Ljungberg's miss forces Fire to settle for draw with TFC
Soccer Betting Lines
09/08/2010 - Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire and Toronto FC played to a 0-0 draw at Toyota Park on Wednesday, a result that does little to help the playoff chances of either team.
Chicago had the best chance of the match early in the second half when Freddie Ljungberg was played in behind the Toronto defense and left alone with just the goalkeeper to beat. However, he pushed his shot wide of the right post, leaving the Fire with just one win from its last six games.
Toronto has struggled away from home this season with just four points from its 10 previous away contests, so a point is not as bad of a result.
But it still leaves TFC five points back of Seattle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer.
The first half saw little in the way of action for either goalkeeper as Toronto's Stefan Frei made the lone save on a low 20-yard shot from Chicago's Collins John.
Toronto failed to produce a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes, but the Reds did have two decent appeals for handball inside the penalty area turned down.
The opening goal should have arrived three minutes into the second half as Nery Castillo played a through ball to Ljungberg, but he wasted the chance with Frei at his mercy.
The visitors tried to make Ljungberg pay for his miss as O'Brian White went close with a glancing header before a poor clearance by Chicago's Mike Banner handed White another chance which forced a save from goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
Chicago had one final opportunity to win the game as Castillo drew a free kick 25 yards from goal in the dying seconds, but he shot straight into the wall, failing to test Frei.
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denard Span punctuated a three-run fifth inning with a two-run triple, and the Minnesota Twins held on to beat Kansas City, 4-3, to complete a three-game sweep at Target Field. J.J. Hardy had two hit
<< Rockies P Cook leaves game with injury
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies starter Aaron Cook left
Wednesday's game against Cincinnati in the sixth inning after being hit in the
right leg with a line drive.
Cook was making his second start since a month-long stint on t
<< Rangers blast Blue Jays to halt losing streak
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Kinsler and Jeff Francoeur ignited the
Texas offense, helping the American League West-leading Rangers snap a series
of streaks with an 8-1 win over Toronto.
Kinsler homered to begin the game and Fran
<< Bonderman solid as Tigers take down White Sox
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Bonderman pitched eight brilliant
innings and Alex Avila hit a key two-run double, as the Detroit Tigers topped
the Chicago White Sox, 5-1, in the continuation of a four-game series.
Bonderman (
<< Wozniacki, Zvonareva advance to U.S. Open semis
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caroline Wozniacki overcame windy
conditions and beat Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets Wednesday
night to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Open.
The No. 1 seed from Denmark won he
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun homered and drove in a total of four runs to back Chris Capuano's solid performance on the mound, as the Milwaukee Brewers dominated the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-1, in the rubber match of a th
Braves avoid sweep in Pittsburgh >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado, Derrek Lee, and Alex Gonzalez
each drove in two runs to back Derek Lowe's solid performance on the mound, as
the Atlanta Braves handled the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-3, to avoid a three-game
sweep a
RSL eyes top spot in league against Seattle >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake entered this season as defending
Major League Soccer champions, and according to midfielder Andy Williams, they
also had a few goals in mind.
"At the beginning of the year, we had our goals wher
Myers, Astros shut down Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Myers struck out eight in seven shutout
innings to continue his dominance of the Cubs and lead the Astros to a 4-0 win
over Chicago in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Myers (11-7) allowed just
Phillies build big lead, top Marlins to keep hold of first place >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard finished 3-for-5 with a three-
run homer and tied a season-high with six RBI as Philadelphia built a double-
digit lead but held on to top Florida, 10-6, in the finale of a four-game set.
Chas
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.