Fire torch Toronto in Blanco's debut

Soccer Betting Lines

07/29/2007 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cuauhtemoc Blanco era with the Chicago Fire got off to a perfect start Sunday.

Blanco, a Mexican icon, had an assist in his Major League Soccer debut as the Fire snapped a six-game winless streak and won for just the second time in 13 games with an impressive 3-0 victory at Toronto FC.

Ivan Guerrero scored his first goal in more than two years, Calen Carr had a goal and an assist and substitute Floyd Franks also scored as Chicago earned Juan Carlos Osorio his first win as head coach.

"We played well in both ends of the field," Osorio said. "Toronto is a tough place to play. I'm very happy with the performance."

Chicago (5-8-4) pulled even with Toronto FC (5-9-4) in the Eastern Conference with one game in hand and both teams are just 11 points behind first-place New England.

"We are very close to everyone (in the standings)," Guerrero said. "We have to get better, we have to do it game to game."

Chicago took control of the match early, notching its first shot on goal just two minutes in and getting its first good scoring chance just four minutes in on a shot from Chad Barrett.

Barrett had another scoring chance denied by Toronto goalie David Monsalve in the 11th minute when his header was pushed over the bar.

Toronto FC had its best chance of the first half in the 17th minute when Danny Dichio put a header toward the upper right corner of the goal, forcing Chicago goalie Matt Pickens to make one of his three saves.

Chicago finally broke through in the 37th minute when Guerrero scored off a perfect assist from Blanco. The Mexican international made an accurate pass down the left side to a streaking Guerrero. The defender touched the ball two times as he moved into the box, then buried a shot inside the near post.

Guerrero, who hadn't scored in the regular season since June 29, 2005, smiled when told about his long scoring drought.

"We are very happy," he added. "It's a very important (win)."

The Fire nearly extended their lead late in the half when Barrett settled a pass in the box, turned and launched a shot into the upper left corner. But referee Jair Marrufo gave Barrett a yellow card for playing the ball with his hand - which Barrett argued - to erase the great finish.

Chicago still took a 1-0 edge into half, which was a good sign for the club. The Fire were 4-0-1 when leading at half this season while Toronto was 0-5-3.

The season-long trend held for both teams, but Chicago didn't sit on the one- goal cushion. The Fire added two more goals to score three goals in a game for just the second time this season. The last time Chicago scored three goals was also the last time it won - on June 3 against Columbus.

Carr put Chicago up 2-0 in the 58th minute with his second goal of the year. After the Fire controlled the ball in Toronto's end, a loose ball settled at Carr's feet just inside the box. He took a shot toward the left side of the net that deflected off a defender and into the right corner.

Toronto nearly got back into the game in the 64th minute when Todd Dunivant lofted a shot over Pickens, but Fire defender Dasan Robinson headed the ball off the line.

Carr continued to frustrate Toronto FC, getting another solid scoring chance midway through the second half. He took a short pass from Franks at the top of the box and had a hard shot deflect off Monsalve, the crossbar and the post.

Chicago finally put Toronto away in the 75th minute when Carr picked up his first assist of the year on the first goal this year for Franks. Carr had the ball on the right side of the box and crossed it in front of the goal where Franks just had to tap it inside the left post.

The Fire nearly added a fourth goal in the 82nd minute, but back-to-back shots were denied by Monsalve and a defender. Toronto followed with a counter attack that resulted in a shot from Joey Melo, but Pickens made the save to preserve his fifth shutout of the season.

"I think all the hard work paid off. We've had 12 (training) sessions since I've been around and we've demanded more of each player," said Osorio, who lost his MLS debut on July 12. "Our defense was excellent ... Offensively, we capitalized on our chances and could have scored more goals."

Monsalve, 18, was making his debut for Toronto. The Canadian under-20 national team player became the youngest goalie to start a game in league history. With Greg Sutton likely done for the year due to a concussion, Toronto is searching for a full-time goalie.

Toronto - which is winless in its last four games, has just one victory in its last seven and is 1-8-3 against the East - was without regular starters Jeff Cunningham, Ronnie O'Brien and Marvell Wynne. . Note: Guerrero had two goals in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2005 against D.C. United.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

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