Away goals tiebreaker the answer, or is it?

Soccer Betting Lines

10/29/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer playoffs opened up this past week with less than spectacular results on the field.

In the first four games of the respective home-and-home, aggregate goal, conference semifinal series, a total of only three goals were scored, each in different games. Not exactly the kind of exciting soccer that will win over the American public.

How can the league correct this problem?

A simple format change could do the trick.

Change the tiebreaker rule in the semifinal series from an extra-time period and penalty kick shootout to away goals counting as double, as many European leagues do. That way the higher seeds will be more apt to opening things up in the first leg, searching for the pivotal away goal, instead of shutting things down under the current format like most higher seeds did in their respective openers this weekend.

"I'm not sure our playoff format encourages (teams to get defensive) any more than any other format," MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis said. "There are several formats you can look at, one is having away goals count double, that is certainly something we've discussed. One is having the higher seeded team go through if goals are tied in aggregate at the end of the series. All of these other formats have very similar challenges, frankly."

The current format has the higher seeds playing on the road in the first leg, then hosting the second leg. Meaning, a 0-0 tie in the first game is like a win. The higher seeds are confident that if they can return home for the final leg on equal ground, they can earn a win to advance. If the aggregate score is still tied after 90 minutes of regulation in the second leg, the teams play a 30-minute extra-time period, consisting of two 15-minute halves. If the score is still tied, the winner is decided by a penalty-kick shootout.

"It's the reason you position yourself (as the higher seed) to get that second game at home," New England goalkeeper Matt Reis said after earning a scoreless draw at New York Saturday. "We always seem to play more attacking soccer at home."

Gazidis also argues that if the away goals rule was put into effect, the home teams would be the ones shutting it down, so as not to give up the away goal.

"The away goals counting double was supposed to make road teams less conservative," he said of the European rule. "I don't think there is any evidence that it has actually had that effect or that it has increased the number of overall goals or chances or moments of excitement. In fact, what often seems to happen is the home team, because it doesn't want to concede that all important away goal, is more conservative than it otherwise might have been."

That said, the strategy of at least three of the four higher seeds this week was to play very conservatively, hoping to return home tied.

In the playoff opener on Oct. 25, the East's top seed, D.C. United, started its series against fourth-seeded Chicago at Toyota Park without its top two strikers - Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno - on the pitch because of ankle injuries. The team came out in a 4-5-1 formation with the obvious strategy of playing for a scoreless draw.

When Fire forward Chris Rolfe scored just 14 minutes into the contest, that plan was thwarted. United was forced to start Moreno in the second half and bring in Emilio in the 78th minute while switching to its more familiar 4-4-2 formation to try and get the equalizer, effectively opening up the game.

The Fire will take a 1-0 advantage to D.C. for Thursday's second leg.

In the other Eastern semi, second-seeded New England was dominated in the first half by third-seeded New York, but survived the push for a goal as the Red Bulls ran out of gas in the second half. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

"It was pretty obvious that New England came in here with a plan that a (draw) was fine and if a goal came, they would take it," New York coach Bruce Arena said. "They were hard to break down and they defended well tonight."

"The way they played, the demeanor, the way they were moving the ball around, they weren't trying to go for it at all so you could tell that from the beginning," New York's Jozy Altidore said. "But credit them, they did what they had to do."

That series is knotted at zero with the second leg at Gillette Stadium on Saturday deciding who advances.

"We are very excited to go home and make sure that we take care of our own business," Revs forward Taylor Twellman said.

In the Western bracket, top-seeded CD Chivas USA was in a similar position to D.C., with a number of its top offensive players banged up - particularly Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo. As a result, the Western champions played with a lone forward up top against fourth-seeded Kansas City.

"Their whole mindset was to come here and just defend, and they made it very difficult on us," Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said.

Despite that strategy, the Wizards broke through with a goal by Davy Arnaud in the first half, and currently lead the series 1-0.

The only series in which the top seed seemed to want to score was the other Western semi between second-seeded and defending champions Houston and third- seeded FC Dallas. FCD was outshot 15-9 by the champs, but still ended up getting the lone goal in the game by Clarence Goodson in the 23rd minute.

