The World Cup is now down to 31 teams after the Knockout Stage began on Sunday, with Canada edging South Africa 1-0. 

There are some compelling matchups and, fortunately, no more draws. 

When it comes to future odds,  France (+350) is the favorite right now with Argentina (+400) taking over as the second-favorite over Spain (+700), who has dropped to third, which ties them with England (+700). 

France was the best team in the Group Stage, playing outstanding soccer, since a shaky first half against Senegal. Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in each of France’s first two games and had a pair of assists in Game 3.

A team to watch is Japan, who finished second in the very tough group including the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia. They’ll have a very tough game on Monday against Brazil at 1pmET on Fox. 

When it comes to superstar players, Mbappe’s teammate Ousmane Dembele has had four goals so far, including three against Norway in Game 3. However, Norway’s 6-5 attacker Erling Haaland did not play in the third game after scoring four goals in the first two games. 

The player to watch for Brazil is Vincius Junior, who has scored four goals.

Team USA has been impressive thus far despite losing its last game to Turkey in Game 3 with nothing to play for. The key is the health of star Christian Pulisic, who played some in the Turkey game and was electric in the opener against Paraguay. 

However, the biggest star is 38-year-old Lionel Messi, who has six goals for Argentina and is -125 to win the Top Goalscorer prop. Haaland (+1800) might be the best pure goalscorer aside from Messi and Mbappe, but Norway isn’t expected to go far.

On Monday, there are three outstanding games starting with Brazil (-310)/Japan (+235) at 1pmET from Houston. Germany (-900/+550) faces Paraguay at 4:30pmET from Foxborough, while the Netherlands (-165/+125) will meet Morocco from Mexico at 9pmET.

Norway (-180/+145) plays the Ivory Coast on Tuesday at 1pmET from Arlington, while France (-1100/+600) meets Sweden from East Rutheford, N.J. at 5pmET. The day will end with Mexico (-170/+135) hosting Ecuador from Mexico City at 9pmET.

On Wednesday, England (-1100/+650) takes on DR Congo at 12pmET from Atlanta. Belgium (-175/+140) takes on Senegal at 4pmET from Seattle. The U.S. (-1000/+550) is in action at 8pmET against Bosnia-Herzegovina from Santa Clara. 

On Thursday, Spain (-1000/+550) faces Austria at 3pmET. Portugal (-260/+200) meets Croatia at 7pmET. Switzerland (-195/+150) faces Algeria at 11pmET from Vancouver. 

On Friday, Egypt takes on Australia from Arlington at 2pmET. Argentina will meet Cape Verde from Miami at 6pmET. It ends with Colombia taking on Ghana at 9:30pmET from Kansas City.

That will conclude the Round of 32, and Canada has made the Round of 16 and will play on Saturday, July 4 at 1 p.m. ET from Houston against the Round 32 3 Winner. 

(odds from DraftKings)

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 32 teams in the Knockout Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night 
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS, NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+
  _____________________________________________________________________

We’re a week away from the Fourth of July in America, but just days away from the Knockout Stage of the FIFA World Cup. There are two more group-stage matches on Friday and Saturday. There are also some big series in baseball, the NHL draft on Friday and another strong UFC card, this one from Azerbaijan on Saturday, June 27.

1)The World Cup continues with two more big days of action with six matches on Friday and six on Saturday to end the Group Stage. We’ll end on Sunday with South Africa taking on Canada at 3pmET on Fox to open up the Knockout stage. Canada is a -140 favorite and the total is 2.5. Some of the key matches this weekend including Norway (2-0) and France (2-0) on Friday at 3pmET. France is -185/3.5. Spain (-210/2.5) is back in action on Friday to face 0-2 Uruguay at 7pmET from Mexico.

On Saturday, Croatia (1-0-1) takes on Ghana (1-1) at 5pmET from Philadelphia. Croatia is a -130 favorite and the total is 2.5. Colombia (2-0) could give Portugal (1-1) all they can handle. Portugal is still a slight favorite here at -120. England, coming off a disappointing draw, face 0-0-2 Panama on Saturday at 5pmET from East Rutherford, N.J. 

