Wizards' Sealy honored for 2-goal performance

Soccer Betting Lines

09/18/2007 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Wizards forward Scott Sealy has been named Major League Soccer Player of the Week for week 24 following a two- goal performance in a 3-2 dramatic comeback win against the Columbus Crew Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.

"It's always a good feeling to be recognized," Sealy said. "The most important thing is that we won the game and gave our home fans a lot to cheer about."

Sealys first goal came in the 31st minute to put Kansas City ahead 1-0 on a play he created and finished. Sealy was fouled outside the 18-yard area and then stood over the ball with defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. Both players started their approach, with Burciaga stopping and Sealy bending a right- footed free kick over the wall and into the upper-left corner past Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer for his third goal of the season.

Sealy then provided the game-winner to cap a historic Wizards comeback in minute 94th minute. Sasha Victorine played the ball out of the back, finding Eddie Johnson with his back to goal 25 yards out. He turned, then spun the ball wide for streaking midfielder Eloy Colombano before Johnson and Sealy continued their runs toward goal. Colombano took a touch then served in a hard, right-footed cross for Sealy at the near post. The Trinidad and Tobago international hit a snap header past Hesmer from six yards out for his second goal of the match and first-game winner of the season. The Wizards became just the third team in MLS history to erase a stoppage-time deficit to win a match.

"Our team is not a desperate team, but we were at home and we didn't want to disappoint the fans," Sealy said. "We went into the half one-nil and then they got two goals and we had two options, either give up or come back and our team has shown that we can come back and tonight was a perfect example."

"Scoring in the 90-plus minutes shows that our team is a fit team and a team that doesn't give up and we have been talking all week that it might take 90 minutes to win this game and it was a great ending," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said.

Sealy has now won Player of the Week twice during his three-year MLS career, the first came in week 12 of last season after a two-goal performance against the Chicago Fire.

Below are the 2007 Player of the Week Winners:

Week 1: Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake)

Week 2: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)

Week 3: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)

Week 4: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Week 5: Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)

Week 6: Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

Week 7: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)

Week 8: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)

Week 9: Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)

Week 10: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)

Week 11: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)

Week 12: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)

Week 13: Nicholas Addlery (D.C. United)

Week 14: Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo)

Week 15: Juan Toja (FC Dallas)

Week 16: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)

Week 17: Ante Razov (Chivas USA)

Week 18: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)

Week 19: Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)

Week 20: Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls)

Week 21: Maykel Galindo (Chivas USA)

Week 22: Ben Olsen (D.C. United)

Week 23: Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)

Week 24: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)

Ccasion Soccer Betting News

<< Defense bails out defending champion Colts
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Peyton Manning played up to his usual standards on Sunday, it was the Indianapolis Colts' defense that saved the day in a 22-20 win over the AFC South-rival Tennessee Titans at LP Field. Colts defensive coordin

<< Sean Burke announces retirement from NHL
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime goaltender Sean Burke announced his retirement from the National Hockey League on Tuesday. The well-traveled Burke appeared in 820 games over his 19-year career with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford

<< Browns experience offensive explosion against Bengals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Brady Quinn era might have to wait a little longer in Cleveland. After a disappointing opening-week loss to Pittsburgh, the Browns capped a strange week with an unbelievable 51-45 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Fo

<< Give some love to the Sun Belt
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There were more important games played this past week than Oklahoma State at Troy and Minnesota at Florida Atlantic, such as Kentucky topping Louisville and USC demolishing Nebraska, but the number one story

<< This Week in Auto Racing September 21 - September 23
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's round two of NASCAR's "Chase for the Nextel Cup" as racing in Dover dominates a light racing weekend. NASCAR Nextel Cup Dodge Dealers 400 - Dover International Speedway - Dover, DE After Clin

Bills take a pounding in Steel City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not even a serious injury to a teammate could will the Buffalo Bills to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers this past Sunday at Heinz Field. With reserve tight end Kevin Everett laid up in a Buffalo hospital bed after a se

Harrison cleared to play >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers revealed some positive news regarding the injury of linebacker James Harrison. Harrison was diagnosed with a stiff neck and is not expected to miss significant time. Harrison

Schaub, defense lead Texans to 2-0 start >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's a buzz going on right now in Houston and it has nothing to do with the Astros on the cusp of missing the postseason for a second consecutive year. It's too early to start talking playoffs in the NFL, but the Housto

King ousts Bartoli in Kolkata >>
Kolkata, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Vania King upset top-seeded Marion Bartoli in first-round action Tuesday at the $175,000 Sunfeast Open. The 18-year-old King dismissed the Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli in 6-1, 7-5 fashion

Hester not slowing down in year two for Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes when you cage the beast, the beast gets angry. Words of wisdom from perhaps a famous general, a ruthless dictator, or maybe even a high-energy athlete? Actually, it was Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) from X

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.