Donovan and Howard with Everton
*Timmy had a shutout and Landon got an assist in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
*Highlights after the jump...
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Tuesday, January 31
2:45 pm - Tottenham (Friedel) vs Wigan Athletic - ESPN3.com
3:00 pm - Everton (Donovan/Howard) vs Manchester City - FOXSoccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
Wednesday, February 1
2:45 pm - Aston Villa (Guzan) vs Queen's Park Rangers - FOXSoccer.tv (delay, 5:00 pm - FOX Soccer Plus)
3:00 pm - Fulham (Dempsey) vs West Bromwich Albion - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
3:00 pm - Sunderland vs Norwich City (Whitbread) - ESPN3.com
Thursday, February 2
2:45 pm - Novara vs Chievo Verona (Bradley) - FOXSoccer/ESPN3.com
9:00 pm - UANL Tigres (Bornstein/Ocegueda) vs Union Espanola - FOX Deportes
If selectors want I will step down as captain: MS Dhoni
Following India's abysmal performance Down Under, India captain MS Dhoni has been said he is ready to stop down if a suitable replacement is found.
"Captaincy is an additional responsibility that I enjoy. If the selectors feel the need to replace me then I will be happy to step aside," Dhoni was quoted saying by NDTV ahead of India T20 game against Australia.
Under his captaincy, India lost seven consecutive Tests on foreign soil, four of them by an innings and the rest by margins of 196, 319 and 122 runs.
"The need is to find a new captain from beneath the wreckage. Dhoni is no longer the answer in Test cricket," former Australian skipper Ian Chappell had written in one of his columns for a national daily a week ago.
"He has failed dismally to rally the troops in two disastrous overseas campaigns and his own form, not just with the gloves but also with the bat, no longer warrants a guaranteed place in the Test side."
Dhoni made 220 runs in four Tests in England last year at an average of 31.40 and managed just 102 runs in three matches in Australia at 20.40.
Sunil Gavaskar supported Dhoni's retention as Test captain -- but only because there is no suitable replacement.
"At the moment, I can't think of anyone who is good enough to take over from Dhoni,"
Read More >>"Captaincy is an additional responsibility that I enjoy. If the selectors feel the need to replace me then I will be happy to step aside," Dhoni was quoted saying by NDTV ahead of India T20 game against Australia.
Under his captaincy, India lost seven consecutive Tests on foreign soil, four of them by an innings and the rest by margins of 196, 319 and 122 runs.
"The need is to find a new captain from beneath the wreckage. Dhoni is no longer the answer in Test cricket," former Australian skipper Ian Chappell had written in one of his columns for a national daily a week ago.
"He has failed dismally to rally the troops in two disastrous overseas campaigns and his own form, not just with the gloves but also with the bat, no longer warrants a guaranteed place in the Test side."
Dhoni made 220 runs in four Tests in England last year at an average of 31.40 and managed just 102 runs in three matches in Australia at 20.40.
Sunil Gavaskar supported Dhoni's retention as Test captain -- but only because there is no suitable replacement.
"At the moment, I can't think of anyone who is good enough to take over from Dhoni,"
NHL Game Preview for Saturday February 4, 2012: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
Sports Btting OverviewThere are three NHL teams that always seem to bring the best out of the Toronto Maple Leafs; the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. Regardless of what else is going on in the Maple Leafs’ season, a game against one of these three opponents will always be a barn-burner. The fans in Toronto hate these opponents and the players hate these opponents as well. Although, it can be said that the fan hatred is a little deeper than that of the players. The price per head sports experts point out that it has been a long time since the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs have been in a heated playoff race in the same season. The current playoff race is another thing that makes this game so interesting.
The Ottawa fans are just getting over hosting the All-Star game where the fans were very accommodating to Toronto All-Stars like Phil Kessel. However, the fans will not be so accommodating when Kessel and the rest of the Leafs roll into town for this game. The fans in Ottawa are watching to see what happens with the Super Bowl odds, but they are more interested in seeing if the Senators can get into the playoffs. The Ottawa team has been up and down all season long. The Senators have been at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference and now it has risen towards the top. It has been a very difficult season for the fans and players in Ottawa.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Last year, goaltender James Reimer was seen as the future of the Maple Leafs’ franchise. He was often credited with single-handedly keeping the Leafs in the playoff hunt late into the season. Reimer got his big contract over the summer and started out the season fairly strong. But when Reimer suffered a serious injury in December, back up Jonas Gustavsson took over as the starter. Reimer tried to jump back in when he was healthy, but Reimer just could not win like he used to. Now Gustavsson is the starter in Toronto. It sounds like a typical sports story, but it is also a microcosm of the Leafs’ problems for the past few years. Toronto cannot settle on a starting goaltender and cannot develop an identity on defense. The lack of an identity is breeding inconsistency and causing problems in Toronto.
Ottawa Senators
Sportsbook reviews of the games that the Ottawa Senators have played this season show that the Senators win and lose in streaks. That is because the Ottawa starting goaltender Craig Anderson wins and loses in streaks. Anderson can have a night where he makes 40 saves and gets the shutout and then follows that up with a game where he gives up five goals on 20 shots. The Senators have been hot lately because Anderson was hot, but the Senators also rode a three-game losing streak into the All-Star break where Anderson was in goal for all three games.
The Bottom Line
Neither of these teams have the consistency to remain a top contender in the Eastern Conference. But the Leafs play a bit more consistently than Ottawa does and that should help the Toronto Maple Leafs to pull out the road win in this game.
