U.S. women to play Norway, Sweden in Europe

Soccer Betting Lines

05/09/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States womens national team, ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, will travel to Europe for exhibition games against Norway and Sweden this summer.

The U.S., which is 12-0-1 this year, plays Norway on July 2 and Sweden on July 5. Norway is ranked fifth in the world and Sweden third.

The match in Sweden will mark the return of new U.S. coach Pia Sundhage to her native country and will be the first time she has faced Sweden as U.S. coach.

"Of course, it will be an interesting trip for me personally before and after the Sweden game, but during the match my focus is entirely on the U.S. team and how we can keep improving," said Sundhage, who played 146 times for Sweden, including two FIFA Womens World Cups and one Olympic Games.

The U.S. plays Canada on Saturday in Washington, D.C. The United States will be without goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart, who underwent an arthroscopic surgery Tuesday in Washington, D.C. on her right knee.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.