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The United States women will play on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, for their third World Cup championship after the Americans beat France 3-1 in Wednesday’s first semifinal match. It’s the first time the USA, which won the World Cup in 1991 and 1999, has gotten back to the finals since that last title; the Americans had been bounced in the semis in the past two World Cups.

Abby Wambach, who scored the epic tying goal on a header in the 122nd minute of the quarterfinals against Brazil, again had the clutch score on Wednesday. She broke a 1-1 tie in the 79th minute with a header off of a Lauren Cheney corner kick. It was Wambach's third goal of the tournament and 12th of her career, tying fellow American Michelle Akers for third on the all-time World Cup scoring list. Alex Morgan added an insurance goal in the 82nd, the first for the World Cup rookie.

This was the first time the U.S. had ever faced France in the World Cup. The French were the better team for much of the match but Les Bleus eventually wore down over the final 20 minutes. Cheney opened the scoring in the 9th minute and France drew even 10 minutes into the second half. The French outshot the USA 25-11 and had six more corner kicks.

"France is a great team. I think there were moments when they were outplaying us, but this is about wanting it more," Wambach said.

The U.S. faces the winner of Japan-Sweden on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The Swedes beat the USA 2-1 earlier in this tournament. That was the only group stage loss for the Americans in their World Cup history.

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On paper, Sunday’s Women’s World Cup championship match in Frankfurt, Germany, between the United States and Japan might look like a mismatch, considering the Americans have never lost to their opponent. But this isn’t the same Japanese team that is 0-3 vs. the U.S. this year alone. The USA is a -115 favorite on Bodog’s soccer odds with Japan at +280.

The Japanese are used to being the underdogs. They weren’t expected to have much of a chance against host Germany, the two-time reigning World Cup champions, in the quarterfinals but won 1-0 in arguably the biggest upset in women’s soccer history. Then Japan was an underdog again vs. Sweden in the semifinals; that same Swedish team had beaten the U.S. 2-1 in group play, which is the Americans’ only group play loss in World Cup history. But the Japanese handled the Swedes 3-1. Japan is a small but quick team that is highly skilled technically. The star is 32-year-old Homare Sawa, who is appearing in her fifth and final World Cup. She is tied with Brazil’s Marta for the most goals in this tournament with four. This is the first World Cup final for Japan, which had only escaped group play once previously.

The Americans are the top-ranked team in the world but were behind Germany in terms of odds to win this tournament. Of course the USA had to escape Brazil in the quarterfinals in one of the great endings in U.S. sports history, and then Team USA beat a game French team 3-1 in the semifinals. Abby Wambach has become a household name in the States, as her header in the 122nd minute improbably tied the match vs. Brazil and then she headed in the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute vs. France. The U.S. is in its record-tying third World Cup final, having won it all in 1991 and 1999.

These two sides are very familiar with one another after playing in the Algarve Cup in March and a pair of friendlies in mid-May. The USA won all three meetings and has never lost to Japan in 25 all-time matches.

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Japan has won the Women's World Cup, stunning the United States 4-1 in a penalty shootout Sunday night after finishing in a 2-2 tie.

Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd and Tobin Heath all missed penalties for the Americans, who squandered dozens of chances throughout the game and blew a lead just six minutes from winning their third World Cup title.

The Americans had taken the lead in the 104th minute off a header by Abby Wambach. Alex Morgan, who scored the first American goal, came up with a blocked cross and sent it to Wambach, who was camped in front of the goal on the 6-yard line. Standing a head taller -- and then some -- from defenders on either side of her, she needed only to nod the ball into the net.

But Sawa flicked in corner kick -- earned after 36-year-old captain Christie Rampone raced to clear Yukari Kinga's chip over Hope Solo off the line.

Japan is the first Asian nation to win the World Cup.

They were fortunate to get this far, as the U.S. also scored a late goal in a previous game to continue in the tourney.

