Schelotto, Hesmer lead Crew over Real Salt Lake

Soccer Betting Lines

04/24/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored his third goal in as many matches, leading the Columbus Crew to a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday at soggy Crew Stadium.

Schelotto converted a penalty kick in the 38th minute, and William Hesmer made four saves - one a late breakaway Real striker Robbie Findley - for his second shutout of the season.

Columbus (2-0-1), which has finished with the best record in MLS the last two seasons, avenged last season's playoff loss to Real Salt Lake.

Real Salt Lake (1-3-1) defeated Columbus in the opening round of the playoffs, and then beat the Chicago Fire and Los Angeles Galaxy to win the league title. RSL, which won just twice on the road last season, has lost three of its four away from home already this season.

Real Salt Lake created the first chance in the 10th minute when Alvaro Saborio drove in alone on goal. Hesmer sprinted off his line and dove to steal of the ball off Saborio's shoelaces to prevent a shot.

Schelotto set up the Crew's first chance in the 15th when he swung a cross to Andy Iro at the far post but the defender headed nearly straight down into the wet ground and the ball then bounced over the crossbar.

Columbus took the lead in the final 10 minutes of the half when Real Salt Lake midfielder Robbie Russell knocked down Robbie Rogers inside the box. Schelotto drove the penalty to the left side and, although Real goalie Nick Rimando dove that way, converted for his third goal of the season.

Schelotto set up a chance for Columbus early in the second half off a corner, but then the Crew relied on Hesmer to preserve the victory.

Real didn't put Hesmer under a lot of pressure until the final 10 minutes, and Nelson Gonzalez presented the first big test off a free kick from 19 yards. He drove the ball around the Crew's thee-man wall and had the left side in sight, but Hesmer dove across the goal and made a one-handed save in the 81st.

Findley, who came off the bench early in the second half, broke in alone after a Crew player fell down outside the area and tried to slip a shot by Hesmer at the near post, but was denied by another fine save.

Hesmer made another point-blank stop in the 89th, although the shot was called back for a foul, and Columbus held on through five minutes of extra time.

Columbus remained perfect at home with two wins in two matches, and has yet to concede a goal at Crew Stadium this season. The Crew topped Toronto FC 2-0 in their other home match.

Real Salt Lake hosts Toronto and Columbus visits Seattle Sounders FC on May 1.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.