Fire, Dynamo square off at Toyota Park

Soccer Betting Lines

04/23/2010 - Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire host the Houston Dynamo in a Major League Soccer interconference matchup on Saturday night.

The Fire (1-2-1) are coming off their first win of the season - 2-0 at D.C. United - and will be gunning for more of the same at Toyota Park this weekend.

The Fire debuted a new formation vs. D.C. - a 4-5-1 - and hope it's as successful this week as it was last weekend. They key will be the play outside attackers Justin Mapp and Patrick Nyarko, who did the job last week. Their possession on the wings led to chances inside for forwards Collins John and his eventual substitute, Brian McBride.

The Fire's success will also come down to their ability to defend set pieces against the Dynamo, who excel at them.

"We definitely need to do a better job marking on set pieces. We have to make sure that we stay tight with their players because they're a team that's good in the air," Fire technical director Frank Klopas told mlssoccer.com. "They look for set pieces, they're dangerous and we can't fall asleep in situations like that."

The Dynamo (2-1-1) are coming off a dominating 3-0 win over Chivas USA last weekend, and even though they will still be without forward Brian Ching because of a hamstring injury, pack plenty of punch, as they showed vs. the Goats.

"Guys were [ticked] off about [the April 10] loss [vs. Los Angeles], especially at home, and the team was fired up," Dynamo midfielder Geoff Cameron told his club's website. "We came off of a loss, and we all know we didn't play that great, but we rebounded this week, and we were fired up from the beginning."

Forward Cam Weaver is expected to miss Saturday's game for the Dynamo, while defensive midfielder Richard Mulrooney is doubtful, both with injuries.

"None of the injured guys will be joining us [in Chicago]," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear told his club's website. "Brian Ching's jogging. Cam Weaver's not improving, which is unfortunate. Richard, we're sticking to the timetable we set before - 2-4 weeks."

The Fire will be without forward Calen Carr, defender Steven Kinney and midfielder John Thorrington because of injuries, while defender Krzysztof Krol and midfielders Mapp, Julio Martinez, Logan Pause and Marco Pappa are questionable.

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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

Bet on NFL Football

Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

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To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.