2)In baseball, we have one of the top rivalries with Boston (33-46) taking on the NY Yankees (48-32) from Fenway Park. The Phillies (45-36) also travel to Queens to take on the disappointing NY Mets (34-47) in an NL East battle. An even bigger NL Central battle takes place with Milwaukee (49-29) hosting the Cubs (44-37) over the weekend.  The battle of the Beltway moves to Camden Yards with Baltimore (38-44) hosting Washington (41-41) with two roller-coaster teams meeting.

3)The UFC is back from Baku, Azerbaijan. The headliner features Rafael Fiziev vs. Manuel Torres (lightweight) on Paramount+ at 12pmET. Fiziev is -105, while Torres is -115 on the Money Line. (odds from DraftKings).

4)NHL Draft goes Friday. Gavin McKenna is -20o00 to go as the No. 1 pick to Toronto. The first round goes on Friday from Buffalo, starting at 7 pm on ESPN. On Saturday, the NHL Network will cover Rounds 2-7. Ivar Stenberg (-1000) is expected to go second to San Jose. After that, the odds shrink with Caleb Malhotra (-120) the slight fave to go third to Vancouver. After that, it gets a lot less predictable. There should also be several more big trades.

We’ve already had Brady Tkachuk to Florida as Ottawa gets two first-round picks. Chicago also added Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway from Buffalo for the 4th overall pick and D Louis Crevey. Washington made two big deals, adding Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis and Alex Tuch from Buffalo. 

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night 
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU, AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS, NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

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Yes, it’s the season that never ends. We go from the New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals last week to the NBA Draft a little over a week later, followed by Summer League action about a week later. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top winners and losers of the NBA Draft.

(odds from DraftKings)

Winners

1)Washington Wizards: A.J. Dybantsa at No. 1 wasn’t an easy decision with Darryn Peterson around, but he fits the team well. His upside and athleticism are off the charts. They also made an underrated move by trading their late 2nd-round picks to move up to 46 to take Felix Okpara from Tennessee. He’s a bit of a project on offense, but he can protect the rim and rebound. They have little depth up front, so this made sense.

2)Memphis Grizzlies: Good for the Griz to not only take Cam Boozer at No. 3 and he should fit well with Zach Edey, But they also added two second-rounders and flipped 3 of them for C Isaiah Stewart from Detroit. Karim Lopez is a slight reach at 21, though he can really shoot it. 

3)San Antonio Spurs:  The Spurs didn’t need a lot of help, but they needed some toughness. That could come with the addition of Tarris Reed in the first round from UConn. But to add to that, they also picked Jayden Quantaince from Kentucky at 20, but he’ll miss the season due to a second knee surgery. They are talented enough that they can afford to take a chance on a potentially great defensive big man.

Losers

1)Dallas Mavericks: Dallas reached for Morez Johnson  Jr. from Michigan at No. 9. Most felt that they’d take a Michigan player with Dusty May taking over but they really need to give Cooper Flagg some offensive help. 

2)LA Lakers:  Taking a thin shooting guard in Cam Carr makes even less sense now that the Lakers re-signed Austin Reaves. What they really needed was a small forward who could defend (3 and D). 

3)Milwaukee Bucks: They gave up on Giannis Antetokounmpo and had two late lottery picks. Brayden Burries and Nate Ament are not exciting picks, as one was not even a starter in college and the other was very disappointing as a freshman. 

Future Awards

Rookie of the Year

Cam Boozer +240/AJ Dybantsa +300, Darryn Peterson +330.

It’s interesting to see Boozer as the favorite, but Memphis has very little talent and might trade Ja Morant, who rarely plays now. Washington has Trae Young and Anthony Davis, so Dybantsa might be the third option.

MVP

Victor Wembanyama +200. He’s the favorite for a reason. He’ll likely spend most of the offseason lifting weights and working on a post-game. SGA is +350 to win his third straight MVP. An interesting longshot would be Giannis at +1200, now with Miami. He’s now playing with Bam Adebayo, which is an incredible post duo. 