BSNblog Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs
January friendlies brain dump
By Jared Launius
It's worth mentioning from the outset, I think, that this a lot of this is, in some small way, needless. Close to half of the camp roster was (no disrespect meant here) glorified filler, and Shea, Parkhurst and Cameron were the only players – by my estimation – bidding for legitimate starting nods with the full team. But there are certainly spots to be filled, young players to discuss and Jermaine Jones-y things to scrutinize. So, mount up!
The PersonnelBy my count, 18 Yanks checked in for Mr. Klinsmann and Co. over two games, including four for the first time, which is always fun to see.
Two guys with Boston connections, Geoff Cameron – who grew up there – and Michael Parkhurst – who played with the Revolution for four seasons – deputized in central defense in both matches, each taking chances at different junctures to make a claim for the up-for-grabs right center back spot in Klinsmann's starting XI. To form, Parkhurst looked the safer, steadier option, with his unruffled feathers and sharp positioning helping deliver two clean sheets, while Cameron looked the sexier option, often teasing us with brilliant distribution and the kind of recovery speed you would ideally pair with Captain Bocanegra. I'll get to more individual evaluations of each player a little bit later.
M. Night Shyamalan lookalike AJ DeLaGarza tried his hand at right back in both friendlies, but all Signs pointed to the natural center back having no Sixth Sense for what it takes to be The Happening thing on the right flank. As you'd expect, he dueled well and was generally in the right place defensively, but also struggled to link with college teammate Graham Zusi and always looked unsettled on the occasions he foraged up the field. I like DeLaGarza, I really do. I think he's a very good player and an MLS champ and this is more a referendum on das coach and not AJ personally, but it's a little frustrating Chance Myers and Sheanon Williams watched from home as a center back trotted out at right back for two matches.
Keep reading after the jump
Jermaine Jones was tasked with more distribution responsibilities than we've previously seen, donning the number eight shirt each game out, and he played box-to-box the way you'd expect Jermaine Jones to play box-to-box: like a drunk Tazmanian Devil. I'm not exactly sure where Jones will ultimately fit under Klinsmann, as he lacks the discipline and tactical wherewithal to be a true stay-at-home holding midfielder, but is nowhere near the composed, consistently accurate passer you want playing box-to-box. So, probably on the bench, I guess.
Elsewhere, well, I have to come to Graham Zusi's defense. The general sentiment I've found around the Intertubes is that Zusi was largely ineffective, save a few nice set pieces and a cool finish for the winner against Panama. And I agree: Zusi looked slow, occasionally lost and mostly unimpressive on the right flank. He did. Know why? He's not a right winger. Ask Peter Vermes, who ran him out there a few times last season only to realize it wasn't working. Zusi is a timekeeper from the Xavi mold – a heady, clever player who keeps the ball well in tight spaces and will keep possession beating like a four-count. He's also – based on a few interactions I've had with him – extremely, ludicrously nice. Which makes me think he came to his position in an interaction that went something like this:
Jurgen Klinsmann: Graham, what position do you prefer to play?
Graham Zusi: Well, I'm grateful to be here, and I'll gladly play anywhere, but I prefer to play central mid –
JK: Great! How about right winger?
GZ: Well, I, okay. I'd love to.
Opposite Zusi, Brek Shea was unspectacular in a set of friendlies you'd like to see him dominate. My understanding was that the FC Dallas winger was sick, and he looked it in Panama City particularly. He was slow and seemed at a dearth for ideas all night, though he rarely received overlapping support from Heath Pearce and Zach Loyd. It will be interesting to see where Shea stands when the full team convenes in Italy next month. He's cooled down significantly since that torrid stretch last summer.
And, well, Teal Bunbury was Teal Bunbury. I like Teal, he's a very nice guy, but his game is remarkably immature for a player with two full professional seasons under his belt and that kind of potential. There's no questioning what he's capable of, but his refusal to hold the ball up/keep it within five feet of his body on his first touch can be very difficult to watch.
The PerformanceI'm trying to avoid coalescing these two matches into one big conclusion, because they weren't really two trials of the same experiment. Rather, it was two different experiments testing two different ideas with some similar controls.
Against Venezuela, Klinsmann deployed the formation and tactics we've all come to expect – a proactive 4-3-3 with a high defensive line and plenty of positive soccer. Jeff Larentowicz manned holding midfield and Benny Feilhaber was the highest up the pitch in the three-man midfield. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the U.S. dominated possession and kept Venezuela pinned in their own half most of the night. Rico Clark's stoppage time winner had to be toughly stomached by the South Americans, but I don't think anyone would argue a goal wasn't deserved. You could easily argue the U.S. was hard done by not to score multiple goals.
Game two was, again, different. The 4-4-2 Klinsmann deployed surely drew unwanted Bob Bradley flashbacks for many, though the line Klinsi had his defense keep was much higher than anything Bradley ever featured. It was, though, uncomfortably similar in other ways. Benny Feilhaber was sacrificed to bring on another striker – Chris Wondolowski – and Clark spelled Larentowicz in the #6 shirt. Why? I dunno. Why do we need separate words for stalactites and stalagmites? Aren't they the same thing, excepting that one grows upside down? I don't pretend to have all the answers. Why to any of this? Perhaps – and I'm reaching here – this is how Klinsmann plans to play in CONCACAF road games during qualifying?
