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05/26/2010 - Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even with the announcement of his final 23- man roster for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa on Wednesday afternoon, United States coach Bob Bradley has a lot of important decisions to make.
The versatility of a number of players on the roster gives Bradley several options in both formation and starting 11 leading up to the USA's first Group C match vs. England on June 12.
Will he use just one striker and five midfielders in front of his four-man back line? Who will start in the back line, and in what positions? Will Bradley go with a more traditional 4-4-2 formation? Who will start in the middle of the field, where there are a number of solid choices? Will the team's best attacking options - Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey - be playing out wide, in the midfield, or up top?
"There is a lot of versatility with a lot of the players here," Dempsey said. "You can put Landon up top, you can play him at withdrawn forward, you can put him on the right, on the left, you can do the same with me. [Coach Bradley] definitely has a lot of options. The most important thing is about getting the strongest 11 out there, whatever he thinks. Where ever he tells you to play you have to step up and do your best job in your position."
The back line makeup hinges on whether Bradley decides to use team captain Carlos Bocanegra in central defense or out wide in front of starting goalkeeper Tim Howard.
"In the center I feel like I can help organize a lot more, but I'm comfortable playing either position," Bocanegra said. "I think it will be tactically a situation where Bob kind of chooses whether he wants me to play on the inside or outside and maybe against our opponents, and how we go about our game plan."
If Bocanegra plays in the middle, it would force Bradley to break up the Jay DeMerit/Oguchi Onyewu tandem that was instrumental in helping the USA shock the soccer world by knocking off 2008 European Champions Spain in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup last year.
"Carlos, with his club [Rennes of the French Ligue 1] the last few years has played more as a left back," Bradley said. "For us, probably you would say that we have used him more as a center back. I think he feels that in terms of being a leader on the field he is able to do more from the center.
"The fact of the matter last year is that he came out of the qualifier against Honduras with a little bit of an injury and we got to the Confederations Cup and the first few games he wasn't ready. And then by the time he was ready we felt that Gooch [Onyewu] and Jay [DeMerit] were playing really well. So now you've got the flexibility at that point. That's a good thing there."
If Bocanegra plays out wide, it would force him to bench either presumed starting right back Steve Cherundolo, or Jonathan Spector, who may fit better as a substitute.
"One of Jonathan's qualities is his versatility," Bradley said. "That works well for him with our national team and it clearly works well for him with [his club team] West Ham. He can play anywhere across the back line.
"You always look around and see other players that have those qualities. John O'Shea from Manchester United is a player who gives them some versatility. He's a player who can play different spots, so I think that's a real plus and helps us when we put our rosters together."
As many options as Bradley has in the back, the midfield is still the most murky.
"I think over this cycle we have shown that there are a number of guys who, on any day, can step in and do a real job for the team," presumed starting central midfielder Michael Bradley said. "Whether it's myself, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jose Torres ... I think we have good options in there. In a World Cup you know you are going to need every guy, from the first guy to the 23rd guy. The fact that we have good options is only going to help our team."
If the team goes with a traditional four-man midfield, Michael Bradley will probably start next to Maurice Edu, with Clark and Feilhaber as the top defensive replacements, and Torres or Stuart Holden as offensive replacements. That would leave either Donovan or Dempsey out wide, with the other playing either next to or behind Jozy Altidore up top.
Torres and Holden also have the ability to play out wide in a wing pool that includes DaMarcus Beasley, Donovan and Dempsey.
If Donovan had his pick, he would be playing out wide.
"On this team I have developed a comfort playing wide in the midfield on either side," he said. "So that would be my preference. But I also understand that in certain games and even within games that those things change and tactically those things need to change. I've always been very open to that, as long as I'm on the field I know I can make an impact and it doesn't matter too much where I'm at."
If Bradley goes with a five-man midfield, the options are plentiful, with the Dempsey/Donovan combinations endless.
"I think for both of us the difference lies in the defending aspect," Donovan said of the variables concerning him and Dempsey. "When we are on the field we are relied on to do certain things offensively that we're good at. The change comes defensively. When you are in the midfield you end up naturally doing a lot more running and at times you defend more. It is just knowing tactically where to be and how to play. But offensively we're pretty much the same in that we play a certain way no matter where we are playing."
As is usually the case with a U.S. roster, Bradley is most limited with his forward options. All four true strikers at his disposal - Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez - will be playing in their first World Cup. Altidore is the favorite to have the most impact in a weak group, but look for Donovan or Dempsey to bolster the options.
While Bradley has his work cut out for him trying to figure out the best combination of players to put on the field for the USA, it is better than the alternative.
"A lot of competition brings out the best in players," Edu said. "I think that's what we all want, we all want to be playing at our best and putting ourselves in the best position possible to do well in this tournament. I think we are all trying to make the decisions as hard as possible for coach Bradley. That comes with us all working hard, training hard and pushing each other to be the best that we can be."
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It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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