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night 
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

______________________________________________________________________________

The first half of the Major League Baseball season is just about over. Players are getting ready to take a few days’ rest for the All-Star break, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at some surprises and updated odds in baseball in the first half.

Biggest surprises

1)Tampa Bay Rays (43-33, ML: $927). Even though they’ve lost three of their last 10 games, just to be second in the AL East is a major accomplishment with a limited payroll. WS Odds: +2200

2)Chicago White Sox (41-37, ML: $1082). This is a team that nobody expected to be in the playoff hunt, as their pitching staff has vastly outperformed expectations. WS Odds: +5500.

3)Milwaukee Brewers (48-29, ML: $805). Milwaukee is more than rookie ace Jacob Misirowski, but he’s as dominant a rookie pitcher as we’ve seen in a long time. Or at least since Paul Skenes. WS Odds: +1200.

4)Washington Nationals (41-39, ML: $1148). They don’t have the bullpen to go far, but the rebuild might finally be over. Having a young star like 6-6 James Wood, who has 20 homers already, doesn’t hurt. WS Odds: +35000.

5)St. Louis Cardinals (42-35, ML: $923). Jordan Walker (.290, .523 Slg, 18 HR, 58 RBI) leads a team that was 78-84 last season, but they never seem to rebuild. WS Odds: +15000.

Biggest disappointments

1)New York Mets (34-44, ML: $-1683). The Mets are usually in this category. Injuries are part of the problem, but they also let star 1B Pete Alonso go to Baltimore and replaced him with Jorge Polanco, who is hitting .179 and has missed most of the season due to injuries. WS Odds: +9000.

2)Baltimore Orioles (38-42, ML: $-484). The O’s are starting to come as of late, but few expected them to struggle this much, mainly due to the addition of Alonso. They could use another arm or two in the bullpen and rotation to make a playoff run.

3)Boston Red Sox (31-45, $-1654). Offense was expected to be offensive, and it lived down to expectations, ranking 29th in runs per game and in home runs. WS Odds: +15000.

4)Detroit Tigers (34-45, ML: $-1517). This has been a disastrous first half, and now the biggest question for Detroit is whether they trade superstar ace Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline.  They aslo expected more from Framber Valdez, who signed a 3-year, $115 million deal. WS Odds: +7000. 

5)San Francisco Giants (31-46, $-1105). The Giants are a mess and should be sellers at the trade deadline. They are stuck with a bad Rafael Devers contract, but they do have other tradeable commodities

(odds from DraftKings)

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night 
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

______________________________________________________________________________

The first round of the NBA offseason gets underway with the Draft, which goes tonight at 8pmET from Brooklyn, N.Y. The second round will be broadcast on Wednesday at 8pmET on ESPN and ABC.

There have been two big moves on Monday already. 1)Michigan coach Dusty May moved on to become head coach for the Dallas Mavericks. 2)Minnesota traded veteran forward Julius Randle and the 28th pick to Brooklyn for the No. 33 pick, while Chicago gets Nic Claxton from the Nets.

Later on Monday, we got the expected trade of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was either going to Boston or Miami, according to multiple media reports. The “Greek Freak” wound up in Miami and Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Kel’El Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Kasparas Jakucionis, along with three first-round picks. Miami also gets veteran forward Bobby Portis in the deal. 

Final Mock Draft: Odds to land with the exact pick.

 1)Washington Wizards, F A.J. Dybantsa, 6-9, 217, BYU. Odds: -700

2)Utah Jazz, SG/PG Darryn Peterson, 6-5, 200, Kansas. Odds: -250

3)Memphis Grizzlies,  PF Cam Boozer, 6-9, 250, Duke. Odds: -260

4)Chicago Bulls, PF Caleb Wilson, 6-9, 210, North Carolina. Odds: -750. 

5)LA Clippers, PG Mikel Brown Jr., 6-4, 190, Louisville. Odds: +240.

6)Brooklyn Nets, PG Darius Acuff Jr., 6-2, 185, Arkansas. Odds: +240.

7)Sacramento Kings, PG Keaton Wagler, 6-5, 188, Illinois. Odds: +400.

