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One Final Dress Rehearsal

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ONE FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL   MLS Soccer Schedule MLSSoccer.com Features of the Week JERSEY WEEK IS HERE Clubs release new looks starting Saturday GO WATCH UNMÁS IN ENGLISH UniMás matches available in English for first time. GO ROLLER COASTER OF EMOTIONS Montreal, DC look ahead to CCL 2nd legs GO YOU BE THE BOSS Kick back and set up your Fantasy team GO MLS on Instagram

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Kick Off: Rough night for D.C. United down in Costa Rica l Orlando, NYCFC post impressive numbers

News  |  Videos  |  Schedule & Stats  |  Clubs  |  Fantasy  |  Shop Kick Off: Rough night for D.C. United down in Costa Rica l Orlando, NYCFC post impressive numbers Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning: 1. UNITED EMBARRASSED IN COSTA RICA Of the two MLS teams remaining in the CONCACAF Champions League, many had high hopes for No. 1-seeded D.C. United. Unfortunately, a sluggish performance meant United were well and truly taken apart down in Costa Rica on Thursday night, losing 5-2 to Alajuelense (HIGHLIGHTS). 2. CROWD GROWING FOR IMPACT RETURN Thursday's CCL result means the Montreal Impact are the more favored of the two MLS teams to progress now. And following their considerably more impressive road performance, the club has sold an additional 3,000 tickets for the home leg of their quarterfinal clash vs. Pachuca, boosting the expected crowd at the Stade Olympique past 20,000. 3. BUILDING THEIR BASES In other ticket news, both expansion franchises continue to post impressive numbers. New York City FC have confirmed they now have passed 14,000 season tickets sold for their inaugural season. That same number serves as a cap for Orlando City, and the Lions have less than 1,000 season tickets to go before they hit that target. 4. JOYA HAS OPTIONS Could Benji Joya be set to join the Colorado Rapids? With the former US youth international out of contract with Santos Laguna, Joya is currently on trial with the MLS side. Should they choose to pass on the 21-year-old, who played for Chicago on loan in 2014 and spent time with the Seattle Sounders this preseason, he apparently has other offers, both in MLS and abroad. 5. FC DALLAS ARE READY TO GO With the new MLS season just one week away, FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja believes his roster is almost set. Pareja, whose team is being marked as a dark-horse title contender in some quarters, seems happy with how his players are progressing in every position. 6. EARTHQUAKES ADD A DEFENDER Although the San Jose Earthquakes cut two players on Wednesday they soon added another, signing Portuguese defender Paulo Renato on Thursday. General manager John Doyle labelled the new signing "an important part of the team this year." 7. DISKERUD KNOWS HIS CITY Although Mix Diskerud had never lived in the US before, his move to New York City FC doesn't put him on completely unfamiliar ground. The US international has long been making annual trips to the city. Diskerud officially has a new teammate now as well, after NYCFC signed SuperDraft selection Connor Brandt. 8. A NEW BEGINNING Following the arrival of Rais Mbolhi, the second half of 2014 didn't play out the way goalkeeper Zac MacMath would have liked with the Philadelphia Union. Now though, with MacMath on a year-long loan to the Colorado Rapids, the goalkeeper is looking forward to a fresh start. 9. PARKER PROVES POINT Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson suggested SuperDraft selection Tim Parker may be the most MLS-ready player he's seen in the draft and it looks like he wasn't wrong, as Parker has been one of the biggest revelations during the Whitecaps preseason camp. 10. ARE DIAMONDS REALLY FOREVER? Real Salt Lake have become famed for their midfield diamond formation, pioneered under Jason Kreis. But with significant personnel turnover this offseason and Kreis himself exploring different formations with New York City FC, could RSL be moving to a 4-3-3 formation? 11. S2 SIGNINGS Seattle Sounders 2 have officially signed their first players ahead of their inaugural USL season, with Amadou Sanyang and Duncan McCormick the first two to join the roster. However, a third signing could soon be on the way and the team may have already found a goalkeeper. 12. DYNAMO CHARGE THE BATTERY While the Houston Dynamo continue to explore their own options for a USL franchise, this season they've partnered up with the Charleston Battery. How did that relationship come about and what do the Dynamo hope to get from it? 13. SUPPORT FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER The San Antonio Scorpions refuse to be ruled out of the MLS expansion race and the second-division team has received backing from an unusual source: the Mexican Soccer Federation. The Scorpions have also just added former MLS midfielder and Honduran international Marvin Chavez to their roster. 14. MAKE IT A FANTASY WEEKEND You might want to use your downtime this weekend to get your MLS Fantasy team set. A stable of experts has been working to get you ready for the new season at Fantasy.MLSsoccer.com. For exampe, it's probably good for you to know whether it makes sense to use defenders from the same team. 15. THE BEST AROUND? Avaya Stadium, the newly-built home of the San Jose Earthquakes, is set for its soft opening on Saturday, when the Quakes take on the Galaxy. Is the new stadium the best in soccer venue in America? MLSsoccer.com Musts The Evolution of Gregg Berhalter: The Crew SC coach's pursuit of perfection WATCH: Kyle Beckerman talks about the future of US national team players in MLS FIFA will move 2021 Confederations Cup away from Qatar