At any rate, things played out the way you might have likely predicted. Neither Jones nor Clark got far enough up the pitch to link with the forwards, neither Bunbury nor Wondolowski dropped into midfield or held the ball up and Graham Zusi, whose #10 shirt might have suggested linking to the forwards was his responsibility, didn't really do so. The tactical result was bizarro-Barcelona – lots of people out of position, but never for good reason nor by design. On a different night, Panama might have scored three goals with all the chances they got. Neither Jones nor Clark played a true holding mid, but neither was a creative catalyst, either. The offside trap was often uneven, allowing Panamanian forwards in behind the defense several times.
I'm trying to avoid calling the Panama match a step back after the encouraging Venezuela tie because, well, consider:
-The formation was different and predicated on different ends.
-Jeff Larentowicz, Benny Feilhaber and Heath Pearce were taken off in lieu of players who offer less in possession and, you could argue, most other facets.
-The game was in a Central American city on a clearly puddle-y field, though that is something all those guys will have to experience if they ever want to be full national teamers.
-It was their second game in four days after three weeks of very heavy training.
-The right side of the field – Zusi and DeLaGarza – was out of position
So yeah, as often is the case, the play we saw needs to be taken with a heavy dose of context.
The Highlight
Rico's header was fun and dramatic and all that, but was hardly a thing of beauty and felt, in some small way, kind of cheap. And Zusi's goal, while a lovely, composed finish, was cleaning up trash in front of the goal. You like to see that, but it wasn't the most beautiful thing to watch.
My favorite moment was a tidy little passing sequence in the 48th minute against Venezuela started – how often do we say this? – by a very nice pass from a U.S. center back. Michael Parkhurst's defense-splitting pass from near the halfway line found Benny Feilhaber's diagonal run about 35 yards from goal. Feilhaber tried to quickly slip an overlapping AJ DeLaGarza in behind the defense, only to see the ball carom off the latter's unsuspecting heels. The ball fortuitously rolled to the feet of Teal Bunbury, who took two quick touches to turn his defender before knocking it out on the right wing to Sporting KC teammate Graham Zusi. Zusi feigned a cross, freezing the left back in the process, before weighting a sweet ball toward the touchline to a streaking Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber's sliding cross was post-marked for an unmarked Jermaine Jones to the left of the penalty spot – he squared the cross up and cleanly volleyed, only to see it bend tantalizingly away from the near post, missing by inches. It didn't result in a goal, but only one player in that sequence took more than two touches, and it was Bunbury with three. That's the kind of quick passing and movement that can lead to the positive soccer Jurgen Klinsmann is looking for – and bonus points for it all starting with a sweet 30-yard pass by Michael Parkhurst.
It starts around 1:08 in this video.
The runner up was Benny Feilhaber's expertly weighted through-ball to put Brek Shea behind the Venezuelan defense in the first half Saturday (around :45 in the above video). What the clip doesn't show, though, was Geoff Cameron's perfect leading pass to get Feilhaber into the space to pull off that pass. Very, very encouraging.
The Lowlight
I'll resist calling ESPN's whole production – from putting it on ESPN3 to the crew calling it* – the lowlight, though it was short shrift. Tells you, I guess, how important the Mothership thinks Camp Cupcake friendlies are.
*No, they weren't the lowlight on the field, but were difficult to listen to at times nonetheless. Ricardo Ortiz's constant mispronunciations of names would have been a lot easier to stomach (I would struggle just as much if I were trying to call a game in Spanish, after all) if it weren't that he was mispronouncing the names of the wrong players – he never seemed to identify the correct players he thought was talking about.
And, hey, Taylor Twellman, do you think Jurgen Klinsmann should put another forward in so they can have two guys up there pressuring the defenders? Do you? I had no idea! I wasn't sure where you stood on the 4-4-2/4-3-3 debate! Yeah, let's just keep two forwards up there and, hey, while we're at it, bring back the two holding mids system and center backs who can't pass the ball or keep a high line. Because, hey, why not? We were good enough to make it to the World Cup every four years and sometimes pull wins out of our asses against far superior teams by dumbing down the game. That was our ceiling in that system, and no one actually enjoyed watching it, but winning is all that matters, right? Not development! Development? More like shmevelopment, amirite? Winning! Just winning! America wins!
The lowlight could be any of the several times an uneven back line let Panamanian attackers in behind the U.S. defense Wednesday, with none worse than the sequence that led to Geoff Cameron's red card in the 52nd minute. A Panamanian defender (forgive me for not knowing which one) optimistically pinged a ball in the general direction of his forwards, leading to errors by each of the U.S.'s center backs. The ball was hit straight at Parkhurst, but the generally sure-footed defender misjudged it and let it go bounding behind him. Meanwhile, Geoff Cameron lost track of Blas Perez, who ran in behind the duo and looked to be in on goal. Cameron showed great recovery speed, but his takedown of Perez just outside the penalty area was judged to be too brash. The Dynamo man was given marching orders.
The sequence, if you can stomach it, starts around 3:32 in this video:
Player RatingsThese are aggregated player rankings from each of the two games.
Bill Hamid – 6 – It was a pretty uneventful first cap for the 21-year old DC backstop, as his goal was kept safe all night by his defense and Venezuela's anti-offense. He did make one very nice, decisive punch in the first half, though.
Nick Rimando – 8 – Rimando was the only of the three U.S. keeper to play last week who was called on for help. His 25th-minute denial of an in-behind Gabriel Gomez was nothing short of world class, and his ability to pass the ball accurately up the field flies too much under the radar.
Sean Johnson – 6 – Like Hamid, Johnson had little to do except keep a few dribbling shots out, though there was much more excitement in his box than Hamid saw.
