USA looking to rain goals on Nigeria

Soccer Betting Lines

09/17/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States needs to earn at least a draw against Nigeria on Tuesday to escape the "Group of Death" and advance to the quarterfinals.

While a draw would be enough to ensure the United States moved on to the next round, it could also result in a quarterfinal game against defending champion Germany.

For the United States to avoid that quarterfinal, it has to pull out of a tie with North Korea for the top spot in Group B. After the teams played to a 2-2 draw, both posted 2-0 victories in their second games of the group stage.

The United States is in good position, facing the "weakest" team in the group but the game could be played in poor conditions with Typhoon Wipha headed to Shanghai. There was talk about moving the game, but no change was made as of Monday evening.

If the United States and North Korea, which plays Sweden on Tuesday, both win or tie it would come down to tiebreakers to determine the group winner. Right now, the teams are equal on every tiebreaker except fair play, which is total cards received in the tournament. North Korea has one more card.

The easiest way for the Americans to avoid falling to second is to post a big win against Nigeria. Simply, if both games end with the same result - win or tie - the United States has to score more goals in its game to win the group.

Not only would that scenario suit the Americans well, but it would also boost the team's confidence after a couple so-so performances, according to captain Kristine Lilly.

"We are looking forward to (the Nigeria) game, making some things happen and play better soccer overall," Lilly said. "I think we need to play the game more, keep the ball on the ground (and) we have to attack teams, especially Nigeria. We have to go after them and make them be back on their heels and defend."

The United States had trouble in its opener in Chengdu against North Korea in a steady rain. North Korea proved it was a contender with its performance, but the rain cost the United States one goal when goalie Hope Solo had a ball slip through her hands.

The forecast for Shanghai on Tuesday is a 90 percent chance of heavy rains - which means bring your umbrella - and the field at Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium is already torn up from four previous games in the last seven days.

Regardless of the conditions, the top-ranked Americans are a heavy favorite.

However, Nigeria proved with its 1-1 draw against third-ranked Sweden its a team that can't be overlooked. Nigeria is led by 2006 FIFA Player of the Year nominee and reigning African Woman Footballer of the Year Cynthia Uwak, who scored against Sweden.

The African champions have a lot of skill, great athleticism and enough speed that they'd "make a great track team," U.S. coach Greg Ryan said.

"Our approach has been that with each team we face," Ryan said, "we have to adjust in order to bring out our best qualities and try to limit theirs."

According to Lilly and many of the other U.S. players, the team hasn't shown its best qualities yet. The United States allowed two goals to North Korea but both of those came when the team was down a player with Abby Wambach in the locker room getting stitches to close a gash on her head.

Wambach had one goal in the opener and scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Sweden. But the team again felt it didn't play its best game.

It shouldn't take a great game to beat Nigeria, but the United States' best effort should leave no doubt about the outcome of the group.

Nigeria and Sweden each still have a chance to advance, but must win by at least three goals.

The second-place team plays Germany on Saturday. The winner of Group B also plays Saturday against England, which posted a win and two ties in the group stage, including a 0-0 draw with Germany.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

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