Toronto hammers Hoops

Soccer Betting Lines

06/17/2007 - Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC scored a franchise-high four goals en route to a 4-0 win over FC Dallas at BMO Field on Sunday.

Maurice Edu, Danny Dichio, Carl Robinson and Jeff Cunningham each found the back of the net for Toronto, which will play its next six games away from home.

"We beat a very good team, we're getting better every game," Toronto head coach Mo Johnston said. "It was our last home game before six on the road so it was important to get the win. I'm confident we can get a win on the road since we've signed Dichio, Robinson and Cunningham."

The loss, meanwhile, snaps the Hoops two-game win streak as the team struggled offensively throughout the game without leading scorer Kenny Cooper, who is likely to miss the next couple of months due to injury.

Dallas started the match as the stronger of the two sides in the opening 15 minutes. Arturo Alvarez nearly set up the first goal in the fifth minute as he bent a free kick from the right wing into the box. Drew Moor ran onto the ball and got his head to it but his shot went wide of the right post.

Seven minutes later the Hoops threatened again. Dominic Oduro worked his way down the right flank and attempted a low cross into the box. The ball was deflected by a Toronto defender but it fell for Alvarez at the top of the box. He had a good look at goal but his left-footed effort whistled just past the right post.

The home side then made the most of its first good scoring chance in the 22nd minute. Richard Mulrooney crossed from the left and found Dichio inside the box. The big striker directed his volley on net but was turned away by keeper Dario Sala. The rebound fell for Dichio but he was once again denied at close range. However Edu was on hand to slam the ball home from a few yards out and put Toronto in front.

Three minutes later the hosts were up two goals as they made the most of a free kick opportunity. Robinson floated the ball into the box and Dichio was able to hold off his defender and head past Sala from close range.

Dallas grew increasingly frustrated over the remainder of the first half as they were unable to test Srdjan Djekanovic in the Toronto goal.

Dichio was replaced at halftime by Andrea Lombardo because of an injury to his left ankle, but it did not slow down the home side and they picked up where they left off in the second half.

Toronto continued to press the action after the restart and Cunningham came within inches of giving his team a three-goal edge. After picking up the ball near midfield, Cunningham found space and dribbled towards goal. He got past one defender and carried the ball into the box. As Sala came off his line, Cunningham fired a shot past the keeper but the ball struck the cross bar and stayed out.

The lead was extended to three goals just nine minutes later, however, as Robinson bagged his first goal of the campaign. Andy Welsh had possession of the ball in the corner and dropped a pass to Kevin Goldthwaite, who swung a cross into the center of the box. Robinson was left free inside the area and he headed the ball past a helpless Sala to put a comfortable distance between the clubs.

Robinson finished the game with a goal and two assists and his performance came as no surprise to Johnston, whose only worry is that he might wear out his player.

"Carl is a leader in the locker room and players look up to him," Johnston said. "He has played in the Premiership and played in over 50 games so I need to be careful not to wear him out."

Dallas tried to get back into the game as second-half substitute Carlos Ruiz got free at the back post but his header sailed inches wide. A few minutes later, Bobby Rhine had room at the top of the box for a shot but his effort also missed the target, going well over the net.

Cunningham then capped the scoring in stoppage time as he headed home a Robinson cross for his fifth goal of the season. Just seconds later, the final whistle blew and Djekanovic had his first clean sheet in only his third MLS start.

With starting keeper Greg Sutton battling concussion problems with the Canadian National Team, Djekanovic may be called upon to continue his strong play, but it is not something that he is worried about.

"It's not up to me to see what happens," Djekanovic said. "It's up to me to do the work and be ready. I felt good today and it is nice to get some games behind me and to get comfortable."

No matter who is between the posts for Toronto next week, they are sure to be tested by New England in the first of six games straight away from BMO Field. This stretch will tell us a lot about Toronto and just how far they have come since their struggles in April.

Wskybook Soccer Betting News

<< Zimmerman, Nationals down Blue Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman homered to help the Washington Nationals avoid the sweep by edging the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2, at Rogers Centre. Frank Thomas made some history in defeat, hitting his 244th home run a

<< Reds' Phillips injures hand
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips left Sunday's game against Texas with an injured hand. Phillips was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Texas starter Kevin Millwood in the bottom of

<< Jankovic outlasts Sharapova to capture Birmingham crown
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jelena Jankovic of Serbia rallied to beat Russia's Maria Sharapova in Sunday's final at the weather-plagued DFS Classic. The rain finally held off Sunday and allowed play at this Wimbledon tuneup to fi

<< Twins' Hunter leaves with hand injury
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter left Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers after being hit by a pitch on his left hand. In the first inning, Milwaukee starting pitcher Jeff Suppan thr

<< Becker, Haase win Ordina openers
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany's Benjamin Becker and Robin Haase the Netherlands were first-round winners Sunday at the Ordina Open. Becker polished off Belgium's Olivier Rochus, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), while Haas

Carmona, Indians top Braves to avoid sweep >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fausto Carmona pitched seven-plus strong innings, as the Cleveland Indians avoided a three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Jacobs Field. Carmona (8-2) gave up two runs

Nady lifts Pirates past ChiSox >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Xavier Nady snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single and Jason Bay made a game-saving catch in the ninth, as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for an 8-7 victory over the Chicago White Sox in the

Roddick is again King of Queen's >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Andy Roddick saved a match point and rallied for a three-set victory over unseeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to capture the Artois Championships at the Queen's Club. The second-seeded Roddick ea

German lifts Royals past Florida >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Esteban German plated the go-ahead run with a double in the sixth and the bullpen took care of the rest, as the Kansas City Royals edged the Florida Marlins, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three- game in

Tracy helps D-Backs complete sweep of O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Snyder went 1-for-3 with a home run and a pair of RBI and Chad Tracy drove in the go-ahead run with a single, as Arizona swept Baltimore with a 6-4 victory in the finale of a three-game interle

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.