AJ DeLaGarza – 4.5 – DeLaGarza, as I discussed earlier, defended admirably and worked pretty consistently to get up into the attack. What held him back, though, was how he played when he got up there. He looked hesitant to cross or, for that matter, do anything with the ball at his feet. He was, of course, out of position, but it wasn't the best showing for the LA Galaxy center back.
Michael Parkhurst – 6.5 – The F.C. Nordsjælland center back, fresh off a helluva year with his club, did little to dispel my opinion he is the most polished center back in the U.S. pool. His distribution was tidy and sometimes adventurous, his positioning tight and he looked comfortable paired with Cameron. He'd be at a 7 had he not let that previously-mentioned ball in behind him to put his center back partner in a bind.
Geoff Cameron – 6 – Watching Geoff Cameron play center back, you just wish some coach much, much earlier in his career had committed to making him a center back. If he had grown and matured in Europe, it almost certainly would have happened during his youth career, rather than just last year. The raw tools are there – he reminds me of a taller version of Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny (with the hair to boot) – with all the speed, dueling, technical and passing ability you'd want from an international-caliber center back. But he's still very raw at the defensive skills – holding an offside line, knowing when to run with a forward and knowing when to pass him off, etc. – required to play that role internationally. In MLS, he can get by because he's faster and more skilled than everyone. That doesn't fly quite as much at the international level, which, I think, is why you saw him scrambling often over the course of these two friendlies to make last ditch tackles.
Heath Pearce – 5 – The Chivas USA defender hasn't played left back regularly for over a year, and it showed. His passing was fine, but he rarely overlapped Shea on the left and accomplished little with the ball at his feet. Pearce is still relatively young, at 27, and he's got good feet for a good-sized defender, so he's still got time to earn back the kind of favor that saw him land the most caps of any U.S. player in 2008. He didn't do much this weekend to help, though.
Zach Loyd – 5 – This is on a curve because, like many others in camp, the FC Dallas defender was played outside his usual position. Loyd was pretty effective as a sub for Pearce in the second half of the Venezuela match playing as a wrong-footed left back, when he overlapped club teammate Brek Shea well on a couple of occasions to play in some pretty incisive crosses. It was enough, in Jurgen Klinsmann's eyes, to earn a start against Panama, which could be qualified an unmitigated disaster were it not for the cross he played in that led to Zusi's goal. Overall, Loyd is a little reckless in tackle and doesn't always take care of the ball when he's going forward. Not the best showing for him.
Jeff Parke – 5 – Parke had little time to stitch his mark into the friendlies, as he came on to replace the hole Cameron left in the field with his red card in the second half against Panama. His botched clearance header in the 86th minute lead to what should have been an equalizer for Panama, if only Blas Perez's shot had, you know, not gone sideways.
Jeff Larentowicz – 6 – It was a pretty professional shift for the Rapids captain, providing the calm, reserved yin against Venezuela to Jermaine Jones' YANG. Not a whole lot to note, and not enough to supplant much of anyone in the pecking order, but solid work nonetheless.
Jermaine Jones – 6 – Jones excelled in the first match when his objective seemed to be "be as many places at once as you possibly can." He struggled against Panama, though, when tasked with primary distribution responsibilities. Just not his bag, ya dig?
Benny Feilhaber – 6 – He played played some very incisive balls during his 62 minutes of work and provided his customary calm and craft on the ball. He also, at times, was bossed too easily on the ball and spent way too much time asking the ref – who, to be fair, was abysmal – why he wasn't making calls. I have to wonder, too, if things, at some point in the last few weeks, went askew between the Revolution midfielder and Coach Klinsmann. The former wasn't inserted during the second half against Panama when the game was begging for a midfielder to come in and aid in possession, and I've read a few places (forgive me for not remembering exactly where) that he had a sour look on his face while warming up on the sidelines. He was the only unused sub in the second game.
Graham Zusi – 5 – I've said my piece on Zusi. He was, more than any other player I think, set up to fail. He looked most comfortable when he was able to come to the middle of the field and use his herky jerky dribbling to keep the ball and pick out passes. His set-piece service, it bares mentioning, was very strong.
Brek Shea – 5 – Shea looked rusty against Venezuela and like he might actually – like literally – be sleepwalking against Panama. His header in the former was unlucky not to score and he provided some nice service in that tie as well, but he really struggled to find the game in the latter due to some combination, I think, of fatigue and Panama looking at him and saying "this is their biggest threat, let's throw two defenders at him." The quirky winger had few chances to run at defenders against Panama, and looked out of touch when he tried.
Ricardo Clark – 3 – He scored, so what? I don't think results matter right now as much as how the team plays and how the players develop and fit into the style Klinsmann is trying to institute. Clark – who, in his defense, hasn't gotten a competitive game since August – was helpless and negative in possession, giving the ball away like free demos at a high school battle of the bands competition. Positionally, he left his back line exposed too often to go ball chasing and was pretty reckless in tackle. For the health of his own career, he needs to find a loan or transfer right meow. I hope he finds one, because I really like Rico. I hate to see a guy's career stagnate like that.
Brad Evans – 5 – I'm going to be completely honest: I don't remember a single thing Brad Evans did in either game. No disrespect meant, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just a thing.
Teal Bunbury – 4 – I've already written plenty about Teal on this blog, but this was another sideways step for the Sporting KC striker. His first touch – particularly in Panama City – was amateur and he didn't take the chances he was given well. Perhaps most disappointingly, his motor was weak, and he didn't get himself into spots to score. Here's hoping the staff in Kansas City does some serious work on Bunbury's game in training camp next month.