Too bad the fielder of America did not clear the pass, bobbling it leting a Japanese woman have a somewhat easy shot. Lack of concentration or miscommunication on the U. S.'s part.

And cool Japan won, can help rebuild the country's pride.

The US ladies had more depth and talent than Japan, but they squandered multiple shots on goal early. After they took the 1-0 lead, they were attempting to milk clock, and Japan took advantage. Japan was never destined to overwhelm, they played the smart game that gave them a shot at winning.

Change is in the wind as Toronto FC prepares to square off against FC Dallas this week in Major League Soccer betting action. Elsewhere the two top goal-scorers in the league will be in the spotlight at different venues on Wednesday night.

FC Dallas at Toronto FC (Wednesday, 8 pm)

Coming off a scoreless draw with DC United last week, FC Dallas (10-5-5) will be looking to close the gap on second-place Seattle in the Western Conference with a win over a revamped Toronto FC squad. Andy Iro will bolster the back line, while midfielders Leandre Griffit and Terry Dunfield along with forward Ryan Johnson have all recently joined Toronto (3-9-9). Brek Shea leads FC Dallas with eight goals in 19 games, and they are favored on the moneyline at +110 odds, with Toronto FC at +225 and draw odds also at +225.

New York at Colorado (Wednesday, 9:30 pm)

Thierry Henry will play on the grass field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as the Red Bulls visit Colorado to take on the defending champion Rapids. Henry is tied for the league lead in goals with nine in 16 games, with the Red Bulls (6-4-11) currently second in the Eastern Conference. Colorado (6-6-9) is fifth in the Western Conference, and coming off a 4-3 setback to Seattle last week. New York is at +175 to win the match with Colorado at +135 and draw odds at +225.

Columbus at Los Angeles (Wednesday, 10:30 pm)

Landon Donovan and the league-leading Galaxy host the Crew in Wednesday night’s late encounter at the Home Depot Center. Donovan has nine goals in just 13 games, including the first strike in last week’s 2-1 win over Chicago. Los Angeles (10-2-9) is a -140 favorite to defeat Columbus (7-5-7), which is at +350 to pull off the upset with draw odds at +250.

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The spirited U.S. national women’s team captured worldwide attention as the team made a run for the Women’s World Cup final. However, glory was not to be for them. The Americans lost to an energetic Japanese squad in a shootout after extra time. USA team defeated by Japan in World Cup final. Many people felt that the underdog Japanese team deserved the victory to lift spirits in Japan, after natural disasters ravaged the nation earlier this year. This is the first time an Asian nation has won the Women’s World Cup final. China came close in 1999, when the Chinese team lost by one point in a shootout with the United States team.

Major League Soccer stars Thierry Henry, David Beckham and Brek Shea will all be under the same spotlight as the MLS All-Stars prepare to challenge Manchester United in the highlight match of soccer betting action this week.

MLS All-Stars vs. Manchester United (Wednesday, 8:30 pm)

For the second year in a row the best available MLS talent will square off against the fabled Red Devils of the English Premier League. Manchester United – Beckham’s former team – waltzed to a 5-2 victory in last year’s exhibition, marking the first time under the current format that the MLS All-Stars were defeated by their international opposition in regulation time.

Henry leads the MLS with 11 goals and will feel right at home with the game scheduled for Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where he currently plays with Red Bull New York. Landon Donovan, Beckham’s teammate with the L.A. Galaxy, will miss the match with a calf injury.

Philadelphia at Colorado (Friday, 7:30 pm)

Unbeaten in five games and coming off an impressive 3-0 rout of New England last time out, the Philadelphia Union travel to Colorado to take on the Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Philadelphia leads the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-4-7 (W-L-T), while Colorado sits fifth in the Western Conference at 7-6-10 but has only lost twice at their home field in 12 matches so far this season. Colorado’s Sanna Nyassi was named MLS Player of the Week on Monday after scoring three goals in the Rapids’ 4-1 victory over Red Bull New York last Wednesday.

