D.C. United, Columbus clash again in league play

Soccer Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United interim coach Ben Olsen called Wednesday's loss to the Columbus Crew in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals "cruel," but now the struggling squad will try to bounce back in Major League Soccer on Saturday in a rematch against Columbus.

Columbus used an own goal from Marc Burch in the 89th minute to tie the match, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto added the winning penalty in extra time, as the Crew advanced to the Open Cup final to play Seattle Sounders FC.

United (4-15-3) had its streak of two straight finals appearances snapped, and now the club just has the remaining eight matches of an otherwise abysmal MLS season remaining.

"We'll keep pushing, somehow regroup," Olsen said Wednesday, "then start again on the weekend."

United would establish a record for the worst year in league history should it lose its final eight games, and that's not the only dubious mark the four-time champions are trying to avoid.

D.C. has also been shutout 14 times this season, which is also just one shy of the all-time MLS record. In addition, United needs to score 10 goals to avoid the lowest goal output in a single season.

United designated player Branko Boskovic missed the Open Cup semifinal to join Montenegro for Euro qualifying, and will also missed this weekend's match.

United has just one win in its last 10 MLS matches overall, a 2-0 win over the expansion Philadelphia Union on Aug. 22, and Burch expects a tough match this weekend against the Crew as the team looks for a much-needed spark.

"I think it's going to be a battle," Burch said.

Columbus (12-5-5) returns to RFK Stadium with a chance to overtake Los Angeles for the best overall record in the league. The Crew have finished with the top record the last two seasons, and are just two points behind the Galaxy.

The Crew also won the Supporters Shield, given to the team with the best mark in MLS, in 2004. With a fourth honor, Columbus would tie United for the league record.

Columbus veteran Frankie Hejduk knows the return trip to D.C. will be just as tough as the midweek match, and this time the Crew will be without Adam Moffet through yellow card accumulation.

"Coming to D.C. is never easy for us," Hejduk said. "[The Open Cup] was one of those games when we all came together and battled and some guys stepped up and had some big games."

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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