11/21/2008 - Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the dust settles on the Major League Soccer title game at The Home Depot Center on Sunday, one of the two combatants - the New York Red Bulls or the heavily favored Columbus Crew - will be hoisting their respective franchise's first ever MLS Cup Trophy.
Sunday will mark the first time since the league's inaugural season that two teams who have never before played in the MLS Cup Final will meet for the league championship. Columbus will be looking to be the first Supporters' Shield winner since 2002 to win the MLS Cup while New York will aim to match the 2005 Los Angeles Galaxy as the lowest seed (No. 8) to win the league title game.
The game will feature two of the brightest stars in MLS, with New York striker Juan Pablo Angel and Columbus attacker Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
"Every team has important players in this league," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said. "I mean, one of the things I say to coaches, especially guys if they call me and talk to me, guys who are starting off in this league is, I've always said every team has good players, every team has players you need to be concerned and worried about."
Schelotto was just named the league's Most Valuable Player on Thursday after collecting seven goals and a league-leading 19 assists while Angel is considered by many to be the top striker to ever play in the league after collecting over 30 goals in his two-year MLS career.
"I think they have, in my opinion, one of the premiere strikers in this league, if not the premiere striker in Juan Pablo Angel," Schmid said. "He's a classic center forward. Good in the air, can hold the ball. He's lethal with his finishing. That's certainly an important weapon to have."
The Crew have one of the best center backs in the league - Chad Marshall - to match up with Angel, however.
"I'm very happy for Chad, and I'm pleased at the season he's had and the accolade that he received, because I think he was the best defender in the league this year in terms of central defenders for sure in my opinion," Schmid said of Marshall winning the league's defender of the year award. "... He knows that he's had to be the leader because he's the more experienced player of our two center backs and he stepped into that role. He's been a good passer for us out of the back with the ball. And obviously he's come up with some very timely goals on set pieces and is a very dangerous force for us on those kind of things."
Another key battleground could be the wings, where the Crew feature a solid tandem in Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven and the Red Bulls feature the experienced Dave van den Bergh and the speedy Dane Richards. All four have been key contributors for their respective teams in the playoffs.
Regardless of who prevails, however, it should an exciting game because of what is at stake.
"Obviously for me it's been a long time coming," veteran Crew fullback Frankie Hejduk said. "I think being here in Columbus for six years, it's been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hard work. But with Sigi coming in and taking the reins and pointing this organization in the right direction, you know, a lot's changed. And it's going to be a very exciting game."
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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