FC Dallas at Chivas USA (Sunday, 7:00 pm)

Western Conference rivals FC Dallas and Chivas USA will close the week with an important match at The Home Depot Center. FC Dallas is in second place at 11-5-6 and coming off a 2-2 tie with Red Bull on Saturday night.

Chivas USA (6-7-8) got three goals last time out from Justin Braun in knocking off Houston 3-0 on Saturday, extending their unbeaten streak to five games.

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U.S. national women’s team is making progress and i hope this title is for them.

Landon Donovan scored two goals as the league-leading Los Angeles Galaxy ran their current unbeaten streak to 14 games with a 4-0 rout of the Whitecaps in Vancouver on Saturday night. Donovan and his high-flying teammates will try to extend their impressive run in one of three intriguing matchups on Wednesday night as the soccer betting action at the Bodog Sportsbook continues to roll along this week in Major League Soccer.

Real Salt Lake at Sporting Kansas City (Wednesday, 8:30 pm)

Real Salt Lake (9-4-6) is coming off a 2-0 loss to Columbus on Saturday which snapped their seven-game unbeaten streak during which they outscored their opposition 14-6.

Sporting Kansas City (6-6-9) managed a 1-1 draw on Saturday at home to New England on a goal by Teal Bunbury in the 89th minute of play.

Philadelphia at Chicago (Wednesday, 9:00 pm)

Philadelphia (8-5-7) was defeated 2-1 by Colorado on Friday night and will be looking to close the gap on first-place Columbus in the Eastern Conference with a road victory.

Chicago (2-6-12) is buried in last place and coming off a 1-0 loss to Portland when they last took to the pitch in MLS action back on July 16. The Fire was also beaten 3-1 by Manchester United on July 23.

Los Angeles at Portland (Wednesday, 10:30 pm)

Donovan’s dual-strike performance on Saturday pulled him into a tie with Thierry Henry of Red Bull New York for the league lead in goal-scoring with 11 in just 15 games. The Galaxy (12-2-9) hasn’t lost since falling 2-1 to FC Dallas way back on May 1.

Portland (6-10-4) gave up two goals in the final 20 minutes and had to settle for a 2-2 tie against visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night.

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The playoff races in Major League Soccer are beginning to take shape as soccer betting action continues this week with seven games on the schedule for Saturday and a single key matchup in Houston on Sunday.

As each of the circuit’s 18 teams wind toward the regular-season total of 34 games – concluding on October 23 – we focus on several teams that are striving hard to make it into the postseason as well as a clash of titans Saturday in Dallas. The Top 3 teams in each Conference make the playoffs, with four wild cards available to the rest of the league.

Here’s a quick look at the Top 3 Games of the Week in MLS:

Seattle at Chivas USA (Saturday, 4:00 pm)

Seattle (11-5-8) is a seemingly comfortable third in the West, four points ahead of Colorado with a game in hand and coming off a 2-1 victory on the road over Sporting KC last Saturday.

Chivas USA (7-8-8) currently holds the fourth and final wild-card position, but four teams are currently within four points of them in the standings. Chivas USA defeated New England on the road 3-2 last weekend.

Philadelphia at FC Dallas (Saturday, 8:00 pm)

Philadelphia (8-5-9) is just a single point out of first place in the East, but was held to a 1-1 tie by visiting Houston last week.

FC Dallas (12-6-6) is second in the West and lost last week to the only team with a better record in the entire league, losing 3-1 to the Galaxy in Los Angeles.

Houston at Portland (Sunday, 9:00 pm)

Houston (6-7-10) is just a single point behind Chivas USA for the final wild-card berth, while Portland (7-10-5) is three points back and shocked the Galaxy by snapping their 14-game undefeated streak last Wednesday before drawing 1-1 at San Jose on Saturday.

