United ready for challenge against MLS All-Stars

Soccer Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United has not been very impressive in its two exhibitions against Major League Soccer opponents, but veteran Ryan Giggs believes the English club "will be up for the challenge" against the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday night.

United started its North American preseason tour with a 3-1 win over Scottish rival Celtic but only edged the expansion Philadelphia Union, 1-0, and lost to the Kansas City Wizards, 2-1.

The English giants battle an MLS All-Star squad likely void of a number of its top players, including Landon Donovan, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas at 8:30 p.m. (ET), but Giggs doesn't expect any less of a challenge.

"When you play for United, every game teams are motivated to beat you," Giggs said. "We have seen that in the first two games against American teams already and we don't expect anything different."

MLS All-Star coach Bruce Arena has major selection issues ahead of the match, as five MLS First XI players are likely going to be unavailable. Donovan and the rest of the Los Angeles Galaxy play a CONCACAF Champions League match one day before the All-Star game.

Donovan, MLS leading scorer Edson Buddle, Omar Gonzalez and Donovan Ricketts, who all play for Arena in L.A., will likely be unavailable if they participate against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Toronto FC captain Dwayne De Rosario, third in MLS with eight goals, may play in the CONCACAF tournament as well and is another player Arena may not be able to use who was selected to the First XI.

"It's difficult to say," All-Star assistant Dominic Kinnear said. "You can't put the players' health at risk. I know the fans voted the players in and the fans want to see them play, but as far as the time on the field they spend, it's a big decision for Bruce."

Arena will still have a solid team, regardless of whether those five play, but will suffer offensively without United States star Donovan and Buddle. Donovan is first in MLS with 11 assists and has teamed with Buddle to lead L.A. to the best record in the league.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is also without a few of his top guns, including star striker Wayne Rooney and center back Rio Ferdinand.

Ferguson has veterans Giggs and Paul Scholes available, among others, and will also likely debut offseason addition Javier Hernandez.

Hernandez was signed just before the World Cup and he had a strong performance for Mexico in South Africa with two goals. He just joined United on Monday but Ferguson hopes to be able to use his new player for the first time.

"We want to try to integrate him into the team as quickly as possible," said Ferguson.

MLS has a great record against English opponents in the All-Star game, beating Chelsea, Fulham and West Ham, before falling to Everton in penalty kicks after a draw last season.

"It will be a tough challenge," Giggs said.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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