Chris Wondolowski – 6 – The San Jose striker, per his reputation, consistently got into good spots and was able to ask some serious questions of opposing keepers with headers in each game that brought out remarkable saves. The trouble with Wondolowski, though, is if he isn't giving you goals, he's not incredibly valuable because he doesn't hold the ball up or pass it particularly well. He was lively and industrious, though, and is the type of player you like to be able to bring off the bench for his proclivity for popping up around goal.
CJ Sapong – 6 – I don't think I'm alone when I say I wish I'd seen much, much more of Sapong. The lanky Sporting KC striker proved the most adept of any of the three forwards at holding the ball up and proved very valuable in possession in his limited time. Having seen a number of Sapong's games last season, I can honestly say he might be the best of any American forward at holding the ball up. He has a way to go in developing his auxiliary skills, but he's daaaaaamn good at that.
Fabian Johnson scores in Hoffenheim's 3-1 loss
*Fabian scored in a 3-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
* Highlights after the jump...
szólj hozzá: Dortmund Hoffenheim 3:1 GOALS
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Friday, January 27
2:30 pm - Hannover (Cherundolo) vs Nurnberg (Chandler) - ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com
2:45 pm - Watford vs Tottenham (Friedel) - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
3:00 pm - Everton (Donovan/Howard) vs Fulham (Dempsey) - FOX Soccer/FOXSoccer.tv
8:00 pm - US WNT vs Costa Rica - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Saturday, January 28
10:00 am - Derby County (Doyle) vs Stoke City - FOX Soccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
6:00 pm - Chiapas (Ruelas) vs Puebla (Beasley) - Azteca America
8:00 pm - Pachuca (Torres) vs Queretaro - Telefutura
8:00 pm - UANL Tigres (Bornstein) vs UAG Estudiantes Tecos - Galavision
9:45 pm - Atlas (Bocanegra) vs Toluca - Galavision
9:45 pm - San Luis (Orozco) vs Club America - Telefutura
10:00 pm - Atlante (Guadarrama) vs Cruz Azul - Galavision
Sunday, January 29
8:30 am - Sunderland vs Middlesbrough (Hines) - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
9:00 am - Chievo Verona (Bradley) vs Lazio - ESPN3.com
11:00 am - Arsenal vs Aston Villa (Guzan/Lichaj) - FOX Soccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
11:00 am - Evian Thonon Gaillard (Westberg) vs Bordeux - FOXSoccer.tv
1:00 pm - UNAM Pumas vs Guadalajara (Ponce) - Univision/UnivisionDeportes.com
3:00 pm - Club Tijuana (Castillo/Corona/Garza) vs Santos (Gomez) - Azteca America
College Basketball Betting: Blue Devils, Tar Heels Fighting For No. 1 Spot In ACC
One of the most highly scrutinized conferences heading in to this college basketball betting season was the ACC, which had the preseason No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels looking to unseat the Duke Blue Devils at the top of the conference. While the Tar Heels haven’t been awful, they do already have three losses including a blowout loss against Florida State that has pushed them down the ladder to No. 8 in the nation, the Blue Devils may not be ahead of them at No. 6 for very long unless they can bounce back from a loss of their own to FSU when they host the St. John’s Red Storm this Saturday. St. John’s Red Storm @ (6) Duke Blue Devils
Saturday, 12:00 PM ET
The Blue Devils seemed on track to set a new school record with their 46th straight home win before Michael Snaer hit a game-winning three-point shot for Florida State as time expired, and the door was slam shut on Duke’s chances at that per head run. As the players from the Seminoles stormed the court in celebration, there had to have been a sense among Blue Devils’ players that they had allowed FSU to stay with them for too long, and were being made to pay for it in the end. Look for Austin Rivers and Duke’s 10th-ranked offense to avoid making the same mistake in this game, as they will attack St. John’s early and often and try to build a big lead early on. There is often a sense that teams develop when they go on long winning streaks where they attempt to do different things and experiment believing that they have the talent to overcome any shortcomings, but now that that’s out of the way look for the Blue Devils to blow the roof off of the Cameron Indoor Stadium in this Bet online contest.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Duke Blue Devils
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ (8) North Carolina Tar Heels
Sunday, 6:00 PM ET
Despite that they beat Virginia Tech by 14 after the loss to FSU, there are even more question marks surrounding the Tar Heels now than their were then after Donald Strickland was lost for the season with a torn ACL in that game. There is no denying that North Carolina has the talent to be the pay head bookies favorites in the ACC this season, but they have not executed the way they are capable of, and have struggled in situations where they were supposed to excel. The Tar Heels rank first in points per game, first in rebounds per game, and fifth in assists per game, and teams with numbers like those don’t tend to lose much. Look for North Carolina to come together with another big win from beginning to end, keeping pace with Duke in the ACC.
College Basketball Betting Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels
Super Bowl XLVI Preview: New England Patriots (-3) vs. New York Giants
Super Bowl Betting OverviewWhen the playoffs started, the New England Patriots playing the New York Giants in the Super Bowl would not have been considered one of the most unlikely possibilities. Considering the road each of these teams had to follow in order to get to this point, it did seem unlikely that the Patriots and Giants would survive to play in the big dance. The Giants had to get past the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay and then the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco. After having a week off against the Denver Broncos in the divisional round, the Patriots had to dispatch the Baltimore Ravens. Both of these teams fought some pretty tall odds to get to this point.
The price per head sports experts have given the Patriots the upper-hand when it comes to odds of winning this Super Bowl and that is another surprise to the NFL fans of the world. The Patriots’ defense hardly seems equipped to stop the Giants’ offense and the Patriots’ offense will not be able to dominate the Giants’ defense. Still, the magic that seems to exist between head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady appears to be unstoppable. But the Giants may have the solution to the puzzle that is the New England Patriots’ offense.