In this series, it was the home side that tightened up, especially after getting a goal, hoping to hang on, up 1-0, when it travels to Houston on Friday

"We limited their chances and they got their one goal, wasted time and got the result," Houston midfielder Richard Mulrooney said after the loss. "Thankfully, it's a two-game series and we go back to our place next Friday night and we're looking forward to it."

So while away goals would probably make the opening leg of the respective series more entertaining, it really serves a set-up game for the climactic second leg. All eight teams currently have a shot of advancing heading into the second legs of their respective series, with New England being the only higher seed not in a hole.

"I think (the second-leg games) are going to be very tense and very close affairs in every case, we don't have a lot to separate the teams," Gazidis said. "There is not a team going into the second leg that feels like it has a massive uphill battle to win. Every team has roughly a 50-50 chance of making it through so I think you can probably expect that the return legs are going to be very tense. The first goal is going to be very important in every case and fans are likely to lose a significant portion of their fingernails."

Wwhitbox Soccer Betting News

<< Redskins CB Rogers likely out for season
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers will likely miss the remainder of the season due to torn ligaments in his right knee. Rogers suffered the injury during Sunday's 52-7 loss to the unbeat

<< T'Wolves buy out Howard's contract
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves waived forward Juwan Howard on Monday, buying out the veteran's contract. "The thinking was to get some kind of cooperative effort between the two of us," Timberwolves vice

<< Away goals is the answer, or is it?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer playoffs opened up this past week with less than spectacular results on the field. In the first four games of the respective home-and-home, aggregate goal, conference semifin

<< Youzhny survives at Paris Masters
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russia's Mikhail Youzhny still has a chance to qualify for the Masters Cup after posting a first round win Monday at the Paris Masters. Youzhny downed Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3 and is one of a s

<< NFL Inactives (Monday, October 29, 2007)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players for this week's NFL games. GREEN BAY PACKERS AT DENVER BRONCOS, 8:30 P.M. (ET) Packers - CB Will Blackmon, TE Bubba Franks, DT Justin Harrell, RB Brandon Jack

A-Rod, Bonds, Hunter among 57 to file for free agency >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A night after informing the Yankees that he would opt out of his contract, third baseman Alex Rodriguez officially filed for free agency. Rodriguez, who will lose about $72 million of guaranteed money by

Lakers pick up options on Bynum, Farmar >>
El Segundo, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised a fourth year contract option on center Andrew Bynum and the third year contract option on guard Jordan Farmar. The 7-foot, 285-pound Bynum appeared in all 82 game

Jagr, Shanahan lift Rangers over Lightning >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan scored power play goals less than three minutes apart in the third period, as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, at Madison Square Garden. Chris Drury h

Ovechkin heads Washington's rout of Toronto >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Ovechkin scored twice as the Washington Capitals embarrassed the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-1, at Air Canada Centre. Already playing without captain Chris Clark and leading defenseman Tom Poti, the Caps w

Zvonareva, Vakulenko cruise in Quebec City >>
Quebec City, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva and third-seeded Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko were straight-set, first-round winners at the $175,000 Bell Challenge Monday. Zvonareva topped Colombia's Catalina Castan

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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Since the late 1990's, MySportsbook.com has been an online sportsbook / poker room / casino that focuses on quality.. MySportsbook caters to the experienced sports fan who values reliability and accuracy, with great attention to detail. MySportsbook's success over the past 3 years has made them the envy of the sports gambling industry. There are hundreds of sites appearing all over the Internet claiming to be the next best sportsbook online, each one is trying to use the same marketing techniques as MySportsbook originated.

If you want to try the most stylish and reliable type of online sportsbook, go with MySportsbook. Most online sportsbooks give you live odds and plenty of games and events to bet on, at MySportsbook they'll give you that and more. While perfection may be a lofty goal, MySportsbook attempts to achieve that goal. All sorts of ways to bet on football, football betting, Super Bowl betting lines.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.