"Disappointed" North Korea ready for Nigeria

Soccer Betting Lines

09/13/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Korea, a bit of a mystery entering the World Cup, has stepped into the spotlight following its surprising tie against the United States.

But the players for North Korea, which is ranked fifth in the world, were not satisfied following the 2-2 draw against the favored Americans on Tuesday.

"I believe we should have beaten the Americans judging by the way we played. We were a little bit disappointed that we could not start the tournament with three points," North Korea captain Ri Kum Suk told FIFA's website.

Although North Korea played extremely well in the draw, it scored both of its goals when the United States was playing with 10 players because of an injury to star forward Abby Wambach.

For North Korea to erase any doubt about its status as a contender following the solid effort against the top-ranked team in the world, it needs to post a victory against Nigeria on Friday in the teams second game in Group B.

"We must reach the second round, and with two games to go we have a very good chance. The first thing we need to do is beat Nigeria," Ri said.

North Korea, which won the Under-20 World Cup last year, featured a mixture of its trademark short, crisp passing and long shots to continuously pressure the United States from all over the field.

The team was bit lucky to score its first goal when Son Hui Kil's long blast went through the hands of U.S. goalie Hope Solo during a rainy opener. But the goal was also a result of the team's willingness to challenge the keeper from well outside the box.

Solo was forced to make a number of diving saves on long shots, including one in the final seconds that preserved the draw.

"If we can't walk the ball into the net, then we have to find another way to put it in," Ri said.

In a group featuring the United States, Sweden and North Korea, Nigeria was supposed to be the outsider.

But the African champions stunned Sweden on Tuesday with a 1-1 tie thanks to a late equalizer from 2006 FIFA Player of the Year nominee and reigning African Woman Footballer of the Year Cynthia Uwak.

"Sure, they are good, probably better than four years ago," Ri said, "But I know we can win."

Sweden probably thought the same thing. The Swedes, ranked third in the world and runners-up at the 2003 Cup, took the lead on Victoria Svensson's goal in the 50th minute and looked comfortable as the final whistle approached.

But Nigeria didn't quit and although it wasn't able to create a ton of shots, it found the only goal it needed in the 82nd minute when Uwak scored. It was just the fourth time in 14 Cup games Nigeria has earned at least one point.

So like North Korea, Nigeria gained a lot of confidence from its opener. That just makes Friday's game all the more intriguing, although once again Nigeria is the underdog.

"This is a great starting point, but now we want to improve with each match," Nigeria coach Effiom Ntiero told FIFA's website. "You have to get better all the time to win a tournament like this and that is what we will try to do."

Sporsillustrated Soccer Betting News

<< Embarrassed Argentina moves on against Japan
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina will try to pick up the pieces from an 11-0 loss to Germany on Monday and move forward in search of points against Japan on Friday. The Japanese were fortunate to come away with a draw

<< United States, Sweden a "championship" match
Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. coach Greg Ryan didn't hesitate to say Friday's game against Sweden is like a "championship" match. After starting the tournament with a 2-2 draw against North Korea on Tuesday, the top-ranked United

<< Ross and Harang help Reds to sweep of slumping Cards
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ross hit a two-run home run and Aaron Harang pitched seven strong innings as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three- game sweep of the struggling St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-4 victory at Great America

<< Predators name Arnott team captain
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators named center Jason Arnott as the new team captain. Arnott, 32, is the fourth captain in Nashville history. Tom Fitzgerald, Greg Johnson and Scott Walker were the other players to

<< Oden could miss season after knee surgery
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden could miss the entire 2007-08 season after undergoing right knee surgery on Thursday. An exploratory arthroscopic procedure revealed cartilage damage, and a m

Ryan resigns as Twins GM >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan announced his resignation at a Thursday afternoon press conference. Ryan, who will be succeeded by assistant Bill Smith, will stay with the club as s

Cowboys WR Glenn not ready for season >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terry Glenn had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee for the second time in six weeks on Thursday. Glenn suffered cartilage damage to his knee last week when he tried to r

Germany faces tougher test against England >>
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany flexed its muscle in the opening match of the Women's World Cup on Monday, setting records for most goals scored and largest margin of victory as the defending champions handed Argenti

Pacers suspend F Williams >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers suspended Shawne Williams for three games on Thursday following his arrest on Tuesday morning. He is to serve the suspension during the Pacers' opening games of the regular seaso

Blue Jackets suspend C Svitov >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets suspended center Alexander Svitov for failing to report to training camp. The 24-year-old Svitov inked a deal with the Russian Super League in August for the 2007-08 season aft

MySportsbook.com is a must-have for the smart veteran sports investor who enjoys following the odds almost as much as betting them. Simply put, no one offers more betting options and offers them faster than MySportsbook. This football sportsbook is known for its ability to set the early market odds on events without having to worry about weak lines. Professional players are well aware that getting a crack at the early betting line is worth as much as, and sometimes more than, huge bonuses or reduced prices. MySportsbook's fearless, yet smart bookmaking style is what keeps everyone watching, including most other sportsbooks.

This is also a great choice for those who just want to have a worry free, fun experience. The ownership’s motto is “Sweat the game, not the payout”. These are not just decorative words used to fill space on the homepage. MySportsbook aims to give their customers the fastest withdrawals in the industry. Payouts are processed within 24 hours by an online sportsbook that carries our A+ financial rating.

Those who enjoy proposition and future wagers consider MySportsbook.com a top choice. Smaller players who seek large bonuses would do better at their sister book, Sportsbooks.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.

Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.