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A highly anticipated soccer friendly between superpowers England and the Netherlands that was scheduled for Wednesday at Wembley Stadium in London has been canceled due to rioting in the city. The decision to postpone was made after talks between the police and the FA on Tuesday morning, with rioting in nearby Harlesden and Brent Cross. They all agreed that they do not have the resources to deal with a massive Wembley crowd, which was expected to top 70,000.

"We were unable to host the fixture or guarantee the safety of the fans," Football Association chairman David Bernstein said. We have received clear advice that due to the sporadic and widespread nature of the unrest there are significant concerns in relation to the available emergency service resource to safely police the fixture.”

Bernstein added that the organization would seek to reschedule the match against the Dutch sometime next year; the Dutch were informed of the postponement before they left their country. And that wasn’t the only match called off. Carling Cup matches at Charlton, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Bristol City have been postponed. And Ghana's friendly with Nigeria in England has also been called off.

In London, groups of young people rampaged for a third straight night Monday, setting buildings, vehicles and garbage dumps alight, looting stores and pelting police officers with bottles and fireworks. Violence first broke out late Saturday in Tottenham in north London, where outraged protesters demonstrated against the fatal police shooting of man who was gunned down in disputed circumstances on Thursday.

Reportedly the Premier League had talks with the police over this weekend's matches involving London clubs but believe it is too early for a decision to be taken.

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The storied footballers of Manchester United got their 2011 English Premier League season off to a rousing start last weekend by knocking off West Bromwich 2-1 on an early strike by Wayne Rooney and a late game-winner from the foot of Ashley Young that caromed home just 10 minutes from time.

It was a generally inauspicious beginning to the EPL soccer betting season for the defending league champions, but they still managed to solidify their three points and will look for better play on Monday (3 pm Eastern) when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford.

Tottenham, who opened the season at 50/1 odds on the futures market at Bodog Sportsbook to win the league championship, will be making its 2011 EPL season debut on Monday afternoon after a fifth-place finish in the table last season.

Manchester United is heavily favoured to register their second victory of the young season at -165 odds, while Tottenham is a lucrative +450 underdog to pull off the road upset with draw odds listed at +275.

Nemanja Vidic left the Red Devils’ lineup in the 51st minute with a troublesome calf injury, while Rio Ferdinand also departed the pitch in the 75th minute with an apparent injury to his hamstring.

Striker Dimitar Berbatov, who shared the Barclays Golden Boot award as the EPL’s top scorer last season with 20 goals, was substituted into the game in place of Danny Welbeck in the 64th minute.

In their past ten matches head to head Tottenham has managed to register three draws, with Manchester United earning the victory seven times while outscoring Hotspur by an aggregate total of 22-6.

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Bayern thrashed on Saturday at home to Kaiserslautern (0-3) with three goals from Mario Gomez, which temporarily takes the lead, waiting for what you do on

Bayern controlled the match from the start and already in the first ten minutes had three clear chances to score, the clearest of them at the feet of Captain Philipp Lahm after a wall with Thomas Müller.

The first goal of the Bavarians did not however until the 37th minute when Muller was brought down inside the area. Gomez took charge and did not fail.

Then, putting his stamp Bayern went to the party, despite a good chance that had the Kaiserslautern goal after a slip of Manuel Neuer trying to clear a ball that carried no risk.

In 54, another brought criminal charges against Muller's second goal. This time, Gomez failed to collect but collected the rebound and scored from close range. The coup de grace came at 69 when he won the race Müller background on the left and launched the killer pass to Gomez defined from six yards.

The most dramatic match on Saturday resulted in a victory over the Cologne home of Hamburg (3-4) in a duel in which both teams struggled out of the basement of the standings.

Hamburg went ahead with a penalty set by the Croatian Mladen Petric in 11 minutes. Ten minutes later, Chihi won the tie with both teams went into the break.

The colony began with Lukas Podolski on the bench due to a flu, but the player went for the second time, and his first ball contact, Novakovic made the center to achieve the goal of the advantage of Cologne.

