Galaxy downs D.C. to extend Western Conference lead

Soccer Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Landon Donovan helped the Los Angeles Galaxy secure a 2-1 win at RFK Stadium on Sunday over D.C. United as he converted a penalty kick in the 58th minute.

Edson Buddle had the Galaxy ahead at halftime with his league-leading 11th goal, but United answered through Andy Najar in the 54th minute. However, D.C. defender Julius James was called for a handball inside his own penalty area as he blocked the shot of L.A.'s Sean Franklin, allowing Donovan to fire home the winning goal.

The win helps the Galaxy move nine points clear at the top of the Western Conference table, while D.C. sits on the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference and is now winless in its last five games.

Buddle had a close-range effort kept out by United goalkeeper Troy Perkins midway through the opening half, but he made the most of his next opportunity in the 38th minute to give the Galaxy the lead.

After working his way into the penalty area, Buddle's initial effort was blocked by D.C.'s Dejan Jakovic. However, he picked up the loose ball and fired a left-footed shot past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Pablo Hernandez had a good chance for D.C. two minutes later, but his free kick from the right wing was saved at the near post by L.A. goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

The Galaxy should have added a second goal shortly after halftime as Donovan's low ball to the back post was just out of the reach of Alan Gordon, while United equalized six minutes later.

Hernandez swung a free kick into the middle of the area for Najar, and he rose up in traffic to get his head on the ball, redirecting it past Ricketts.

However, the Galaxy regained the lead four minutes later when James handled Franklin's shot inside his own area, allowing Donovan to smack the ball just out of the reach of Perkins and inside the right post from the spot.

Jordan Graye went close with a 30-yard effort that skipped past the post for United, while the final opportunity for the hosts arrived in the 89th minute as Hernandez headed the ball over Ricketts from six yards but watched it narrowly sail over the crossbar as well.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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