New York Giants
The Giants won what was surely an exciting NFC Championship game by kicking the winning field goal in one of the few championship games ever decided in overtime. The pay per head sports experts did not expect the Giants to roll into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers much less watch the Giants go into Candlestick and beat the 49ers. The Giants’ defense is what won that championship game for New York, and it will be the defense that has to stand up again in the Super Bowl. The Patriots beat a very good defense in the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game. But the Giants are much more aggressive than the Ravens on defense, and the Giants have an offense to go along with that defense.
New England Patriots
There is no way that the 31st ranked defense in the NFL should be playing in the Super Bowl. Sportsbook reviews of the New England defense showed a unit that could not stop the run or the pass in the regular season. Yet, in the playoffs, the Patriots’ defense responded with solid pressure on the quarterback and good linebacker play to stop the run. But the Patriots did not play an offensive line like the one the New York Giants have. The Baltimore offensive line had problems blocking throughout the playoffs and it was bad blocking that prevented Baltimore running back Ray Rice from being a factor in the championship game. The Patriots’ defense is going to have to find a way around this Giants’ offensive line if it wants to win a fourth Super Bowl in the Belichick-Brady era.
The Bottom Line
Whether you write football blog or a soccer betting blog, you can see the advantages that each team has in this game. The Giants’ have an offense unlike anything that the Patriots have faced so far in the playoffs. That will be the difference in this game.
BSNblog Pick: New York Giants
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Tuesday, January 24
2:45 pm - Cardiff City (Gestede) vs Crystal Palace - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
10:30 pm - US WNT vs Mexico - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Wednesday, January 25
4:50 pm - Union Espanola vs UANL Tigres (Bornstein) - FOX Deportes
8:30 pm - Panama vs USA - Galavision/ESPN3.com
Friday, January 27
2:45 pm - Watford vs Tottenham (Friedel) - FOX Soccer Plus
2:30 pm - Hannover (Cherundolo) vs Nurnberg (Chandler) - TBD
3:00 pm - Everton (Donovan/Howard) vs Fulham (Dempsey) - TBD
8:00 or 11:00 pm - US WNT vs TBA - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Pittman scores cracker in Oxford's 2-2 draw with Hereford
*He scored in a 2-2 draw with Hereford.
*Game was more notable for the other goals though -- a hat trick of sorts.
*Highlights after the jump...
szólj hozzá: OxfordHereford 1Goals.com
Sunday Yanks Abroad Round Up
*He was a 2nd half sub in a 1-1 draw with Ajax.
Bradley with Chievo
*He went the distance and got a yellow in a 2-2 draw with Lecce.
Friedel with Tottenham
*He made 1 save in a 3-2 loss to Manchester City.
Gomez with Santos
*He was a 2nd half sub in a 1-0 win over Chiapas.
Castillo with Tijuana
*He went th distance in a 2-0 win over Chivas.
Torres with Pachuca
*He got a yellow in a 1-1 draw with Cruz Azul.
AZ Alkmaar - Ajax 1:1 by FootballKing1992
MC-T footyroom.com by footyroom
Edu scores equalizer in Rangers' 1-1 draw with Aberdeen (updated with full highlights)
*Carlos got a yellow and Edu scoerd in a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen.
*Highlights after the jump...
szólj hozzá: RangeArbede www.1Goals.com
FUll highlights
Match of the Day Highlights -- Whitbread, Donovan, Howard & Dempsey
It's been a while since I have posted Match of the Day Highlights, but hopefully you will welcome the return of this post.
szólj hozzá: Norwich v Chelsea 0:0 MOTD
szólj hozzá: Everton v Blackburn 1:1 MOTD
szólj hozzá: Fulham v Newcastle 5:2 MOTD
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Sunday, January 22
8:30 am - Manchester City vs Tottenham (Friedel) - FOX Soccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
8:30 am - AZ Alkmaar (Altidore) vs Ajax Amsterdam - ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com
1:00 pm - Puebla (Beasley) vs Atlante (Guadarrama) - Azteca America
1:00 pm - Toluca vs UANL Tigres (Bornstein) - Univision
7:30 pm - US WNT vs Guatemala - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Tuesday, January 24
2:45 pm - Cardiff City (Gestede) vs Crystal Palace - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
10:30 pm - US WNT vs Mexico - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Wednesday, January 25
4:50 pm - Union Espanola vs UANL Tigres (Bornstein) - FOX Deportes
8:30 pm - Panama vs USA - ESPN3.com
Saturday Morning Yanks Abroad Round Up
*He went the distance in a 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
Donovan and Howard with Everton
*Both went the distance in a 1-1 draw with Blackburn.
Williams and Johnson with Hoffenheim and Cherundolo with Hannover
*Williams and Dolo went the distance and Fabian was a 2nd half sub in a 1-1 draw.
Spector with Birmingham
*He went the full 90 in a 3-0 win over Watford.
Orozco with San Luis
*He went the full 90 in a 2-0 loss to Morelia.
szólj hozzá: BirmingWatford www.1Goals.com
szólj hozzá: gva1-1c[][Matchhighlight.com]
N-C footyroom.com by footyroom
szólj hozzá: Hoffenheim 0-0 Hannover
Dempsey scores a hat trick for Fulham
*He scored 3 as Fulham defeated Newcastle 5-2.
