D.C., Dallas take mid-week confidence boost into weekend

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05/07/2010 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United and FC Dallas, the two last place teams in their respective conferences, square off in a Major League Soccer clash on Saturday night.

While both teams have gotten off to slow starts this season, both are also feeling good after earning mid-week victories.

United (1-5-0) got two goals from forward Danny Allsopp to top the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 at RFK Stadium on Wednesday.

"Obviously it feels great," United coach Curt Onalfo said of his team collecting its first win of the season. "It's just one win but it's certainly an important one. What we've dealt with over five weeks in terms of adversity has been very trying and I commend our group for not letting any negativity enter into our group and understanding along the way what it takes to win games in this league. It takes hard work, it takes sacrifice, it takes playing every play like it's the last. We had a very good, hard-fought, workmanlike effort for 90 minutes and it's really encouraging to get the victory."

United rookie Bill Hamid also stepped in goal and played very well in place of veteran Matt Pickens, who has been disappointing so far this season.

"I thought [Hamid] performed extremely well," Onalfo said. "He's 19-years-old and it's his first MLS game. I think he looked a little bit shaky on a couple of plays but that's normal but he's a gamer and that's the kind of performance he put in during preseason and that's the reason why he's our backup. I'm proud of his performance and I thought he had a really solid game."

Dallas (1-1-4) is also coming off its first win of the season after earning draws in four of its first five league fixtures to start the season. A 1-0 result at Houston while playing down a man is as good as it gets for Dallas faithful.

"I think the team is on the right track and I think it was a heck of an effort [at Houston on Wednesday]," FCD coach Schellas Hyndman told mlssoccer.com. "Maybe I'm a stubborn coach, but I look at that as the level of expectation. You expect your players to work hard, you expect your players to be physical and you expect your players to be courageous."

Ugo Ihemelu scored the game winner with a little over 10 minutes to play when he knocked home a Dax McCarty's free kick. The kick was headed by Brek Shea to Ihemelu, who headed it home from close range.

FC Dallas will be without defender Jair Benitez on Saturday because of the red card he received late in the game on Wednesday. Also out are defender Kyle Davies and midfielder Marvin Chavez with injury issues.

OUnited will be without defenders Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic and Bryan Namoff, and forward Chris Pontius, while defender Julius James is questionable and defenders Juan Manuel Pena, Barry Rice and Clyde Simms are probable, all with injuries.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

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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