U.S. searching for right mix against Dutch

Soccer Betting Lines

03/02/2010 - Amsterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. coach Bob Bradley assembled the majority of his best players for Wednesday's match at the Netherlands, and the last few spots on the World Cup roster could be decided at Amsterdam ArenA.

The Americans snapped a three-game losing streak last week with a 2-1 win over El Salvador, but the score isn't the most important aspect of the game against the Dutch for Bradley.

Bradley left injured trio Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu off the roster and the potential holes those three could leave open if not healthy in time for the World Cup are Bradley's biggest concerns.

"There's always pressure on the coach," Bradley said.

Although the U.S. roster features 16 European-based players, three MLS players - Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce and Robbie Findley - could benefit the most with strong performances.

Bornstein of Chivas USA and Pearce of FC Dallas are both in competition for a role on defense, where left back would be open if captain Carlos Bocanegra has to move into the middle to replace Onyewu.

Real Salt Lake forward Findley could find a role if Davies is not able to come back from a car accident that left the emerging star with multiple injuries.

Dempsey avoided surgery on a knee injury and is the most likely of the trio to feature in the World Cup, but Onyweu is a longshot to return from knee surgery and Davies - although he is making huge strides in recovery - needs a miracle.

Bradley is confident the U.S. will put together a team capable of competing in South Africa, whether he has all - or none - of the injured players back.

"We're confident that we're going to get a really strong group, a group that will have a great mentality and a group that's going to go and give it all a great shot," Bradley said.

The Dutch, ranked third in the world, are usually overlooked as contenders due to their recent World Cup struggles. The Netherlands advanced to the final in 1974 and 1978, but its best finish since was fourth in 1998.

Dirk Kuyt, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder highlight one of the most exciting offenses in the world, but the Oranje have not scored a goal in three straight matches.

The Dutch will give Bradley exactly what the U.S. needs, though, and that's a test for his best players, and a way to separate the final contenders for the remaining roster spots for the Cup.

Following is the complete U.S. roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Tim Howard (Everton).

Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Monchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jose Torres (Pachuca).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki).

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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