Gold Pride extends lead atop WPS table

Soccer Betting Lines

06/14/2010 - West Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marta scored two goals and assisted on another as FC Gold Pride moved four points clear at the top of the Women's Professional Soccer table after beating the Philadelphia Independence, 3-1, at John A. Farrell Stadium on Sunday.

Marta set up the opening goal in the 42nd minute, which was finished off by Christine Sinclair, before the Brazilian doubled the lead 10 minutes after halftime.

Tina DiMartino pulled the Independence to within one goal eight minutes from time, but Marta tallied for the second time in the game in the dying minutes to put the result away, giving the Bay Area side its first win in three games.

A poor pass in midfield led to the first goal as Marta intercepted the ball and played it ahead to Sinclair, who had no trouble beating Philadelphia goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc.

Shannon Boxx set up Marta's first goal of the game to make it 2-0 to the visitors, but DiMartino finished off a pass from substitute Lyndsey Patterson to make it a one-goal game in the 82nd minute.

However, Marta made sure her team left with the maximum points as she slipped a shot past LeBlanc despite the keeper getting her hand to the ball.

"I've been saying all along that it was only a matter of time before Marta would become more of a menace to defenders," Gold Pride head coach Albertin Montoya told the league's website. "She had an excellent performance today and put away two; she probably could have had more. She's been playing very well and we're excited about it."

The loss is the first at home for Philadelphia this season, and they have dropped three of their last five games overall.

The Washington Freedom moved into second place as they finished 2-2 with the Chicago Red Stars, but the team from the nation's capital will feel that they should have gotten the win.

Goals from Abby Wambach and Homare Sawa inside of the opening 20 minutes looked to put the Freedom on their way to victory. But Cristiane tallied twice for the Red Stars, including the equalizer in the 83rd minute.

Sky Blue FC won a dramatic 2-1 contest over the Boston Breakers in the weekend's other match as a stoppage-time penalty kick from Rosana for Sky Blue broke the deadlock.

Breeederscup Soccer Betting News

<< 110th U.S. Open Championship Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting down for his post-championship interview in 2000, Tiger Woods opened with a simple comment that summed up his historic victory at the U.S. Open. "Well, I guess I won." More than that, Woods

<< Henin wins; Tanasugarn loses Unicef opener
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 and 2010 Australian Open runner-up Justine Henin was an easy opening-round winner, while two-time defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn exited the draw Monday

<< World Cup neophytes New Zealand, Slovakia set to square off
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of relative newcomers to the world stage meet up at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday as New Zealand and Slovakia square off in the Group F opener for both sides. Slovakia will be app

<< De Bakker exits Unicef draw
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Dutch crowd favorite Thiemo De Bakker was a first-round upset victim Monday at the Unicef Open, a final grass-court Wimbledon tuneup. De Bakker gave way to wild car

<< Orioles reinstate RHP Simon from DL
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have reinstated right-hander Alfredo Simon from the 15-day disabled list. Simon is 1-1 with a 2.92 earned-run average and six saves in 12 appearances for the Orioles this se

This Week in Golf - June 17th through June 20th >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION - UNITED STATES OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California - The major championship season continues this week as the best players in the world h

Titans LB McRath suspended four games >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans linebacker Gerald McRath has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. The Tennessean conf

Indiana State hoops coach McKenna resigns >>
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana State men's basketball coach Kevin McKenna has resigned from his position Monday to take an assistant coaching position at Oregon. McKenna spent three seasons guiding the Sycamores,

Cards G Lutui signs qualifying offer >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui signed his one-year qualifying offer on Monday. A four-year pro, he started all 16 games for Arizona last season. Since coming into the league as Arizona's second-rou

United's Pontius claims MLS Player of Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United attacker Chris Pontius was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 12 of the 2010 MLS season. Pontius was originally credited with a hat trick in his team's 3-2 win at Seattl

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.