Seattle tries to build momentum against Rapids

Soccer Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following a successful first season in Major League Soccer, Seattle Sounders FC has fallen on hard times as they enter Sunday's contest with the Colorado Rapids at Qwest Field in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

Seattle had won just once in its last seven games prior to a 1-0 win over D.C. United on July 15, with the lone goal coming in the 89th minute from Roger Levesque.

"The three points is everything - we're just so happy," Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller told mlssoccer.com. "We needed something to go our way. We've played well enough to win games, and we've given up late goals for draws, and it just felt good to keep that clean sheet, and to win 1-0, and for Roger to pop up at the end."

The Sounders will be hoping that the win can help turn around what has been a forgettable season to this point as the club owns just five wins from its first 17 games.

Seattle is 11 points back of second-place Real Salt Lake in the West, and with only the top two sides in each conference automatically qualifying for the playoffs, they have much work to do.

One player who could provide a boost is striker and designated player Blaise Nkufo, who was added to the team's active roster on July 15.

Nkufo played with Switzerland at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa this summer, and he could form a potent partnership up top with Fredy Montero, who leads Seattle with six goals this season.

The Rapids have lost only once in their last eight games, but they have been left frustrated by a string of draws that has left them tied for fourth place with the San Jose Earthquakes.

Colorado was held to a 1-1 draw by the Kansas City Wizards last time out, and although he was disappointed with the result, coach Gary Smith still felt good about where his team is going.

"Expectations get so high when a group's playing well, to then maybe come into a game and be below form creates huge disappointment for everyone," Smith told mlssoccer.com. "I went away and thought about it. It was the first time in 10 or 12 games when we haven't controlled proceedings and looked the better team."

Sunday will mark the first of three successive games against Western Conference foes for the Rapids, with matches against FC Dallas and San Jose to follow, so Smith's team will have a good chance to improve upon its current standing.

Wwwisfa Soccer Betting News

<< RSL aims to start new streak vs. Chivas USA
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake will aim to start a new streak when it hosts Chivas USA in a Major League Soccer tilt on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL (9-4-3) is coming off a 2-0 loss at Dallas that snapped a 10

<< Wells, Cubs blank Cards to begin weekend series at Wrigley
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Wells turned in seven scoreless innings, and three different players hit home runs, as Chicago downed St. Louis, 5-0 in the opener of a three-game set between these perennial rivals at Wrigley Field.

<< Melzer and Golubev advance to semis in Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jurgen Melzer and Andrey Golubev were two of four quarterfinal winners at the German Open Tennis Championships on Friday. Melzer dispatched Potito Starace of Italy, 6-4, 6-1, in only 69 minu

<< Kings sign free agents Wright and Jeter
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings have signed forward/guard Antoine Wright and guard Pooh Jeter, the team announced Friday. Wright averaged 6.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 67 contests for Toron

<< Timberwolves' Kahn fined for inappropriate remarks
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn has been fined $50,000 for his recent remarks about forward Michael Beasley, for whom the team recently traded. Kahn spoke about Beasl

Chakvetadze reaches semifinals in Slovenia >>
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anna Chakvetadze overcame a dropped set and saved two match points to beat fellow Russian Vera Dushevina on Friday in the quarterfinals at the Slovenia Open. The sixth-seeded Dushevina had a 5-3 le

Chen and Dambaugh in U.S. Girls' Junior final >>
Village of Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doris Chen and Katelyn Dambaugh won both of their matches on Friday to advance to the final of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. Chen first knocked off stroke-play medalist Danielle Ka

Orioles' Wigginton suspended, will appeal >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton has been suspended by Major League Baseball for three games for his on-field argument and subsequent volatile reaction with an umpire in Thursday's game against

Coaches: Players also responsible for agent probe >>
HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and Auburn's Gene Chizik both say the onus isn't just on agents to follow the rules, college athletes know the difference between right and wrong.``A lot of this has got to go back to the young guy,''

Thomas and Liu in finals of U.S. Junior >>
Ada, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Thomas and Jim Liu both won twice on Friday to advance to Saturday's 36-hole final of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. Thomas, 17, earned a 2 & 1 victory over Scott Wolfes

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.