8)Atlanta Hawks, PG Kingston Flemings, 6-3, 183, Houston. Odds: +330.

9)Dallas Mavericks, C Aday Mara, 7-3, 260, Michigan. Odds: +425.

10)Milwaukee Bucks, PF/SF Nate Ament, 6-10, 11, Tennessee. Odds: +330.

11)Golden State Warriors, PF Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-9, 241.  Michigan. Odds: +275.

12)Oklahoma City Thunder, SG Brayden Burries, 6-4, 215, Arizona. Odds: +1600.

13)*Milwaukee (in the Giannis deal), SF Karim Lopez, 6-8, 221, Mexico. Odds: +1000.

14)Charlotte Hornets, PF/C Morez Johnson Jr, 6-9, 250, Michigan. Odds: +340.

15)Chicago Bulls, SG Cameron Carr, 6-5, 184, Baylor. Odds: +450.

16)Memphis Grizzlies, PG Christian Anderson, 6-1, 180, Texas Tech. Odds: +500.

17)Oklahoma City Thunder, SF Dailyn Swain, 6-7, 211, Texas. Odds: +500. 

18)Charlotte Hornets, PG Labaron Philon, 6-3, 175, Alabama. Odds: +900.

19)Toronto Raptors, PG Bennett Stirtz, Iowa, 6-3, 186. Odds: +400.

20)San Antonio Spurs, PF Koa Peat, Arizona, 6-7, 245. Odds: +900.

21)Detroit Pistons, C Chris Cenac Jr., Houston, 6-10, 240. Odds: +600.

22)Philadelphia 76ers, F Allen Graves, Santa Clara, 6-8, 226. Odds: +600.

23)Atlanta Hawks, C Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky, 6-9, 255. Odds: +600.

24)New York Knicks, PF Hannes Steinbach, Washington, 6-10, 248. Odds: n/a

25)Los Angeles Lakers, G Isaiah Evans, Duke, 6-5, 188. Odds: +700.

26)Denver Nuggets, C Tarris Reed Jr., UConn, 6-10, 264. 

27)Boston Celtics, F Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State, 6-8, 246. 

28)*Brooklyn Nets, F Ebuka, Okorie, Stanford, 6-1, 186.

29)Cleveland Cavaliers, G Meleek Thomas, Arkansas, 6-3, 190. 

30)Dallas Mavericks, F Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, 6-8, 245.

*-recent trade with Minnesota. 

(odds from DraftKings)

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night on Saturday, June 20, anchored by Kape vs. Horiguchi in Las Vegas. (hit top 2 fights with Luana Santos and Manel Kape for 9 units combined).
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

______________________________________________________________________________

The first round of the NBA Draft goes on Tuesday, June 23, from Brooklyn, N.Y. This year, the second round will be broadcast on Wednesday at 8pmET on ESPN and ABC.

As of Sunday night, AJ Dybantsa is a -425 favorite to be selected first by Washington, while Darryn Peterson is +300. Peterson could go to Utah (-130) with the second pick, as Cam Boozer (+180) is another possibility. This will go down as one of the best freshman classes ever.

Let’s take a look at the top five players by position in the NBA Draft, though the “wing” position is essentially the same as shooting guard/small forward. Also, there are many players who can play multiple positions. This is not a great draft for big men as Aday Mara from Michigan is most likely the highest center chosen and is +300 to go 8th.

Centers

1)Aday Mara, Michigan, 7-3, 260, junior. Exceptional size and a 3-point range. Very skilled for his size. Not very athletic.

2)Jayden Quantance, Kentucky, 6-9, 255, sophomore. Coming off a torn ACL at the end of his freshman season n at Arizona State. Has 7-5 wingspan, so he can play some center at 6-9.

3)Henri Veesaar, 6-11, 227, North Carolina, junior. Solid prospect who can stretch the floor. More than just a jump shooter but needs to get stronger. Defense is an issue.

4)Zuby Ejiofor, 6-8, 245, St. John’s, senior. Massive and undersized big with a 7-2 wingspan. Will be a strong rebounder right away.

5)Tarris Reed, 6-10, 265, UConn, senior. Big man with good size, with a 7-5 wingspan and a decent athlete. Not much of a shooter and struggles at the line.

