Mwanga's extra-time goal helps Union draw Dallas

Soccer Betting Lines

05/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - MLS No. 1 overall pick Danny Mwanga scored his first goal three minutes into stoppage time Saturday, and the Philadelphia Union tied FC Dallas 1-1 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Mwanga drove a loose ball through traffic in the area and inside the left post to deny Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman his third straight shutout and end the Union's four-game losing streak.

Philadelphia (1-5-1) earned its second result in as many home games. The Union won their home opener against D.C. United 3-2, but have lost all five of their road games.

Brek Shea scored his first MLS goal in the 13th minute for FC Dallas (2-1-5), which won its last two matches 1-0 over Houston and D.C. following a five-game winless streak to open the season.

Philadelphia had two good chances inside five minutes to open the scoring, but Kyle Nakazawa was denied on a lunging header by Hartman, and Cristian Arrieta put a rebound header over the bar.

Union leading scorer Sebastien Le Toux nearly grabbed the opener in the sixth, but his shot off Hartman's fingertips was erased for being offside.

Dallas took the lead minutes later, when Shea converted following passes from Atiba Harris and Jeff Cunningham in the 13th. Shea settled the ball at the top of the area, opened space against Arrieta two yards inside the box, and picked out the upper-right corner from 16 yards to leave Chris Seitz no chance.

Dax McCarty whiffed on a chance in the 18th but the ball rolled to Harris, who then fired wide from six yards as Dallas wasted two quick chances.

Philadelphia's Roger Torres had a header saved by Hartman at the right post in the 22nd and Le Toux was denied by the veteran goalkeeper in the 26th. Hartman denied Alejandro Moreno in the 37th on another fine save.

Dallas' leading scorer, Jeff Cunningham, poked a shot wide in the 40th on the final chance of the first half.

Nakazawa had another look at goal six minutes into the second half, but fired over the crossbar from 20 yards. Both teams settled for half-chances over the next 25 minutes, with Dallas' George John having the best look on a header in the 74th that went wide and ended with him hitting his head on the post.

Philadelphia substitute Shea Shalinas put a 20-yard shot just over the bar in the 77th and Mwanga came off the bench minutes later as Peter Nowak made more changes - Jack McInerney also came off the bench in the second half - to spark the offense.

Nowak's team waited until the final minute - seconds actually - and Mwanga did deliver the equalizing goal. Philadelphia upped the pressure in stoppage time and, following a scramble in the box, Mwanga hammered in the tying goal in the 93rd after a long ball into the area popped into space.

Dallas, which has five draws in its first eight matches, hosts the Los Angeles Galaxy on May 20. Philadelphia is off until May 29 when it visits Houston.

Blcakjack Soccer Betting News

<< Lookin At Lucky edges First Dude to win Preakness Stakes
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Co-favorite Lookin At Lucky captured the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Lookin At Lucky, who went off at 2-1, was ridden by Martin Garcia and trained by Bob Baffert, who capture

<< Lille loses out on Champions League
Lorient, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lille's bid to claim a spot in the Champions League came to a crashing halt on Saturday as the club suffered a 2-1 defeat at Lorient, leaving them one point short of qualifying for Europe's premier

<< Rockies' Hammel back from DL; Young out with stress fracture
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies have reinstated pitcher Jason Hammel from the 15-day disabled list and placed infielder/outfielder Eric Young Jr. on the 15-day DL with a stress fracture in his right leg. Hammel is

<< Federer and Nadal to meet in Madrid final
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Roger Federer outlasted Spain's David Ferrer in Saturday's semifinal at the $3.6 million Madrid Open and will meet rival Rafael Nadal in the final. Federer earned a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over F

<< Leonardo leaves Milan a winner
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronaldinho scored a pair of goals to help AC Milan topple Juventus, 3-0, at the San Siro on Saturday in Leonardo's final game as Milan manager. It was announced earlier in the week that Leonardo would s

Athletics activate Duchscherer from DL for Saturday start >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics reinstated pitcher Justin Duchscherer from the 15-day disabled list. Duchscherer was 2-1 with a 2.89 earned run average in five starts before being placed on the DL May 7 with a

Padres reinstate Correia from bereavement list >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres on Saturday reinstated pitcher Kevin Correia from the bereavement list and optioned pitcher Adam Russell to Triple-A Portland. The 29-year-old Correia was placed on the bereavem

Pettersen and Lincicome join Pak in first >>
Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suzann Pettersen and Brittany Lincicome joined Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak atop the leaderboard after Saturday's third round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic. Pettersen fired a seven-under 65, while Lincicome used

Lincecum remains unbeaten as Giants edge Astros >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Lincecum allowed only one run in eight strong innings, and Juan Uribe hit a two-run homer, helping the San Francisco Giants continue their recent dominance of the Houston Astros with a 2-1 win

Clampett leads in 2nd Champions Tour start >>
Hoover, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Making just his second Champions Tour start, Bobby Clampett took sole possession of the lead Saturday with an eight-under 64 at the Regions Charity Classic. Clampett, who was one of four co-leaders after

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

MySportsbook.com is a must-have for the smart veteran sports investor who enjoys following the odds almost as much as betting them. Simply put, no one offers more betting options and offers them faster than MySportsbook. This football sportsbook is known for its ability to set the early market odds on events without having to worry about weak lines. Professional players are well aware that getting a crack at the early betting line is worth as much as, and sometimes more than, huge bonuses or reduced prices. MySportsbook's fearless, yet smart bookmaking style is what keeps everyone watching, including most other sportsbooks.

This is also a great choice for those who just want to have a worry free, fun experience. The ownership’s motto is “Sweat the game, not the payout”. These are not just decorative words used to fill space on the homepage. MySportsbook aims to give their customers the fastest withdrawals in the industry. Payouts are processed within 24 hours by an online sportsbook that carries our A+ financial rating.

Those who enjoy proposition and future wagers consider MySportsbook.com a top choice. Smaller players who seek large bonuses would do better at their sister book, Sportsbooks.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.