RSL hopes to defend home turf vs. New England

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04/24/2009 - Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake will aim to keep their perfect 2-0-0 home record in tact when they host the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer action on Saturday night.

The home side is coming off an 0-2 loss at New York and hopes a return to its home stadium helps it rebound from a sound loss.

"We've got to figure out a way to get these guys to come out and play in the first like they do in the second half," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "For me, four games in a row, four bad first halves, four good second halves. If we figure out how to play 90 minutes, we'll be all right."

It seems RSL is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to playing at home vs. on the road, where it is 0-2-0. At Rio Tinto Stadium RSL has scored six goals while being held scoreless on the road.

"That's kind of carrying over from last year," RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando said. "We seem to come back at home when we were down, but on the road we seem to struggle."

Lucky for them, they are home this weekend.

The Revs (2-0-2) are one of just two MLS teams that are currently unbeaten, including a 1-0-2 road record. The team is coming off a 1-1 draw at Eastern rival D.C. United and will be looking to build on that effort even though it gave up a late goal to settle for a share of the points.

"It's always tough when you give up a goal in the last minute," New England coach Steve Nicol said. "It feels like a loss at the moment. But at the end of the day, 1-1 [in D.C.] is a good result."

One of the strengths of the Revs this season has been its defense despite the fact that it has had a number of injures to overcome in the backline.

"We defended quite well, we tied half of it because of their play, and half of it because of us not keeping the ball as well as we could have," said Nicol after the United match. "But we defended great - there were times where they should have scored."

The Revs will have to find a way to piece its backline together for at least another week, with defenders Chris Albright, Kevin Alston and Gabriel Badilla out with injuries. Also out are midfielder Mauricio Castro and forward Taylor Twellman, forward Kheli Dube is questionable, and midfielders Jeff Larentowicz and Steve Ralston, and goalkeeper Matt Reis are probable, all with injuries.

RSL will be without defender Ian Joy, while defenders Nat Borchers and Robbie Russell are probable with injuries.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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