U.S. women add matches against Japan, Brazil
Soccer Betting Lines
02/09/2012 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The U.S. women's national team will play Japan and Brazil in April, with both friendlies being held in Japan as part of the newly-created Women's Kirin Challenge Cup.
The U.S. beat Brazil on penalties in the 2011 Women's World Cup quarterfinals, and lost to Japan on penalty kicks in the World Cup final after two of the top matches in the tournament's history.
"This trip is fantastic," said U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage. "Playing two of the world's best teams almost back-to-back will be a tremendous challenge for our entire roster.
The Americans will play Japan on April 1 in Sendai, Japan and Brazil on April 3 in Chiba, Japan. Japan and Brazil will play April 5 in the other game of the three-team tournament.
The U.S. hosts New Zealand on Feb. 11 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas in its next match. The Americans will then compete in the Algarve Cup in March in Portugal, where it will play Denmark, Norway and Japan in Group B play.
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake re-signed four players Thursday, including forward Fabian Espindola and midfielder Ned Grabavoy. Espindola and Grabavoy combined to make 52 appearances, including 46 starts, last season for Rea
<< Royals, Gordon agree to one-year deal
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms
on a one-year contract with outfielder Alex Gordon, the team announced
Thursday.
Gordon notched career-highs in batting average (.303), runs batted in
<< Ten-man Lazio rallies to defeat Cesena
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lazio, which had a player sent off 34 minutes
into the match, rallied from two goals down Thursday for a 3-2 win over Cesena
in Serie A action at the Stadio Olimpico.
Abdoulay Konko was sent off after the hal
<< Bartoli lands in Paris quarters
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French crowd favorite Marion Bartoli was an
easy second-round winner Thursday in Paris.
The second-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up handled Croat Petra Martic 7-5,
6-1 on Day 3 at the Open GDF Suez.
B
<< Tsonga will open for France in Vancouver
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga will get France going Friday in its opening-round Davis Cup tie against
host Canada.
The world No. 6 Tsonga will meet Vasek Pospisil in the first singles
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benfica and Argentina midfielder Pablo Aimar agreed to a one-year contract extension Thursday through the 2012-13 season. Aimar, 32, joined Benfica from Spain's Real Zaragoza in 2008 and has played
MLB suspends 2 Mets minor leaguers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball suspended two New York
Mets minor leaguers Thursday.
Charles "Dock" Doyle and Scott Moviel both received a 50-game suspension after
second violations of the minor league drug prevent
Raiders cut CB Stanford Routt >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders released cornerback
Stanford Routt on Thursday, just one season after he signed a three-year
contract extension.
The deal guaranteed Routt $20 million over the first two
Johnson among leaders at Pebble Beach; Tiger five back >>
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Johnson, Danny Lee and Charlie Wi
shot rounds of nine-under par Thursday to take the lead after one round of the
Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods made his season debut on the PGA
Coastal Carolina's Duran granted sixth season >>
Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA has granted a sixth season of
eligibility to Coastal Carolina All-American tight end David Duran for the
2012 season.
Duran, from Marietta, Ga., played sparingly for the Chanticleers as a fifth-
year s
NFL Football Betting
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.