*Highlights after the jump...
szólj hozzá: ovi2-1ob;[Matchhighlight.com]
szólj hozzá: a^c3-1ob;[Matchhighlight.com]
szólj hozzá: a^c5-2ob;[Matchhighlight.com]
FUll highlights
Pakistan vs. England: Jonathan Agnew feature
There are three important values to batting in Test cricket: you require regulation, endurance and method. Unluckily, England's peak order did not relate any of them in the heavy first Test beat against Pakistan.
They just botched to study from their mistakes in the first innings and batted very much the similar way second time round and when your top six batsmen achieve 143 runs between them in a match, the odds are you are leaving to misplace unless the conditions are really hard.
Andrew Strauss's notice for a leg fleeting look to the wicketkeeper may have been contentious, given that replays did not demonstrate obvious contact between bat and ball, but whether he was out or not, it just does not clarify the unfortunate blast assortment that followed.
Kevin Pietersen's caress was terrible and was indicative of England's move toward throughout. It was just a short ball, intentionally bowled, with a man out at bottomless square leg and he hit it directly down his throat.
Alastair Cook's blast was not any better, Ian Bell hasn't got a sign how to play Saeed Ajmal, and though Jonathan Trott played healthy for 49, he then played a very poor stroke to get out.The only three batsmen who played well in this match - Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Matt Prior - did it the similar way, by knuckling down, playing directly, playing tolerantly and picking off the runs as and when they could.
You don't play champagne cricket on these pitches, they need a small piece of work to get in, but this has not been a hard pitch.
That would at least allow them to field a second spinner and transport in the option of receiving more lbw decisions through the Decision Review System.
College Basketball Betting – Baylor Faces Tough Task Trying To Bounce Back Against Missouri
The majority of the attention this college basketball season has been on the No. 1 Syracuse Orange, which has set a school record with 20 straight wins to open the year. For a while, the No. 3 Baylor Bears maintained their ground with 17 straight wins before falling on the road to the No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats on the road in a 92-74 blowout that really exposed some of their flaws. The Bears won’t have much time to regroup with the No. 5 Missouri Tigers up next this Saturday, and how they respond in the face of adversity will go a long way in determining the outlook for the team going forward.(5) Missouri Tigers @ (3) Baylor Bears
Saturday January 21, 2011 – 2:00 PM ET
Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
College Basketball Betting Line: Baylor – 2.5
The Tigers have looked just as strong as Baylor all year, with a tough road loss to Kansas State the only blemish on their otherwise perfect record. Missouri is right there with Baylor and Kansas fighting for the top spot in the Big 12, and they should be eager to prove that their status as sports betting underdogs for this game is incorrect.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Missouri
The atmosphere around the Big 12 is starting to heat up, and the Tigers will look to make their case as the team most qualified to take down Kansas when they travel to the Ferrell Center this weekend. Senior guard Marcus Denmon has been absolutely dominant for Missouri so far this season with an average of 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and at 6-3 has shown his ability to both attack the rim and defend at his own end of the floor. The Tigers have an excellent blend of size and speed throughout their lineup, and rank fourth in the country in average points with 83.1.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Baylor
Nothing seemed to go right for the Bears when they played the Jayhawks, but the majority of the blame can be placed on the players for a lack of focus and intensity. Part of the problem was the raucous atmosphere at the Phog Allen Fieldhouse, so Baylor should feel more comfortable in its own building. Perry Jones III helped keep his team hanging around with 18 points and five rebounds, but Quincy Miller and Pierre Jackson combined to shoot just 8-for-21 from the field, and both of them will need to be better as the favorites on Betonline.
College Basketball Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
There is no denying that with Jones III leading the way the Bears have the potential to do some big things in the Big 12, but any chance they have at the top will require beating the top teams that they will face. Missouri comes in to this game with a ton of momentum behind them and feeling confident, and they should be able to at least keep it close down to the wire as the underdogs according to the pay head bookies.
College Basketball Betting Pick: Missouri Tigers + 2.5
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Friday, January 20
9:10 pm - Morelia vs San Luis (Orozco) - Azteca America
10:30 pm - Dominican Republic vs US WNT - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Saturday, January 21
7:45 am - Norwich City (Whitbread) vs Chelsea - ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com
10:00 am - Everton (Donovan/Howard) vs Blackburn - FOX Soccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
10:00 am - Fulham (Dempsey) vs Newcastle United - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
10:00 am - Wolverhampton vs Aston Villa (Guzan) - FOXSoccer.tv (delay, 5:00 pm - FOX Soccer)
10:00 am - Coventry City vs Middlesbrough (Hines) - FOXSoccer.tv (delay, 11:00 am - FOX Soccer Plus)
6:00 pm - Cruz Azul vs Pachuca (Torres) - Azteca America
6:00 pm - Queretaro vs Atlas (Bocanegra) - Galavision
8:00 pm - Guadalajara (Ponce) vs Club Tijuana (Castillo/Garza) - Telemundo
8:00 pm - Santos (Gomez) vs Chiapas (Ruelas) - Telefutura
9:00 pm - USA vs Venezuela - Galavision/ESPN3.com
Sunday, January 22
8:30 am - Manchester City vs Tottenham (Friedel) - FOX Soccer/FOX Deportes/FOXSoccer.tv
8:30 am - AZ Alkmaar (Altidore) vs Ajax Amsterdam - ESPN Deportes/ESPN3.com
1:00 pm - Puebla (Beasley) vs Atlante (Guadarrama) - Azteca America
1:00 pm - Toluca vs UANL Tigres (Bornstein) - Univision
7:30 pm - US WNT vs Guatemala - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Tuesday, January 24
2:45 pm - Cardiff City (Gestede) vs Crystal Palace - FOX Soccer Plus/FOXSoccer.tv
10:30 pm - US WNT vs Mexico - Universal Sports/UniversalSports.com/CONCACAF.com/SportsNet.ca
Wednesday, January 25
4:50 pm - Union Espanola vs UANL Tigres (Bornstein) - FOX Deportes
8:30 pm - Panama vs USA - ESPN3.com
Wednesday's Recap
Jonathan Spector with Birmingham City
*Started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton in the Third Round (Replay) of the FA Cup.
