Houston signs academy player to developmental contract

Soccer Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo signed Dynamo Academy product Francisco Navas Cobo to a developmental contract, the Major League Soccer club announced on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old midfielder joins goalkeeper Tyler Deric as the second Dynamo Academy player in team history to be signed to a first-team contract.

"To have a successful Academy, you need talent and opportunity," Dynamo Director of Youth Development James Clarkson said. "In Francisco Navas Cobo, we have talent, and through [Houston Dynamo head coach] Dominic Kinnear's vision and support of the Dynamo Academy, we've been able to provide opportunity to Francisco and the other young men in our development system. This signing shows that the Dynamo Academy is working, and we look forward to the day when one of our Academy players makes his MLS debut."

Originally from Houston, Navas Cobo spent several years in Colombia before returning to his hometown in 2009. He immediately joined the Dynamo Academy, with Kinnear seeing him play several times last fall before inviting him on trial with the first team for the 2010 preseason.

Blackjack-online-blackjack Soccer Betting News

<< Big East Conference Tournament Recaps
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dominque Jones scored 20 points with nine rebounds as South Florida downed DePaul, 58-49, in first-round action at the Big East Tournament. Mike Mercer added 14 points and five boards for the Bulls (20-

<< Pats make it official with Wilfork, Neal
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots officially announced the signings of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and guard Stephen Neal on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a report from Bost

<< NASCAR suspends crew members for substance abuse violation
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Tuesday indefinitely suspended two crew members for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy. According to a news release, William Keith, a crew member of the No.38 Front Row

<< UL-Lafayette to look for new men's hoops coach
Lafayette, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Louisiana-Lafayette has decided not to retain men's basketball coach Robert Lee, whose contract expired at the conclusion of this season. Lee had spent the past 14 seasons with

<< Turf to Dirt Angle Works Best
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of Saturday's three-year-old Kentucky Derby preps were won by horses that raced on the turf in their previous start. One was favored at Aqueduct while the other was the sixth choice in the betting at S

Browns part ways with QB Anderson >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of quarterback Derek Anderson on Tuesday. The move comes less than 24 hours after the Browns traded for Seneca Wallace and seems to open the door for Brady Q

Nurnberg loses Breno for rest of season >>
Nurnberg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nurnberg has been rocked by confirmation that on-loan defender Breno will miss the remainder of the season. Breno was stretchered off during Sunday's 3-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and subsequent s

Broncos sign DE Green >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed free agent defensive end Jarvis Green on Tuesday. Green had spent each of his eight NFL seasons with the Patriots after New England made him a fourth-round pick in the

San Antonio Silver Starts (WNBA) >>
Signed forward Tasha Humphrey to a training camp contract.

Lions release QB Pierce >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions released quarterback Buck Pierce on Tuesday. The 28-year-old California native threw for 2,272 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 199-of-315 completions in 2009

FOOTBALL BETTING : Braylon Edwards Traded to the New York Jets

Sportsbook Betting

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, 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.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.