USA clinches group with Chalupny's winner

Soccer Betting Lines

09/18/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lori Chalupny scored just 55 seconds into Tuesday's match against Nigeria and the United States held on for a 1-0 win to clinch the top spot in Group B and advance to the quarterfinals.

Chalupny's goal, the second fastest in the history of the World Cup. helped the Americans weather Nigeria and Typhoon Wipha to win the "Group of Death."

Tuesday's match was played in steady rain as Wipha closed in on Shanghai. The storm nearly forced the game to be moved, but it went on as scheduled in poor conditions.

The United States (2-0-1) plays England (1-0-2) in the quarterfinals Saturday.

The United States couldn't have gotten off to a better start against Nigeria, scoring in the first minute off a throw in. Cat Whitehill took the throw from the left side, finding Abby Wambach a few yards into the box.

Wambach flicked a header deeper into the box to Chalupny, who chested the ball down and poked a shot off a Nigeria player and into the lower left corner. The deflection fooled Nigeria goalie Precious Dede, who wasn't able to adjust and make an attempt on the ball.

The Americans didn't have another good scoring chance until the 20th minute when captain Kristine Lilly dribbled around a defender on the left sideline and sent a cross into the box. The cross found Wambach, but she headed wide.

The chances continued for the United States, starting with Lilly's free kick just over the crossbar in the 24th minute. She also put a header just wide of the left post in the 41st minute off a cross from Chalupny.

The five-time World Cup veteran set up another chance in the 43rd minute with a nice give-and-go that led to her cross to Wambach in the box. But Wambach's strong header was pushed high by Dede.

The United States had two more chances in the final minutes of the opening half, but Wambach and Shannon Boxx each put headers wide.

The United States' chances continued early in the second half when Lilly took a free kick from the right and Heather O'Reilly tried to redirect it on goal with a header but touched it just wide in the 50th minute.

The pace slowed considerably over the next 25 minutes as neither team created any real scoring threats and the United States seemed content to play for the one-goal win.

But Nigeria started to make things interesting in the 75th minute when it had the first of a few great scoring chances.

Perpetua Nkwocha broke free down the right side for the first chance, holding off Whitehill to get into the box and send a shot just a few feet wide of the left post.

Nigeria had another golden opportunity in the 85th minute when a cross rattled around the box and Nigeria had two shots on goal that were turned away before U.S. goalie Hope Solo finally jumped on the loose ball.

Dede made another nice save in the 88th minute to keep Nigeria within striking distance, but Solo sealed the win with a diving save right before the whistle.

Nigeria (0-2-1) played well in the toughest group in the tournament, but with just a tie against Sweden failed to advance for the fourth time in five World Cups.

Sweden defeated North Korea, 2-1, on Tuesday in the group's other game. North Korea still advanced and plays Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Footballfantasybetting Soccer Betting News

<< Canucks' Salo sidelined with wrist injury
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo is sidelined indefinitely with a wrist injury. Salo suffered the setback after retrieving a loose puck in the corner and getting checked in an intra-squad gam

<< 2007 Three or More Homer Games
Players who have hit three or more home runs in a game this season:American League3 - Frank Thomas, Toronto, Sept. 17 vs. Boston3 - Brad Wilkerson, Texas, July 3 vs. Los Angeles Angels3 - Justin Morneau, Minnesota, July 6 at Chicago White SoxNationa

<< No. 12 South Carolina, No. 15 Clemson making fans happy
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -Nothing makes Clemson and South Carolina supporters happier than winning. Right now, there are lots of happy football fans in the Palmetto State.South Carolina's two major programs share 3-0 records and spots among the country's

<< Off to surprising 2-0 start, Packers prepare for San Diego
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -On the master list of things the Green Bay Packers have had to worry about over the past few years, letting success go to their heads probably ranked somewhere in between not selling enough No. 4 jerseys and running out of ched

<< Figgins, Angels beat Rays to shrink magic number
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chone Figgins hit the go-ahead RBI triple in the fifth inning and had three of Los Angeles' 18 hits, as the Angels inched closer to the AL West title with a 10-7 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Figgins

Report: Cowboys to bring in Tank Johnson for physical >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys will reportedly bring in suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson for a physical on Tuesday. According to the Dallas Morning News, citing multiple sources, the Cowboys would like to s

Lotta goals not enough for Sweden to advance >>
Tianjin, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden came up short in its bid for a fifth consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup, beating North Korea 2-1 on Tuesday, but failing to achieve the three-goal win that was necessa

Hingis, Szavay reached second round in China >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and rising Hungarian Agnes Szavay were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $600,000 China Open. The fifth-seeded Swiss Hingis, who was rained out here on Mo

Hingis, Szavay reach second round in China >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and rising Hungarian Agnes Szavay were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $600,000 China Open. The fifth-seeded Swiss Hingis, who was rained out here on Mo

Braves, Marlins continue set in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes takes the ball for his eighth big-league start tonight when the Atlanta Braves host the Florida Marlins in game two of a three-game series at Turner Field. The Braves enter the game with fading

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.