Columbus ready to defend 'fortress' vs. Toronto

Soccer Betting Lines

03/26/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew have been the best regular- season club in MLS the last two seasons, and veteran defender Frankie Hejduk knows winning at Crew Stadium has been a major reason why.

Columbus has 20 wins at home the last two seasons - the most in MLS - and an overall record of 20-4-6 at home during that span.

The Crew tied for the most home wins in the league last season with nine, and won a league-high 11 matches at home in 2008 when it won the MLS Cup. Columbus finished with the best overall record in the league both years.

Columbus hosts Toronto FC on Saturday in both teams' season opener, and Hejduk believes getting off to a good start - especially at home - is very important.

"In the past it's been our fortress," Hejduk said on the MLS website, "and we want to start it off with a win here."

Crew coach Robert Warzycha opens his second season in charge, and faces former teammate Preki, who left Chivas USA and begins his first season with Toronto. The duo played together at Everton in England, and the relationship just adds more to the Eastern Conference rivalry.

"It's always a good game against them whether it's in Columbus or Toronto," Hejduk said. "They're a team with a new coach that has a lot to prove and we're trying to establish ourselves at home again."

Columbus is unbeaten in home openers since 2005, with two wins and three ties, and has never lost to Toronto in nine all-time meetings.

The Crew should be a step ahead of the other teams in MLS entering the season. Columbus played twice against Mexican club Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions League recently, losing 5-4 on aggregate.

Toronto is still adjusting to life under Preki, and his changes continued late this week when he sent Marvell Wynne to the Colorado Rapids for Nick LaBrocca in a swap of defenders.

Preki hopes to have his defense make the difference early, but with Wynne and another starter from a season ago, Adrian Serioux, traded in the preseason, it could be a tough start to the season as questions linger in numerous spots.

"I'm not really concerned about scoring goals. We have to be hard to play against and not give goals away," Preki said on the team's website. "I'm sure we will find people to score goals from throughout the team.

"We have to share the load all over the pitch and if we do that we will become successful."

Despite still having some concerns, Preki is excited to get the season started with his new club. He led Chivas to three straight playoff berths and had the league's second-best defense during that stretch.

"We are all very excited about this opening match and having the chance to start competing," Preki said. "The players have been working hard and this will continue to be a work in progress.

"Everyone is committed and we have quality. We shouldn't be afraid to play against anybody."

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

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