Surging Wizards seek more road success at Union

Soccer Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said last week's 2-0 win at the Los Angeles Galaxy was "probably our best 90-minute performance of the whole season," but the surging Wizards still have work to do to qualify for the Major League Soccer playoffs.

Kansas City has four wins and two ties in its last seven matches, earning more than half its 26 points during the run. The Wizards also won at Columbus, 1-0, to open the streak in mid-July, but the expansion Philadelphia Union present a challenge for K.C. on Saturday.

K.C. (7-9-5) visits PPL Park for the second game of a three-game road trip but Philadelphia (5-11-5) has played well recently, earning two draws and a win in its last four MLS matches. The Union also beat Mexico's Guadalajara, 1-0, this week in a friendly.

Kansas City's victories at Los Angeles and Columbus are its only two road wins this season, as six losses and two draws in its other away games have kept the Wizards from moving up the Eastern Conference standings.

Davy Arnaud had a goal and an assist last week in the win over L.A., which has the best record in MLS (Columbus has the second best record), and Galaxy coach Bruce Arena praised K.C. following the game at The Home Depot Center.

"I think that we got outcompeted. All this was about tonight was fighting and scrapping and we lost that fight. I think that was the difference in the game; they played harder," Arena said.

K.C. is fourth in the Eastern Conference, 11 points back of Red Bull New York, who holds the second of two guaranteed playoff berths from the conference. The Wizards are three behind the San Jose Earthquakes for the final playoff spot.

Philadelphia has quietly put together a decent year for an expansion team, and is only nine points behind San Jose with two months remaining in the year. The Union won 2-1 at the New England Revolution last weekend thanks to a stoppage- time goal from Justin Mapp, then followed that with the win over Guadalajara.

Philadelphia has yet to post a shutout in league matches, but the game against the Mexican power proves the Union are capable.

Union rookie Danny Mwanga, who is second on the squad with seven goals, may be carrying a bigger load this weekend with Alejandro Moreno and nine-goal scorer Sebastien Le Toux questionable, but he is confident Philadelphia can win.

"We definitely are looking to win," Mwanga said on the club's website. "We did a pretty good job against New England [and] we're going to look to continue that.

"If we can keep doing what we're doing we think we can get a good result this Saturday against Kansas City."

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.