TFC tops Colorado to stay unbeaten at home

Soccer Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fuad Ibrahim's 61st-minute goal was enough to lead Toronto FC to a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at BMO Field on Saturday.

The goal was Ibrahim's first of the season and it allows Toronto to extend its home unbeaten streak to eight games, while the Rapids lost for the first time in seven matches.

Neither side generated many chances in a slow-paced first half, but Toronto had the best scoring opportunity on the half-hour mark when Dwayne De Rosario's 30-yard effort went inches over the crossbar with Colorado goalkeeper Matt Pickens easily beaten.

The Rapids created a good chance right off the kickoff in the second half as Omar Cummings collected a loose ball near the penalty area and got to within eight yards of goal on the right before his shot was parried by Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Cummings had another chance in the 58th minute when he headed a Danny Earls cross over the net from inside 10 yards.

However, the lone goal arrived in the 61st minute as Chad Barrett's left-wing cross was poorly dealt with by the Colorado defense, allowing Ibrahim to bring the ball down in the middle of the area and slot his shot easily past Pickens from close range.

Colorado substitute Claudio Lopez almost equalized with seven minutes to play when he lofted a long-range shot toward the net that forced Frei to make an acrobatic save near the crossbar, while TFC's Nick LaBrocca preserved the win by clearing the ball off his own goal line in stoppage time.

Jsckpot Soccer Betting News

<< Petro headed to Nets
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have reached an agreement in principle with free agent center Johan Petro. Terms of the deal weren't announced, but The Star-Ledger reports it's for three years and worth $1

<< Clippers ink two first-round picks
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers signed two first- round draft picks on Saturday - rookie forward Al-Farouq Aminu, the eighth overall selection and rookie guard Eric Bledsoe, the 18th pick. Aminu, who played

<< Szavay to meet Schnyder in Budapest final
Budapest, Hungary (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Agnes Szavay and Patty Schnyder will stage a rematch of the finale from a year ago, after both were semifinal winners Saturday at the $220,000 Budapest Grand Prix. The Hungarian

<< Martins set for Wolfsburg exit
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg have confirmed that striker Obafemi Martins is set to leave the club. The Nigeria international is expected to team up with Russian champions Rubin Kazan after a less than successful first

<< Taylor signs City extension
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goalkeeper Stuart Taylor has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City. The 29-year-old arrived at Eastlands on a free transfer last summer to provide depth behind regular number one S

Creamer, Yokomine share U.S. Women's Open lead >>
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer and Sakura Yokomine shared the lead with two rounds finally completed at the U.S. Women's Open. Creamer posted a second-round, one-under 70 Saturday, while Yokomine managed her second straigh

Hornets agree to terms with G Head >>
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -The New Orleans Hornets have reached an agreement on a two-year contract with veteran guard Luther Head.The Hornets are not announcing the deal yet because Head still must pass his physical, but Head's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told

Czechs clinch spot in Davis Cup semis >>
Coquimbo, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Czech Republic clinched a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals Saturday after a victory in the doubles rubber over host Chile. Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek were 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 winners over t

UGA football players arrested for alcohol offenses >>
ATLANTA (AP) -Two football players for the University of Georgia were jailed early Saturday morning on alcohol-related charges less than a week after an embarrassing drunken driving arrest prompted the university's athletic director to resign.Dontav

Heat meet with Derek Fisher >>
MIAMI (AP) -Free agent point guard Derek Fisher has met with the Miami Heat on the day after the team lavishly introduced LeBron James and Chris Bosh as Dwyane Wade's newest teammates.Fisher has been part of all five Los Angeles Lakers' championship

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.