Canada aims to rebound against Ghana

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canada and Ghana are both coming off losses in their opening match, and a win is a must for either team if they are to hold out hope of advancing into the quarterfinals.

Canada took a 1-0 lead into halftime against Group C favorites Norway, but yielded a pair of second-half goals in the loss. Ghana was overmatched against Australia and suffered a 4-1 defeat, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

The Canada side that showed up in the first half was what many people expected to see. The North Americans worked their long-ball attack and applied constant pressure to a strong Norway defense. Striker Christine Sinclair displayed why she is such a dangerous weapon as she set up Canada's goal, and the team looked confident as they outplayed the favored Norwegians.

However, a different Canada team came out for the second half. They were passive and allowed Norway to dictate the pace of the game. Canada sat back and let Norway spend the majority of the half in the offensive third of the field, and despite the efforts of keeper Erin McLeod, they conceded two goals.

Against Ghana, Canada will have an easier time maintaining its attack and should be able to drop long balls over the top for Sinclair to run with. The star striker and team captain was a non-factor in the second half of the Norway game, and that needs to change in Canada is going to go anywhere in this competition.

McLeod proved that she is an asset between the posts, and although Canada's effort came up short, they proved that they can play with the world's top teams. Canada should be able to get past Ghana, which would set up a huge contest against Australia on the final day.

Ghana has never advanced past the group stage, and if Wednesday's game against Australia is any indication, that streak will not be broken this year. Ghana, which is the lowest ranked team in the tournament at 47th in the FIFA rankings, looked slow against Australia and they were never able to put together a consistent spell of play.

Team captain Adjoa Bayor failed to make any impact on the match at all, which severely hurt Ghana's chances of winning. Bayor is the playmaker that makes the Black Queens attack work, but without her creativity in the middle of the pitch, Ghana's offense sputtered.

The lone bright spot for Ghana came in the form of striker Anita Amankwa, who scored the team's goal and was able to get in behind the defense on a number of occasions.

However, Amankwa got little help, which is something she will need if Ghana is to have any chance at taking even a point from Canada.

Ghana's attack is nowhere near as potent as Norway's and they will have quite a struggle to crack the strong Canadian defense. Expect Sinclair to find the ball at her feet much more for Canada, and the Ghana defense to have a tough time stopping her.

A big result is what Canada needs to get back on track, and they certainly have the ability to do so against an outclassed Ghana side.

Wnorthernlight Soccer Betting News

<< Red Bulls look to cool Fire, improve playoff position
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York and the Chicago Fire square off for the third and final time this season in a Major League Soccer fixture Saturday at Toyota Park. The teams just played each other on Sept. 1 -

<< Rams CB Hill to miss Sunday's game against 49ers
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams head coach Scott Linehan announced that starting cornerback Tye Hill will miss Sunday's game against San Francisco after hurting his lower back in practice on Thursday. Hill, the 15t

<< Simpson named suspect in casino robbery
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Las Vegas police questioned former football star O.J. Simpson and declared him a suspect Friday in a hotel room armed robbery, involving sports memorabilia at The Palace Station Casino. The form

<< Woods fires 63; leads Tour Championship by three
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods used a stellar front nine Friday to grab the lead after two rounds of the Tour Championship. Woods completed his opening-round 64 earlier Friday, then came back with a vengeance in the second

<< Marlins activate Pinto
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins activated left-hander Renyel Pinto from the 15-day disabled list Friday. Pinto, who is 2-4 with a 4.10 ERA and one save in 49 relief appearances this season, has been on the DL since

Denmark's Group D climb must start with New Zealand >>
Wuhan, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After dropping its opener to China on a late goal, Denmark faces an uphill battle to advance out of Group D. Denmark is ranked sixth in the world - the highest in the group - but already trails China and

Norway, Australia to battle for Group C lead >>
Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top spot in Group C will be on the line on Saturday when Australia meets Norway in the second game for both teams. Norway earned a tough 2-1 comeback win against Canada, while Austral

Hosts China, Brazil look to lock up berth in quarters >>
Wuhan, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - China opened its World Cup with a dramatic win over Denmark and would all but lock up a spot in the quarterfinals with a win or a tie against Brazil on Saturday. China built a two-goal lead against Denmark i

United acquires Monteiro from Fire >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United announced Friday the club has acquired Jerson Monteiro from the Chicago Fire in exchange for a conditional 2008 MLS SuperDraft pick. Uniteds roster included an open developmental spot for the

Farfan could make season debut vs. Vitesse >>
Eindhoven, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time defending Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven could get a extra boost of energy on Saturday when it plays Vitesse at Philips Stadium. Jefferson Farfan, who has missed all season due

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.