Power Forwards

1)Cam Boozer, 6-8, 250, Duke, freshman. Very high IQ and powerful offensive player with a good wingspan at over 7-1. Can shoot the three, but will need to work on defense. 

2)Caleb Wilson, 6-9, 210, North Carolina, freshman. Freak athlete who broke both hands last season at different times. Good wingspan at 7-0 and near-40-inch vertical. Needs to work on his 3-point shot, but has an incredibly high ceiling.

3)Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan, 6-9, 241, senior. He’s nearly 24, so he’s one of the oldest players in the draft. Has a 7-3 wingspan, which helps hide some limited athleticism. Very smart player who is underrated defensively and can create for others. 

4)Karim Lopez, Mexico, 6-8, 222. One of the highest risers in the draft who just turned 19. Very rugged player who has a high upside. Not very athletic.

5)Hannes Steinbach, Washington, 6-10, 248, freshman. Another big man who loves to shoot. A native of Germany, who led college basketball with 11.8 rebounds per game. Good shooter, but limited athletically and a bit of a tweener.

Small forwards/wings

1)A.J. Dybantsa, BYU, 6-9, 217, freshman. Spectacular athlete with a 7-foot wingspan. Needs to work on the three-point shot and defense. Strong creator and can get to the basket with ease.

2)Nate Ament, Tennessee, 6-10, 210, freshman. Had a disappointing freshman season, making just 43% of his 2-point attempts and struggling as a finisher. Still has a high upside as he continues to fill out and can play multiple positions.

3)Dailyn Swain, 6-7, 211, Texas, junior. Swain is an all-around player who does many things well with a 6-10 wingspan. However, his lack of consistent perimeter shooting and high turnover rate likely place him late in the first round at best.

4)Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt, 6-6, 217, junior. Solid shooter who led the SEC in 3-point shooting at 45%. Average athlete and wingspan. Doesn’t do much else, but there’s always a place for a 3-point shooter.

5)Keyshan Hall, Auburn, 6-6, 227, senior. A very good iso player who shot about half his shots at the rim last year. Also shot 38% from 3-point range last season, but defense is a concern.

Shooting guards

1)Darryn Peterson, Kansas, 6-5, 200, freshman. Considers himself a point guard but hasn’t shown that ability in college, averaging just 1.6 assists. Exceptional creator, shooter, and just about everything else. Has a 6-10 wingspan and is a very good athlete. The problem has been durability and availability in college. 

2)Brayden Burries, Arizona, 6-4, 215, freshman. Powerful two-guard who is an outstanding athlete and strong defender. Good three-point shooter who made 39% of his 3-pointers last season.

3)Cameron Carr, Baylor, 6-5, 184, sophomore. Father Chris Carr played in the NBA. Very good athlete with an incredible 7-1 wingspan. Needs to add some size to his frame, but with so few talented shooting guards in this draft, he might be taken higher than expected.

4)Isaiah Evans, Duke, 6-6, 186, sophomore. Strong shooter who might still be growing. Needs to get stronger or will just become a one-dimensional shooter.

5)Meleek Thomas, Arkansas, 6-3, 190, freshman. Thomas blew up in the NCAA’s, averaging 19ppg. A strong shooter who is a very good athlete with a 6-7 wingspan to make up for a lack of height. Weak defense will put him in the second round.

Point guards

1)Darius Acuff Jr. Arkansas, 6-2, 185, freshman. The strongest position of the draft, even if Peterson is more of a two-guard. Acuff is a powerful shot creator with a 6.6.5 wingspan and a very good distributor. Not the greatest defender, but neither is Jalen Brunson.

2)Keaton Wagler, 6-5, 188, Illinois, freshman. An athletic combo guard who is very smart. Will need to improve his strength and finishing at the rim. Takes some questionable shots and is not a great athlete.

3)Kingston Flemings, Houston, 6-3, 183, freshman. Very fast athlete who takes care of the ball. Solid defender who learned from a great defensive coach in Kelvin Sampson. 