Hamburg fought back and won the tie through Rajkovic and then the goal of benefit are marked by a Korean who scored with a left-footed shot to the far post after shedding a Dodge Andrezinho within the area.

As the game entered the final straight, the colony managed to turn it back on goals by Clemens in the 85th minute and Kevin Mc Kenna 88.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, managed a win at home to Hoffenheim (1-2) coming back from, with goals from Marco and Markus Rosenbeger Arnautovic, a bit of Roberto Firmino.

Freiburg Wolfsburg swept with a resounding 3-0 while the Nuremberg won by the slightest difference to Augsburg.

Results for the fourth date:

. Friday:

Hertha 1 Stuttgart 0

. Saturday:

Kaiserslautern 0 Bayern 3

Cologne Hamburg 3 4

Freiburg 3 Wolfsburg 4

Werder Bremen Hoffenheim 1 2

Augsburg Nuremberg 1 0

Bayer Leverkusen-Borussia Dortmund

. Sunday:

Hannover 96-Mainz 05

Schalke, Borussia Mönchengladbach.

- Classification PJ PG PE PP GF GC PTS

1. Bayern 4 3 0 1 9 1 9

2. Werder Bremen 4 3 0 1 9 5 9

3. Bor. Monchengladbach 3 2 1 0 6 2 7

4. Hannover 96 3 2 1 0 5 3 7

5. FC Schalke 04 3 2 0 1 9 6 6

6. Borussia Dortmund 3 2 0 1 5 2 6

7. FSV Mainz 05 3 2 0 1 6 5 6

8. 1899 Hoffenheim 4 2 0 2 5 4 6

9. Bayer Leverkusen 3 2 0 1 2 2 6

10. FC Nuremberg 4 2 0 2 3 4 6

11. Hertha BSC 4 1 2 1 4 4 5

12. VfB Stuttgart 4 1 1 2 4 3 4

13. SC Freiburg 4 1 1 2 9 9 4

14. Cologne 4 1 1 2 6 12 4

15. VfL Wolfsburg 4 1 0 3 4 8 3

16. FC Augsburg 4 0 2 2 3 6 2

17. FC Kaiserslautern 4 0 2 2 2 7 2

18. Hamburg 4 0 1 3 6 14 1

PROGRAM OF THE FIFTH DATE:

. Friday September 9: Augsburg-Bayer Leverkusen.

. Saturday September 10: Borussia Dortmund-Hertha BSC Bayern Freiburg, Mainz 05, Hoffenheim, Stuttgart-Hannover 96 Bor. Mönchengladbach-Kaiserslautern and Werder Bremen-Hamburg

. Sunday September 11: Cologne, Nuremberg and Wolfsburg-Schalke.

Betsson, the leading Swedish online gambling group, has taken a further step into the regulated English gaming market thanks to a new sponsorship deal signed with the top English Premier League football Club, Arsenal.

The Malta based Betsson entered into the deal with the Gunners for a total of three years.

Arsenal is considered one of the world's most successful football clubs, with 200,000 paid-up members and a fan base that spreads around the world. The team was founded in 1886 and has won 13 League titles and 10 FA Cups in its history. Arsenal is the third richest football club in the world and is worth around $1.2 billion.

Under the terms of the deal, Betsson's B2B division, Betsson Business Solutions, is now considered Arsenal's official betting partner, which entails providing in-stadia, as well as online betting services for fans. Betsson launched a new online brand, GunnersGaming, which debuted at the match between Arsenal and Liverpool on Saturday, August 20th.

The Managing Director of Betsson Business Solutions, David Bjork said about the new deal: "Betsson chose Arsenal Football Club not only because it is a huge international club with a very large fan base, but also because its tradition of innovation matches perfectly with the GunnersGaming by Betsson concept. Arsenal is one of the greatest football teams in the world and we're looking forward to enjoying a long and successful partnership together."

