09/05/2008 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud didn't waste time reflecting on last week's 2-1 loss to San Jose, instead looking ahead to Sunday's game at two-time defending Major League Soccer champion Houston.
"We want to get to next weekend as soon as possible and try and get a result." Arnaud said after the disappointing loss.
Only now, struggling K.C. has to battle surging Houston at Robertson Stadium to break out of its funk.
The Wizards, tied for last in the Eastern Conference entering the weekend, have just one win in their last seven, including three straight losses on the road.
The Dynamo, well, they are the hottest team in MLS with five victories in their last six.
"We have eight games left still and there are 24 points out there to go and get, so we are by no means out of it," Arnaud said. "We are not going to quit."
Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo realizes a tough task awaits this weekend - even if Houston is without stars Brian Ching, Ricardo Clark, Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad because of international duty.
Still, it's important for K.C. to make some progress as it prepares for a push toward the playoffs with five of its last seven matches at home. Despite being level on points with Toronto at the bottom of the East, a playoff spot is still within reach.
"We go to Houston next weekend to play the defending champions and then we get to go home," Onalfo said. "Our destiny's in our hands. You win five games and you're in the playoffs. But we have to get points, there's no doubt about it, with eight games left."
K.C. (6-8-8), which is tied with TFC for the fewest goals scored in the Eastern Conference, traded for forwards Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson this week.
Onalfo said after getting Gomez that he will "help bolster our attack." Gomez scored two goals and had one assist in 17 matches - four starts - for Colorado and Thompson had three goals and an assist in 13 matches - four starts - for FC Dallas.
Houston has concerns on offense without Ching, who has a team-high nine goals, and De Rosario, who is second on the team with five goals. Clark is a key piece in midfield and Onstad is the starting goalie.
Houston enters the weekend with a five-point lead in the Western Conference and has scored 14 combined goals in its last five wins.
Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis believes the team can cope without its stars.
"This team is very deep, we have a great group of guys. Obviously we miss guys when they leave, but on the other hand we have proven we can put 11 guys on the field with a good mentality, and whoever steps in and is called on knows what their jobs is and what they need to do," Davis said.
With the mid-day match (3 p.m. ET) scheduled, something Davis is worried about is the heat in Texas.
"It's tough sometimes in Houston, two o'clock [central] in early September, but both teams have to play in it," Davis said.
"It's going to be one of those games where it's going to be tough to stay in it but our mentality is to get three points, and that's what we are going to do."
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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