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How This Danish Football Team Can Increase Your Betting Profits

Help on how to make money betting with the Secret Betting Club. View this email in your browser There were howls of derision when Brentford Chairman Matthew Benham introduced a new 'continental' structure with a head coach, director of football and reliance on performance statistics such as 'shots in the danger zone'.  But football luddites should take note – Benham is not someone to bet against. Firstly, there is the fact that he has already applied this structure at his Danish club FC Midtjylland, who are leading the Danish Superliga and on course for the first title in their history. Also, Matthew Benham isn't your average football chairman. He's also a professional gambler and founder of the highly successful SmartOdds betting syndicate. When asked by Midtjylland manager Rasmus Ankersen whether Brentford would get promoted from League One, his reply was typically devoid of emotion: "There is a 42.3% chance that we will go up". Imagine Harry Redknapp saying that with a straight face!     Four Ways Matthew Benham Can Improve Your Betting Profits Thinking in terms of probabilities has been one of the key factors behind Benham's successful betting career that has seen him earning millions in betting profits. Whether you are applying your own mathematical models like Benham or following a professional sports betting tipster, it's the ability to control your emotions and focus on the probabilities that is key to success. The great news is that you can think like this too, as we detail in our Betting X Factor Special. Here's an extract from this special edition, detailing four ways that thinking in probabilities like Matthew Benham can increase your profits:  1.  Detachment From Results The probabilities bettor understands he is neither right nor wrong on any one bet. His vision is long-term, any individual bet is irrelevant in the macro world in which he operates.   Thus even if we have a belief system that says being "wrong" is bad and that we must be "right" all the time. That belief will not play out if one of our bets loses because we weren't wrong to make the selection – it was consistent with our betting strategy, our money management rules were adhered to, we accept losses as a necessary function of winning, we have the long-term in mind and our edge is assured.   Ruth Barros Roosevelt wrote in her book Habitudes of Highly Successful Traders:   "Detachment from trading results is a subtle emotion. The attitude of a successful trader is not indifference, nor is it intense concern. The attitude of detachment is something like alert and interested unconcern"   We will still naturally be interested in our overall performance over time. We need to take an active interest in the feedback our results give us in the long-term. We need to be flexible to change approach if long-term results (i.e. the probabilities) dictate that it is necessary. These approaches are not at all inconsistent with being detached from day-to-day results. 2.  Neutral Expectations The probabilities bettor will have no expectation about a particular result.   Having unrealistic expectations, or having realistic long-term expectations but expecting them to play out in the short-term, is certain to bring disappointment and pain.  