Betsson Equally Delighted with Sponsorship Deal

The head of global partnerships for Arsenal, Vinai Venkatesham said that the football club is delighted to be welcoming Betsson on board as an Official Partner of the Club and that it would be "an experienced and trusted brand who will be delivering this innovative new venture."

Venkatesham said that by designing a range of gaming products specifically for Arsenal fans, the team intends to offer its supporters a unique and valuable experience that will have no rival to its supporters.

Betsson is in good company among firms that have entered into sponsorship deals with Arsenal, including Carlsberg, Nike, Citroen and Thomas Cook.

Defending champion Barcelona will hit the pitch as heavy favorites on the soccer betting lines against underdog AC Milan on Tuesday, as the lengthy battle to eventually be crowned European soccer champions is renewed beginning this week.

Barcelona, listed at -425 odds to defeat AC Milan, received some bad news over the weekend when young Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez injured his hamstring in a Spanish La Liga fixture on Saturday night. Sanchez is expected to be sidelined for two months, just as the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League gets underway with eight games Tuesday and another eight matches on Wednesday.

AC Milan, a titan of Italy’s Serie A, will face the reigning Champions League winners as +900 underdogs. Barcelona enters the Group Stage as heavy 8/13 favorites on the soccer futures odds to repeat as champions, while AC Milan is currently a dark horse contender at 22/1.

Real Madrid, another La Liga powerhouse club, opens on Wednesday as -400 favorites to defeat Dinamo Zagreb, which is listed as +1000 underdogs. Real Madrid is a nine-time winner of this compelling tournament for European soccer supremacy, and currently ranks second behind Barcelona on the futures board at 5/1 to emerge as champions next May in Munich.

A quartet of high-profile English Premier League teams follow Barcelona and Real Madrid on the ladder, with Manchester United at 13/2 odds, Chelsea at 9/1, Manchester City at 10/1, and Arsenal at 20/1.

Chelsea (-250) also takes the field Tuesday as favorites to defeat Bayer Leverkusen (+700), while Manchester United (-110) opens Wednesday against underdog Benfica (+280). Manchester City (-310) will play its first match on Wednesday as favorites as well, taking on Napoli (+750).

All of this week’s Champions League games are scheduled to begin at 2:45 pm Eastern.

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I was just wondering if it would be wise to bring my new iPhone 4 to my away football game?

One of the most fierce rivalries in English soccer will be renewed on Saturday morning (7:45 am Eastern) as Liverpool plays host to Manchester United in Barclays Premier League soccer betting action at Anfield.

Liverpool is off to a solid start this season, with a record of four wins, one draw, and two losses for 13 points to sit fifth overall in the standings. The Reds are coming off an impressive 2-0 road victory over Everton two weeks ago in which Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez struck for goals in the second half to lift Liverpool to the win. Goalkeeper Tim Howard thwarted a penalty kick while chalking up the clean sheet in goal.

The Reds have also posted EPL victories over Arsenal, Bolton, and Wolverhampton this season and earned a season-opening draw with Sunderland. They have been defeated by Stoke City and Tottenham.

Manchester United has been the class of the league so far, as the Red Devils sit atop the table with six wins and a draw in their seven fixtures. Striker Wayne Rooney, fresh off his dismissal while playing for England against Montenegro earlier this week in Euro 2012 Qualifying Group Stage action, leads the Premier League with nine goals.

The Red Devils have reeled off wins over West Bromwich, Tottenham, Arsenal, Bolton, Chelsea, and Norwich City, and were held to a draw by Stoke City.

Liverpool (39/20) is a slight underdog at home, despite registering a 3-1 defeat of visiting Manchester United in their most recent matchup back in March. Prior to that encounter, the Red Devils (27-20) toppled the Reds 3-2 last year in September.

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Are you from bodog? I wanna have tips tips! so that I know who to bet on EPl next week


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