*Games highlights after the jump...
Tuesday Night Yanks Abroad/USMNT Link Drop
*Corona honored as Mexico's top club rookie
*Agudelo, Gatt draw injury concerns as friendlies near for senior, U-23 teams
*Q & A With Stuart Holden
*Q & A with Joshua Gatt
*Wondo determined to make the most of US chance
*Hapoel Kiryat Shmona has emerged as the surprising leaders and they are anchored in the midfield by American Bryan Gerzicich.
*Brøndby interested in adding Rolfe
NFC Championship: New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers (-2 ½)
Online Betting OverviewVery few people outside of New York or San Francisco expected this season’s NFC Championship game to be played in San Francisco and feature the Giants and the 49ers. The price per head sports experts were sure that the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers would walk into the Super Bowl unscathed. It seemed like a logical bet. The Packers were rested and healthy going into its divisional game against the Giants. But under Tom Coughlin, the Giants have this Jekyll and Hyde thing going on. In the regular season, the Giants are ugly and barely make the playoffs. But once New York is in the playoffs, they turn into a football machine.
The San Francisco 49ers got to listen to people say all week how the New Orleans Saints were going to come into San Francisco and just run up the points on the 49ers’ defense while the San Francisco offense sat by and helplessly watched. But the price per head bookie experts were shocked to find out just how much of a team the 49ers really is. While the San Francisco defense did its best to keep the best offense in the league under wraps, the 49ers’ offense went score for score with the Saints and wound up striking the last blow. It sets up a very interesting NFC Championship game.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers is well-coached, disciplined and hungry for a championship. It also helps that San Francisco has one of the most talented defenses in football. The schemes that the 49ers ran on defense did a good job at keeping Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense under control. A sportsbook review of the Giants’ offense shows that New York does not have near the same amount of fire power that New Orleans does, but the Giants attack is very balanced. The 49ers will have its linebackers up more in the play in this game to try and combat the running game of the Giants, while the San Francisco defensive line will do its best to keep quarterback Eli Manning under control. If the 49ers can disrupt Manning, then the Giants can be beaten.
New York Giants
The New York Giants did something that no one thought it could do. It went into Lambeau Field and defeated a Packers team that was supposed to be ready. The Packers did its part to give the game to the Giants, but the Giants also did its part to take advantage of those Green Bay miscues. The 49ers will not make the same mistakes that the Packers did, which means that the Giants will have to play a flawless game to make it into the Super Bowl.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are an NFL writer or you own a soccer betting news blog, there is no way that you could have anticipated this NFC Championship matchup. The New York Giants just seem to know how to win in the playoffs and these 49ers are still new to the idea of having success. This San Francisco team will be around for a long time, but this year will be one more step in the learning experience for this young team.
BSNblog Pick: New York Giants
Tuesday Recap
Robbie Findley with Nottingham Forest
*Started and played the full 90 minutes in a 0-4 loss to Leicester City in the Third Round (Replay) of the FA Cup.
*Game highlights after the jump...
BCCI unlikely to move against senior players
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), though disturbed by the back-to-back setbacks in England and Australia, will refrain from taking a call on the careers of under-performing senior players.
"Whether the seniors should retire or be dropped is something to be decided by the selectors or the players themselves. The board can’t interfere in this matter,” said BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale.
Admitting that India’s overseas showing has been horrendous of late, he said every team going through a transitional phase has endured such setbacks, including the mighty Australia and England.
“It’s impossible to produce cricketers of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. So, these things will happen,” he said, implying that Indians fans should prepare themselves for more agony.
He said some plans to resurrect the plunging fortunes of Indian cricket were on the anvil.
“First and foremost, we are focussing on restructuring domestic cricket - infrastructure, playing conditions and especially wickets. You can’t expect youngsters who have grown up on Indian wickets to perform on bouncy and seaming wickets all at once. It’s important to prepare good wickets, and the knockouts in the Ranji Trophy this year were played on difficult wickets,” said Jagdale.
“We are waiting for Sourav Ganguly, chairman of the BCCI’s technical committee. We will sit down with him and discuss how to refurbish our domestic cricket,” he said.
Yanks Abroad on TV
All Times EST.Tuesday, January 17
2:30 pm - Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest (Findley) - FOX Soccer
Wednesday, January 18
3:00 pm - Wolverhampton vs Birmingham (Spector) - FOX Soccer
Friday, January 20
9:10 pm - Morelia vs San Luis (Orozco) - Azteca America
Sunday Yanks Abroad Round Up
*He picked up a yellow card in a 3-0 win
Bradley with Chievo
*He went the full 90 in a 1-0 win over Palermo.
Onyewu with Sporting
*He went the distance in a 2-1 win over Braga.
Torres with Pachuca and Beasley with Puebla
*Torres went the distance and Beas was a 2nd half sub in Pachuca's 3-1 win.
Castillo and Corona with Tijuana
*Edgar went the distance and Joe was a 2nd half sub in a 1-0 win over Monterrey.
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