Fire torch Toronto in Blanco's debut

Soccer Betting Lines

07/29/2007 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cuauhtemoc Blanco era with the Chicago Fire got off to a perfect start Sunday.

Blanco, a Mexican icon, had an assist in his Major League Soccer debut as the Fire snapped a six-game winless streak and won for just the second time in 13 games with an impressive 3-0 victory at Toronto FC.

Ivan Guerrero scored his first goal in more than two years, Calen Carr had a goal and an assist and substitute Floyd Franks also scored as Chicago earned Juan Carlos Osorio his first win as head coach.

"We played well in both ends of the field," Osorio said. "Toronto is a tough place to play. I'm very happy with the performance."

Chicago (5-8-4) pulled even with Toronto FC (5-9-4) in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand and both teams are just 11 points behind first-place New England.

"We are very close to everyone (in the standings)," Guerrero said. "We have to get better, we have to do it game to game."

Chicago took control of the match early, notching its first shot on goal just two minutes in and getting its first good scoring chance just four minutes in on a shot from Chad Barrett.

Barrett had another scoring chance denied by Toronto goalie David Monsalve in the 11th minute when his header was pushed over the bar.

Toronto FC had its best chance of the first half in the 17th minute when Danny Dichio put a header toward the upper right corner of the goal, forcing Chicago goalie Matt Pickens to make one of his three saves.

Chicago finally broke through in the 37th minute when Guerrero scored off a perfect assist from Blanco. The Mexican international made an accurate pass down the left side to a streaking Guerrero. The defender touched the ball two times as he moved into the box, then buried a shot inside the near post.

Guerrero, who hadn't scored in the regular season since June 29, 2005, smiled when told about his long scoring drought.

"We are very happy," he added. "It's a very important (win)."

The Fire nearly extended their lead late in the half when Barrett settled a pass in the box, turned and launched a shot into the upper left corner. But referee Jair Marrufo gave Barrett a yellow card for playing the ball with his hand - which Barrett argued - to erase the great finish.

Chicago still took a 1-0 edge into half, which was a good sign for the club. The Fire were 4-0-1 when leading at half this season while Toronto was 0-5-3.

The season-long trend held for both teams, but Chicago didn't sit on the one- goal cushion. The Fire added two more goals to score three goals in a game for just the second time this season. The last time Chicago scored three goals was also the last time it won - on June 3 against Columbus.

Carr put Chicago up 2-0 in the 58th minute with his second goal of the year. After the Fire controlled the ball in Toronto's end, a loose ball settled at Carr's feet just inside the box. He took a shot toward the left side of the net that deflected off a defender and into the right corner.

Toronto nearly got back into the game in the 64th minute when Todd Dunivant lofted a shot over Pickens, but Fire defender Dasan Robinson headed the ball off the line.

Carr continued to frustrate Toronto FC, getting another solid scoring chance midway through the second half. He took a short pass from Franks at the top of the box and had a hard shot deflect off Monsalve, the crossbar and the post.

Chicago finally put Toronto away in the 75th minute when Carr picked up his first assist of the year on the first goal this year for Franks. Carr had the ball on the right side of the box and crossed it in front of the goal where Franks just had to tap it inside the left post.

The Fire nearly added a fourth goal in the 82nd minute, but back-to-back shots were denied by Monsalve and a defender. Toronto followed with a counter attack that resulted in a shot from Joey Melo, but Pickens made the save to preserve his fifth shutout of the season.

"I think all the hard work paid off. We've had 12 (training) sessions since I've been around and we've demanded more of each player," said Osorio, who lost his MLS debut on July 12. "Our defense was excellent ... Offensively, we capitalized on our chances and could have scored more goals."

Monsalve, 18, was making his debut for Toronto. The Canadian under-20 national team player became the youngest goalie to start a game in league history. With Greg Sutton likely done for the year due to a concussion, Toronto is searching for a full-time goalie.

Toronto - which is winless in its last four games, has just one victory in its last seven and is 1-8-3 against the East - was without regular starters Jeff Cunningham, Ronnie O'Brien and Marvell Wynne. . Note: Guerrero had two goals in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2005 against D.C. United.

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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.