The unrealistic expectation creates a vision in our mind of what the future will hold. We feel sure it will happen, we've imagined the feeling of joy we will experience when it does happen, and we've already tasted it in our mind. We are expecting the winner of the 2:30 at Ascot to be Shergar ridden by Lord Lucan. When it doesn't materialise the way we envisaged it in our minds we have an unfulfilled expectation. The degree to which we expected it, the joy we anticipated, will be the degree to which we feel the pain when it doesn't materialise. In short, the mind screams like a banshee about how wronged it was! 3. Seeing Drawdowns As Temporary With the confidence of knowing we have a genuine edge and keeping the long-term in mind, a drawdown does not have a negative influence upon us. We have not defined ourselves or our success by one bet or even one day's betting results. We and our betting results are part of a much bigger picture.   Thus a drawdown loses its influence to overly concern us. We do not become discouraged. We remain optimistic because we know that as sure as night follows day, so does an upturn follow a drawdown. 4. Discipline Thinking in probabilities allows us to have the mental discipline to follow our betting system and money management principles. The consistency we have in our mind is the rudder that keeps our betting ship on course, while the randomness of the betting markets might otherwise throw a lesser vessel off course. How To Think Like A Pro So these are four very real advantages to thinking like a pro, but how can you adapt your mindset?   Author Mark Douglas suggests that we adopt the following five constructs to improve our betting mind:   Always believe that anything can happen: Never bet your house on something because you believe something is guaranteed – Who would have thought that Bradford would beat Chelsea!   Understand that you don't need to know what is going to happen next in order to make money: You take a position on something uncertain like the result of football match, but you can't control the outcome.   Keep in mind that there is a random distribution between wins and losses for any given set of variables that define an edge. Even a coin flipped 10 times could come up heads every time!   Remember an edge is nothing more than an indication of a higher probability of one thing over another. Just because you backed a horse at 6/1 when it should be 4/1 doesn't mean it will win! It's still a 4/1 shot!   Finally, accept that every moment in betting is unique. You're never 'due a winner' and just because you nailed your football bets last weekend doesn't mean you do it again this weekend. Recent SBC Reports & Magazines (click each image for full version)     These five mental tips are just a sample of the many ways our Betting X Factor special edition can help improve your betting. If you want to learn more, sign up today to gain access instantly!   We can't promise you'll become a successful football club chairman, but it will help you win the battle of the betting mind.   Sign-up for a Secret Betting Club membership today.     Best Regards,  Peter  Secret Betting Club Editor www.secretbettingclub.com Copyright © 2015 Minerva Publishing LTD, All rights reserved. You have receiving these emails because you opted-in to receive communication from us at the Secret Betting Club. 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Kick Off: As preseason rolls on, can D.C. United raise the bar in CONCACAF Champions League?

