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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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
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