Columbus downs New York to extend lead in East

Soccer Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emilio Renteria and Brian Carroll scored and the Columbus Crew bounced back from a mid-week loss to beat Red Bull New York, 2-0, on Saturday night at Crew Stadium.

Renteria scored in the 20th minute and Carroll scored in the 48th, as the Crew snapped the Red Bulls' five-match unbeaten streak and opened a five-point lead in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer.

Columbus (9-3-4) was upset by the Kansas City Wizards, 1-0, at home Wednesday, but returned to form in a game featuring the top two teams in the East for its seventh win in nine MLS home matches.

New York (8-6-2) was without recent addition Thierry Henry, who attended the match but was not on the roster. Henry is expected to debut on Thursday in an exhibition against English club Tottenham.

Columbus dominated nearly the entire match and the Crew turned a turnover from New York's Juan Pablo Angel into the opener in the 20th minute.

Adam Moffat took the ball from Angel near midfield, then passed to Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Schelotto turned and, from the edge of the midfield circle, slid a through ball between two New York defenders to Renteria.

Renteria took the ball just inside the area and then fired off the fingertips of Red Bulls goalie Bouna Coundoul for his third goal of the season.

New York responded with its first shot four minutes later, but Columbus goalie William Hesmer turned Dane Richards' hard shot from 12 yards around the right post.

Renteria nearly put the Crew in front by two goals, as another turnover helped him get in alone on Coundoul again. Renteria finished well to the bottom left, but the 28th-minute effort was called back for offsides.

New York finished the half with shots on goal from Seth Stammler and Tim Ream, but Hesmer easily saved both. Emmanuel Ekpo ended the half with another one- on-one chance against Coundoul for Columbus, but the New York goalie made his third save of the opening 45 minutes.

New York coach Hans Backe made two changes at halftime, but Columbus was still in control of the match early after the break and doubled its lead within five minutes.

Carroll ran onto a busted free kick just outside the area and struck a curving ball through traffic, off the fingertips of Coundoul and inside the right post in the 48th minute for his first goal of the season.

Renteria put an open header from seven yards well over the bar in the 66th off a cross from Shaun Francis, as Columbus wasted a chance to seal its ninth win.

Ekpo nearly created the third goal in the 75th when he challenged for a cross, but after a collision with Coundoul, the ball rolled wide of the right post.

Columbus' near perfect performance ended with captain Frankie Hejduk being red carded in the 89th minute. He kicked New York's Carl Robinson to get the card, and will miss the Crew's next match against the Houston Dynamo on July 24.

Hesmer made one last save with Columbus down to 10 men and finished with five for his seventh shutout of the year.

New York returns to MLS play July 31 at the Houston Dynamo, when Henry should make his league debut.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.