08/21/2008 - Guatemala City, Guatemala (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Bocanegra scored in the 68th minute to help the United States down Guatemala, 1-0 at Mateo Flores on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier.
The USA is now 5-0-4 against Guatemala all-time in World Cup qualifying, although Wednesday's win marks the first time that the Americans have won a game in Guatemala.
A slow first half gave way to an eventful second half that saw one player from each team sent off, while Guatemala produced some threatening chances that very easily could have earned them a draw.
Neither side was able to generate a lot of offense in the opening half, with Guatemala first testing American goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 37th minute. Jose Manuel Contreras found room near the top of the box and took a pass before driving a low shot towards the bottom left corner. Howard reacted well and got down to turn the shot away, and the USA soon carved out a rare look at goal minutes later.
Brian Ching took a long ball down off his chest outside the box, and he turned quickly before firing a shot just over the crossbar.
Guatemala started to put some pressure on the USA defense early in the second half as the Americans gave away possession very easily in their own end.
Freddy Garcia played a dangerous low ball into the box for Contreras at the near post but Bocanegra was there to get a foot on the ball. Mario Rodriguez then got into the box on the right after a turnover and ripped a shot wide of the far post.
The home side was getting the better of the play, and they soon had a numerical advantage when Steve Cherundolo picked up his second yellow card in the 60th minute. However, Guatemala was reduced to 10 men three minutes later when Gustavo Cabrera received a straight red card for a flying elbow to the head of Eddie Lewis, who had to be taken off with a bad cut.
The Americans have been very successful from dead-ball situations under head coach Bob Bradley, and they created a good chance in the 68th minute when Landon Donovan's floated ball from midfield was redirected on goal by Oguchi Onyewu, which forced Guatemala keeper Ricardo Trigueno to tip the ball over the net.
The ensuing corner kick then produced the game's only goal as DaMarcus Beasley swung the ball into the box and Bocanegra was left wide open in front of goal for an easy header to put his team ahead.
Guatemala pushed men forward in the final 10 minutes in search of an equalizer, but Howard and the rest of the American defenders did well to preserve the win by holding them off.
The next qualifier for the United States will come on September 6, when the team makes its first visit to Cuba since 1947.
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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