Crew, Chivas clash before losing U.S. players

Soccer Betting Lines

05/14/2010 - Columbus, Ohio (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus is one of just two undefeated teams remaining in MLS but, like the unbeaten Los Angeles Galaxy, the Crew are about to face a spell without some of their top players.

Columbus defender Chad Marshall and midfielder Robbie Rogers were selected for the United States' pre-World Cup training camp and, if they earn a spot on the final 23-man roster, would miss at least five MLS games.

The Crew, who have three wins and two ties, host Chivas USA on Saturday in the last game before the U.S. players start training in Princeton, N.J.

While L.A. star Donovan is a lock to remain with the U.S. through June's World Cup, Marshall and Rogers are fringe players hoping for a coveted roster spot.

Regardless of whether the Columbus duo makes the final cut, they will miss MLS games in late May against New York, Kansas City, Los Angeles. If they make the cut, Marshall and Rogers will miss June matches against San Jose and Colorado.

Depending on how well the U.S. does in South Africa, Columbus and other squads could be without players even after the league goes on break in mid-June.

Columbus has three more matches scheduled before the end of the World Cup, but that would require the U.S. to make a run in the knockout stage.

With the uncertainty of the next few weeks, Columbus needs to continue its hot start against Chivas, which loses defender Jonathan Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan to U.S. camp after this weekend's match at Crew Stadium.

"They've really got to have a sharp camp because they are probably two bubble guys," Columbus defender and World Cup veteran Frankie Hejduk said about his teammates. "I think (both) can help the team do well in South Africa."

First, both have to focus on getting Columbus three points before they join up with the U.S.

"It's still important that I work hard with my team here in Columbus and get better," Rogers said on the league's website. "I have a lot to prove."

Columbus has three wins in as many games at home, while Chivas has a win and a draw in four road matches.

Bornstein and Kljestan are more likely to make the last U.S. World Cup roster, making their last appearances for Chivas before the tournament just as huge.

Chivas has only three games before the World Cup but, with four losses in its first eight matches, needs to get as many points as possible as well.

"We hope to go to Columbus and bring back three points. I think we have a good chance against Columbus," Mariano Trujillo said on the league's website.

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.