Eskandarian enjoys dream debut as L.A. downs New England

Soccer Betting Lines

07/05/2009 - Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alecko Eskandarian scored the lone goal of the match on Saturday in his Los Angeles Galaxy debut as the club downed the New England Revolution, 1-0 at The Home Depot Center.

Eskandarian was acquired on Wednesday from Chivas USA, and he made quite a first impression, scoring eight minutes into the game and helping the Galaxy (4-3-9) hold off New England for its third win in five games.

The Revolution (4-5-4) applied plenty of pressure down the stretch, but they failed to crack a tough Galaxy defense and have now lost two straight.

Eskandarian couldn't have asked for a better start to his Galaxy career as he found the back of the net just eight minutes into the match.

Todd Dunivant delivered a pinpoint cross from the left wing into the middle of the box for Eskandarian, and he shook free from his defender and placed the ball inside the left post with his right foot.

The lead could have grown to two goals in the 30th minute when Jovan Kirovski's cross was turned on goal by the head of Omar Gonzalez, but the ball was hit right at goalkeeper Matt Reis.

Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders was called into action right before the break when Michael Videira dropped a pass off to Sainey Nyassi at the top of the box. Nyassi drove a hard first-time shot towards goal, but Saunders did well to get down and make the save.

The two teams traded half-chances early in the second half, but the Revs came close to equalizing in the 73rd minute from a free kick.

Kenny Mansally floated the ball into the area from midfield, and Videira got up and turned a header towards goal. The ball appeared to be headed for the bottom corner, but Saunders reacted well and tipped it around the post.

Reis came up with two huge stops to keep the Revs within a goal in the last 10 minutes as Chris Klein's header from six yards was kept out by the keeper, while Reis was forced to tip Dunivant's headed effort over the crossbar.

Saunders was then called upon to make an acrobatic stop on Videira in the 87th minute to preserve the win.

Wwwsorasguide Soccer Betting News

<< Angels pour it on late against Baltimore
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vladimir Guerrero capped a six-run eighth inning with a monster three-run homer, as Los Angeles overcame an early deficit to wallop Baltimore, 11-4, in the third matchup of a four-game set at Angel S

<< D-Backs use late offensive surge to beat Rockies
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Young hit a pinch-hit, three-run double in Arizona's six-run eighth inning, as the Diamondbacks rallied for an 11-7 decision over the Rockies in the middle installment of a three-game series. Stephen

<< Cunningham's brace leads FCD past New York
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Cunningham scored a pair of first-half goals to lead FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday. Cunningham scored his second goal of the season in the

<< Dynamo extend MLS lead with win at K.C.
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo extended their lead atop Major League Soccer's overall table with a 1-0 win at the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night. Kei Kamara scored the game's only goal in the 18th minute to h

<< Chicago moves to top of Eastern table with win at Colorado
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire moved into a tie with D.C. United at the top of Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference table with a 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night. First-half goals by Marco Pappa

Yanks hope to stay hot against Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot New York Yankees will try to continue their strong play when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the third installment of a four-game set at Yankee Stadium. Brett Cecil will toe the rubber for the Blue Jays t

Cellar dwellers put the finishing touches on set in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians will try to complete the three-game sweep over the Oakland Athletics this afternoon when the two teams close their series at Progressive Field. Gio Gonzalez will head to the mound for the A's in searc

Mariners take aim at first-ever three-game sweep at Fenway >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners hope to complete their first-ever three-game sweep in Boston this afternoon when they wrap up their set with the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Jon Lester will try to stop that from happening, though, as he

White Sox, Royals close four-game set in Kansas City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Bannister will try to get back on the winning side of things when he takes the hill this afternoon for the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a four-game stint against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. B

Tigers, Twins wrap up series at the Metrodome >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will try to keep pace with the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central when the two teams collide this afternoon in the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome. Nick Blackburn will try to return to the w

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.