time," he said of scoring the goal, his second of the season. "I did that. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just trying to stay calm. Thank God I was able to score that PK and come away with the winner."

The Wizards (3-6-3) are heading the other direction, with just one win in their last 10 MLS fixtures. A 3-0 loss to New York last week was the latest setback.

"I'm not happy," Kansas City forward Ryan Smith said after the loss. "It's the last thing I thought would happen especially after the way we started the game. I thought we did really well in the first half. We came in after halftime tied 0-0, and everything was even. We really thought we would go on and win. Little errors cost us. There were a few, and unfortunately, they turned into goals. Obviously we missed out on three points, and it hurts, especially at home."

The Wizards will are relatively healthy heading into the match, with only midfielder Zoltan Hercegfalvi expected to miss it because of injury. Davy Arnaud will also miss it because of a red card he received vs. New York.

The Hoops have no reported injuries for the game.

Wwwmenshealth Soccer Betting News

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

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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