Hoops travel to take on struggling Sounders

Soccer Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas travels to take on Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer action at Qwest Field on Sunday night.

Dallas (5-2-6) has been on an impressive run as of late, winning three straight while losing just once in its last nine league fixtures.

A big part of that run has been because of the strong play of the versatile Heath Pearce, who has played both defense and midfield this season.

"I wouldn't say there's one particular thing," Pearce told mlssoccer.com when asked what has contributed to the strong play of the Hoops. "We've been playing well the entire year. We've had a string of a number of good games this season."

He did eventually elaborate, saying the confidence the team has in each player on the field has been a strength of the club.

"Its a really beneficial thing late in the game when you don't have to worry about guys around you and you're able to focus on getting the result, because you know the guys around you are going to hold their own weight and support you."

As well as Dallas has been playing, Seattle has been struggling. The second- year MLS club has lost three straight while winning just one of its last six.

The latest loss was 3-1 at the Los Angeles galaxy last weekend.

"We got beat by a better team simple as that nothing more," Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller told his club's website. "That is what we need to strive to do bring that energy bring that ability. We found a way to keep the score respectable and now we need to figure out the rest. We are not at the level we need to be at and obviously we need to improve drastically."

The Sounders (4-8-3) will have to find a way to do that without the services of attacker Freddie Ljungberg, who is not expected to play with an injury. Also out with injuries are midfielders Brad Evans and Michael Fucito and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso is questionable with a quad strain.

FC Dallas will only be without the services of backup goalkeeper Dario Sala because of a calf strain.

Wwwoasiscasino Soccer Betting News

<< Chris Young, Swisher round out HR Derby field
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees' Nick Swisher and Arizona's Chris Young were named as the final two participants for this year's All-Star Home Run Derby, to be held Monday in Anaheim. The outfield duo are both first-time All-

<< Stricker sets 54-hole mark on PGA Tour
Silvis, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker has set the 54-hole scoring record on the PGA Tour. Stricker fired a nine-under 62 at the John Deere Classic on Saturday to finish three rounds at 25-under 188. That broke the old record of 189 es

<< Fish to meet Rochus in Newport final
Newport, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mardy Fish was a semifinal winner Saturday at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. The fifth-seeded Fish beat British qualifier Richard Bloomfield 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to reach his second ATP final of the seas

<< Rangers activate Lee prior to debut
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers made several roster moves prior to Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, including the activation of pitcher Cliff Lee, whom the team acquired on Friday. Lee, a 2010 Al

<< Indians designate C Redmond, bring up Gimenez
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have designated veteran catcher Mike Redmond for assignment and recalled catcher/infielder Chris Gimenez from Triple-A Columbus. Redmond was hitting .206 with five runs batte

Nats recall Maxwell >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Justin Maxwell from Triple-A Syracuse to take the roster spot of pitcher Luis Atliano, who was optioned on Friday. Maxwell has struggled with the major league

Twins' Morneau to miss All-Star Game >>
Detroit, MI (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau will miss Tuesday's All-Star Game in Anaheim as he continues to suffer from concussion-like symptoms. Morneau was accidentally kneed in the he

Former Sooner great Daryl Hunt dies at 53 >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Oklahoma linebacker Daryl Hunt has passed away at the age of 53. The Oklahoman reports Hunt passed away of an apparent heart attack some time over the weekend. The two-time All-American played

Mariners add Smoak to active roster >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mariners announced on Saturday that first baseman Justin Smoak has been added to the team's 25-man major league roster. Smoak, acquired in the deal that sent pitcher Cliff Lee to Texas, will wear unifo

Tigers blast four homers to extend Twins' woes >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Johnny Damon each hit a home run to support six solid innings from Jeremy Bonderman in Detroit's 7-4 win over Minnesota in the middle meeting of a three-game set. Cabr

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.