News  |  Videos  |  Schedule & Stats  |  Clubs  |  Fantasy  |  Shop Kick Off: As preseason rolls on, can D.C. United raise the bar in CONCACAF Champions League? Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning: 1. UNITED READY FOR ACTION D.C. United play their first competitive game of 2015 on Thursday night, kicking off their two-leg quarterfinal in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League. United spent Wednesday getting used to the conditions in Costa Rica ahead of their first-leg clash against Alajuelense (8 pm ET, FOX Sports 2), but there are more than a few reasons beating Alajuelense is a tough task. In another quarterfinal on Wednesday, Club América took down Deportivo Saprissa 3-0. 2. PRESEASON POWERS ON Wednesday marked another busy day in the MLS preseason with action from the Carolina Challenge Cup, the IMG Suncoast Classic, the Desert Diamond Cup and the Simple Invitational. For full recaps (and highlights) of each game, click here. 3. DEPTH IN GOAL Ahead of that all-important CONCACAF Champions League clash, D.C. United have confirmed the signing of Travis Worra as the club's third-choice goalkeeper. Orlando City did likewise, bringing in Earl Edwards Jr. to serve behind Donovan Ricketts, Tally Hall and Josh Ford. 4. GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER The Chicago Fire and the club now known as the New York Red Bulls have shared coaches like Bob Bradley and Juan Carlos Osorio over the years, and new Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch has continued to build his own staff with some of that Chicago influence, adding former Fire great and US national teamer Chris Armas to a staff that already includes former Chicago boss Denis Hamlett. 5. THAT CITY FC CONNECTION New York City FC appear to have locked in their first loan from Manchester City, with 21-year-old defender Shay Facey reportedly agreeing to a six-month loan deal with NYCFC. A regular with England's youth national teams, Facey has trained throughout the preseason and started at center back in New York City FC's 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. 6. THE NIELSEN RATING As Sporting Kansas City signed third-round SuperDraft pick James Ansu Rogers, the club is also confident that new goalkeeper Luis Marín can be one of the best in the league; after all, he has the seal of approval from none other than Jimmy Nielsen. 7. STADIUM DEAL WITHDRAWN Real Salt Lake's USL side, the Real Monarchs, are looking for a new future home after RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen decided to withdraw his offer to build a stadium at the Utah State Fairpark due to stalled legislation that was supposed to develop the area around the stadium. Citing the timing and process involved, Hansen stated, "Not all good ideas come to fruition." 8. COLLIN'S JOB IS CLEAR After four seasons with Sporting Kansas City, Aurelien Collin found himself moving to Florida as part of Orlando City's inaugural MLS squad. Yet, while the color of the kit and players around him may change, the Frenchman's job remains exactly the same. 9. EARTHQUAKES' TOUGHEST TEST The San Jose Earthquakes won their fourth preseason game in a row on Wednesday before head coach Dominic Kinnear revealed that the club has waived Pablo Pintos and Kris Tyrpak. Yet as Kinnear continues to preach the value of unity to his new team, their toughest test yet will come against the LA Galaxy at Avaya Stadium's inaugural game this Saturday. 10. BWP FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE A 2-0 win over Toronto saw the New York Red Bulls advance to the final of the IMG Suncoast Classic on Wednesday and, while the offseason has seen plenty of changes for the Red Bulls, one player who isn't losing any sleep over the moves is MLS' reigning Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips. The team's current MVP insists that those doubting his team simply motivate him to succeed. 11. JEWSBURY'S JOB During the Portland Timbers 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire, Michael Nanchoff became the latest Timbers player to come down with an injury. However, the team's depth may be up to the challenge posed by injuries to Will Johnson and Ben Zemanski, as former starter Jack Jewsbury has an opportunity to re-establish himself in that position. 12. EL CAPITAN GOES BOOM Fans in Texas have plenty to get excited about this year, as not only are FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo looking ahead to promising seasons, but the conference reshuffle means the two sides will face off in the Texas Derby at least three times in 2015. 13. THREE TIMES A CHARM Looks like Edson Buddle could be heading back to the LA Galaxy for a third spell with the club after Bruce Arena confirmed he was looking to sign the striker following an impressive trial with the defending MLS Cup champions. 14. ROBINSON'S RIVALS While the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Stabaek 3-2 in the Simple Invitational on Wednesday, the tournament is pitting 'Caps head coach Carl Robinson against two men once favored to land his current job. And while the Whitecaps fine-tune their team, the roster for Whitecaps FC 2 is also starting to come together. 15. NO INTEREST FROM MEXICO Ventura Alvarado went the full 90 in Club América's CONCACAF Champions League win on Wednesday, and if Jurgen Klinsmann is serious about calling up the dual-national, then it looks like the path is clear, as Mexico manger Miguel Herrera has played down any interest in the defender. MLSsoccer.com Musts When Leo met Jesse: Stolz's amazing journey to MLS Juan Agudelo wanders, only to find a home back with the New England Revolution MLS Fantasy: How to build a bench -- go for broke or spread the love?

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