After Open Cup victory, Revs are gunning for double

Soccer Betting Lines

10/08/2007 - Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After the New England Revolution won the U.S. Open Cup title game at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas on Oct. 3, there had to be a sigh of relief coming from the team and its fans.

It was the Revs' fifth title game of any kind since 2001 - including three trips to the MLS Cup title match - and finally produced the first trophy for the franchise. Also, the site of the team's most recent league failures had been conquered. The past two seasons the Revs advanced to the MLS Cup title match, both played at Pizza Hut Park, and the past two seasons the Revs lost - once in overtime and once on penalty kicks.

"It was a great victory for us obviously," said forward Pat Noonan, who had a goal and two assists in the 3-2 win over FC Dallas. "We hadn't won a championship in the history of the organization. It was great to be part of that as a team. We fought hard and had a lot of great battles throughout the tournament and I thought we deserved to win it."

"We took this (U.S. Open Cup) tournament very serious this year," New England captain Steve Ralston said. "In previous years we didn't as much as this year. Anytime you can win a trophy and win a tournament, it's pretty special. You never know when you are going to get those opportunities. This is my 12th year in the league and its my first Open Cup championship, so it's pretty special."

Finally, a team that has been so close to a title so many times has something to show for its efforts. But while the Revs are savoring their Open Cup championship, it isn't the one they covet most. The current nucleus of players, one that has been together through the disappointment of past failures, has its sights set on the bigger prize - the MLS Cup.

"To be so close so many times and be on the short side of the stick so many times is frustrating because you feel like it wasn't meant to be, it will never happen," Revs defender Michael Parkhurst said. "These opportunities don't come very much in the sport. We want to take advantage of these championship runs when they come along. It was great to finally get someone like Steve Ralston get his first trophy, but as satisfying as the U.S. Open Cup championship was, everybody wants to win the MLS Cup. That is the bigger of the two trophies and we are going to be gunning for it."

Parkhurst joined the team as the ninth pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft and went on to win Rookie of the Year that season. He is the latest pivotal piece of the puzzle to be added after Ralston and leading scorer Taylor Twellman in 2002, and Noonan, Matt Reis and Shalrie Joseph in 2003, among others.

"We have the same core group who have been through it, through thick and thin," Ralston said. "We have been to three (MLS Cup) finals. We have gotten to the championship game as a first-place team and as pretty much a last-place team until the final week of the season, so we know what it takes. We have a lot of experience."

Through most of its run of bitter disappointments in title games, current head coach Steve Nicol has been in charge. He took over the duty on an interim basis in 2002 for Fernando Clavijo, and after going 13-12-3 and leading the team to the MLS Cup title game - which it lost in extra time - he earned MLS Coach of the Year and was promoted to full-time head coach.

"I think (Nicol) has done a great job of keeping together a solid group of guys who have a lot of character," Ralston said. "He continues to bring in the right pieces. When we do lose somebody, they are doing a great job of brining in young talent."

With the pieces in place and everyone relatively healthy as the regular season winds down, the Revs are again on the short list of teams that have a legitimate shot at capturing the elusive league championship. The team is hoping that its first trophy is enough to push it over the top and past the other MLS elite this season.

"We are hoping that we can build on this and say, 'Listen, we have the experience, we know what it takes to win now and now we have to get over the hump,'" Ralston said. "We have been so close and now we feel like we are too good of a team to not have won the MLS Cup. We have been there so many times. We want to get it this time."

With the playoffs starting on Oct. 25 and climaxing with the MLS Cup title match on Nov. 18 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., the Revs know there is a long way to go. But with the experience of past successes and failures, the team is confident it can join D.C. United (1996), the Chicago Fire (1998) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2005) as the only teams to hoist both the U.S. Open Cup and the MLS Cup in the same season.

"It takes a lot to make the playoffs and it takes even more to get all the way to the finals," Reis said. "Over the last couple years, we made it to the last game and unfortunately we didn't have that little bit of extra in the last game to pull it out...I think we definitely have the talent in this locker room to win an MLS championship. Unfortunately we haven't shown that in the past, but given a few more chances, I'm sure we could."

The Revs and their fans will breathe even easier if 2007 is the year.

Roultette Soccer Betting News

<< Yankees replace Clemens on playoff roster with Villone
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The possibility that Roger Clemens has made the final appearance of his Hall of Fame career became even more likely Monday, when the Yankees replaced him on their AL Division Series roster with lefty r

<< Nets' Robinson suffers torn MCL
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets announced that swingman Bernard Robinson suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee during a Saturday practice at Fairleigh Dickinson University. A medical e

<< Knicks C Curry has right-shoulder tear
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Knicks center Eddy Curry underwent an MRI Sunday night that confirmed a right labral tear (cartilage) caused by a subluxation. The MRI was performed at Palmetto Health Richland,

<< Calvillo, Als hold off Ticats
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Calvillo completed 20-of-32 passes for 288 yards with three touchdowns, as the Montreal Alouettes downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 27-19. Jarrett Payton rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries for the Alouet

<< Kolzig leads Caps past Islanders
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Olaf Kolzig stopped 30 shots, leading the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders in a Columbus Day matinee matchup. Viktor Kozlov and Brooks Laich scored for the Capitals, who won d

Senators down Devils to stay unbeaten >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and two assists as the Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-2, to remain unbeaten. Dany Heatley recorded a goal and an assist and Jason Spezza added

Broncos lose OL Nalen, TE Jackson for season >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos announced on Monday that both center Tom Nalen and tight end Nate Jackson have been lost for the season with injuries. Nalen tore his right biceps muscle during the fourth quarter of Sun

Dolphins QB Green has Grade 3 concussion >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron revealed Monday that quarterback Trent Green suffered a Grade 3 concussion during Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. Green was carted off the field in the first

Brewers' Capuano to see Dr. Andrews >>
Milwaukee (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee left-hander Chris Capuano is scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday for an examination of his right shoulder. An examination by Brewers team physician Dr.

Coyotes pick up D Meyer >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes picked up defenseman Freddy Meyer off waivers from the New York Islanders on Monday. Meyer was scratched for New York's first two regular-season games against Buffalo, and was p

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

About MySportsbook.com:


MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.