De Rosario setting bar high for young MLS talent

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07/26/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a penchant for highlight-reel goals and one of the most unique goal celebrations in the game, it's quite easy to see why Dwayne De Rosario has become such a household name in Major League Soccer. The Canadian's transformation into one of the league's best players, however, did have some winding turns along the path that has been his career.

At 19, De Rosario began his professional career playing for the Toronto Lynx in the A-League where his strong performances made club teams overseas take notice. After seeing limited time with German outfit FSV Zwickau, a return to North America was in the cards, one that would prove fruitful to both De Rosario and the MLS.

The sleek-footed winger began his time in the MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 and made his mark in his very first season capturing MLS Cup MVP honors thanks to a game-winning goal in the MLS final. De Rosario blossomed in San Jose over the next few seasons, despite missing a large part of the 2003 campaign with a torn ACL.

In 2004, a fully recovered De Rosario led the Earthquakes to a second MLS Cup victory along with winning the Goal of the Year Award. While his championship accolades are impressive to behold, perhaps his biggest impact has come outside club play.

With the MLS desperately hoping to broaden its appeal, the concept of the all- star game pitting the best the MLS has to offer against a first division club from one of the major leagues began to take shape. While English side Fulham was a competent opponent in 2005, the true opportunity for MLS players to send a message on the world stage came in 2006.

Toyota Park in Chicago hosted the match-up between English League Champion Chelsea and the best the MLS had to offer. The game was fiercely contested, with De Rosario coming through in the 70th minute with a blistering shot that would prove the difference in the 1-0 encounter. The result was stunning and sent shockwaves throughout the soccer world - but for De Rosario, it was just another notch on the belt of one of the great clutch performers in MLS history.

De Rosario would prove the difference in the 2008 version as well, scoring the winning goal against English opponents West Ham United at BMO Field in Toronto. Coincidentally, the Dynamo star was shipped off to his hometown team, the Toronto FC later on that year.

The impact that De Rosario has had on the sport in Canada cannot be overlooked. His performances for both the Canadian National team and Toronto FC have been remarkable, with his flamboyance often coming to the forefront. With the ability to shoot accurately from long range along with above average technical ability, the Canadian star has become both the face of soccer in his country and the FC.

While his achievements at the national team level with Canada are scarce, the ability of De Rosario has never been questioned and he along with fellow Toronto FC member Julian De Guzman are usually the lone bright spots on a team that lacks cohesion and top-level talent at several positions. With the 2000 Gold Cup triumph being Canada's last major tournament win internationally, De Rosario is unlikely to win any such accolades with the current crop of Canadian team members, and will thus go his entire career without leading any team accomplishments at the international level.

However, the three-time Canadian player of the year has set the bar high both for incoming MLS players and those in the youth ranks trying to live up to his standards. At age 32, he has very little left to achieve at the club level but in a city starved for a winning franchise, the possibility of De Rosario leading the Toronto FC to a MLS championship would be a fitting end to a career already full of highlights.

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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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