Group C favorites England, USA battle to draw in Rustenburg

Soccer Betting Lines

06/12/2010 - Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England and the United States battled to a 1-1 draw Saturday at Royal Bafokeng Stadium to open World Cup Group C play for both teams.

England got a goal from midfielder Steven Gerrard in the first five minutes, and U.S. right winger Clint Dempsey fired a shot off England goalkeeper Robert Green just before the first-half break that could go down as one of the worst goals of the tournament.

Both teams are tied atop Group C with a point apiece, with the other two teams in the group, Algeria and Slovenia, set to square off on Sunday in Polokwane.

The Three Lions put the U.S. on its heels early with Gerrard's third career World Cup goal after some horrendous defending by the red, white and blue.

After a throw-in from the right side, England midfielder Frank Lampard played a ball toward goal that found forward Emile Heskey. Heskey's one-time pass found Gerrard, who took a touch into the area before placing a shot just past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard and inside the right post.

Gerrard was left wide open on the fourth-minute goal after he ran in behind U.S. midfielder Ricardo Clark.

The U.S. recovered after the early goal and had a chance to pull even about 15 minutes later when a Landon Donovan service to the top of the England six-yard box was narrowly missed by striker Jozy Altidore.

The two teams traded chances in the next 10 minutes, with U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo breaking up a teasing ball into the U.S. area, and an Oguchi Onyewu header going just wide of the England net off a Donovan free kick in the 27th minute.

The U.S. faithful held their breath just after the half-hour mark when Howard, one of the top goalkeepers in the world, went down after being spiked on a fair challenge by Heskey with the ball sliding through the area. But after a brief stay on the turf, Howard got to his feet and play resumed.

The U.S., which started to find its feet in the closing minutes of the half, saw a Donovan chance go just wide about three minutes before Dempsey's gift goal in the 40th.

Dempsey took control of the ball just outside the England area fired a left- footed shot right off the hands of Green, who watched the ball trickle over the goal line. Dempsey has scored the last two World Cup goals for the U.S. after scoring against Ghana in the group stage in Germany in 2006.

Howard, who made seven saves in the game, came up with a big one shortly after the interval when an Aaron Lennon through-ball beat the U.S. defense and gave Heskey an open shot from 18 yards out. Howard ate up the hard shot, however, as Heskey failed to pick a corner and shot right at the U.S. 'keeper.

The U.S.'s best chance of the second half occurred just after the hour mark when Altidore muscled around England defender Jamie Carragher and fired on goal from close range, but Green got just enough to deflect the shot off the post.

England striker Wayne Rooney, considered one of the best strikers in the world, got his first touch in a dangerous area about 20 minutes from time when his header off a Gerrard cross went well wide.

Rooney had another dangerous chance when his powerful strike went just wide of the right post in the 75th minute.

Rooney then laid off a ball to Shaun Wright-Phillips in the area about a minute later that Howard parried out-of-bounds.

The U.S. slowed the game down thereafter and the match ended in the 1-1 draw.

The USA plays Slovenia on June 18 in its next Group C match, while England will face Algeria later the same day in its next fixture.

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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.

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