4)Mikel Brown, Louisville, 6-4, 190, freshman. Explosive scorer with a long reach (6-7.5) and good athlete (39.5 vert). Excellent left hand and should be able to get his shot off in the NBA with ease.

5)Christian Anderson, Texas Tech, 6-1, 180, sophomore. A polarizing prospect due to his lack of size. But he averaged over 18ppg and 7 assists in the Big 12. Has a 6-6 wingspan and over 40 inches of vertical. Will need to get stronger.

(odds from DraftKings)

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
•  Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night on Saturday, June 20, anchored by Kape vs. Horiguchi in Las Vegas. (hit top 2 fights with Luana Santos and Manel Kape for 9 units combined).
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

______________________________________________________________________________

Sports fans and bettors unite. We’re coming to another weekend, but this one is without football, basketball and the NHL for the first time in nearly a year. But we have World Cup action, U.S. Open Golf, UFC Fight Night, and baseball.

1)World Cup continues in the second round of the Group Stage. On Friday, the U.S. (-165) meets Australia to highlight that day in Group D with both teams at 1-0. On Saturday, the Netherlands (-130) takes on Sweden in Group F. On Sunday, Spain (-1000) tries to bounce back from a dreadful tie with Cape Verde, when they meet Saudi Arabia in Group H. In Group G, another intriguing matchup, considering all four teams have one point apiece, is Egypt (-165) vs. New Zealand.

2)UFC Fight Night: Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi on Saturday from the APEX at Las Vegas at 8pmET. The bout features two outstanding flyweights with Kape as the -155 favorite/Horiguchi +130

3)The U.S. Open Golf Tournament from Shinnecock, where Wyndham Clark leads at -6 after 16 holes due to darkness. He has a four-stroke lead over seven players at -2. Clark is now the favorite (+335), while the previous favorite, Scottie Scheffler (+1275) had a first-round score of 72 (+2), which ties him at 49th.

4)Baseball. It’s Father’s Day Weekend, and there are some surprisingly good series led by Washington (39-36) vs. Tampa Bay (41-30) from St. Petersburg. On Friday, Detroit (30-44) looks to get back on track against the White Sox (39-34), Tarik Skubal takes the mound on Friday, and the Tigers are -225. But the biggest series in the National League features Milwaukee (45-27) vs. Atlanta (46-27). On Friday, super hard-throwing Jacob Misiorowski takes the mound for the Brewers and they are a -168 favorite on the road tonight.

(odds from DraftKings)

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
• US Open Golf (June 18-21) and Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)
• UFC Fight Night on Saturday, June 20, anchored by Kape vs. Horiguchi in Las Vegas. *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
• UFC FIGHT NIGHT FIZIEV VS TORRES / BAKU AZERBAIJAN
  Saturday June 27th
  *Projected +25 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $5,000+
  
• UFC 329 MCGREGOR VS HOLLOWAY 2 / LAS VEGAS NV
  Saturday July 11th
  *Projected +30 units as $250 /u clients expected to win $7,500+ 

______________________________________________________________________________

The World Cup is still in its Group Stage, but we’re done with all the opening round games, which took six days.  Now it’s time to move on to Game 2 for each country. Let’s take a look at some storylines and odds in the World Cup after the opening round.

Biggest storylines?

1)Portugal tied the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-1. The Congo had never scored a goal in World Cup competition, but earned a historic point. Portugal is still +900 to win the World Cup, but is just -120 to win Group K, while Colombia is +130. Star Cristiano Ronaldo had 0 shots on target. That was his 23rd career World Cup game and the second time he recorded zero shots in a WC match in which he played 90 minutes.

2)So many ties. Brazil/Morocco, Netherlands/Japan, Belgium/Egypt, Iran/New Zealand, Saudi Arabia/Uruguay, Canada/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar/Switzerland, and the biggest surprise, Spain, and yes, Cape Verde, played to a 0-0 tie.

3)Germany was dominant in their 7-1 win over Curacao, which was the highest performance in the opening round. Germany (+1300 to win WC) is now -370 to win Group E, while the Ivory Coast is second at +300. 

4)England beats Croatia 4-2.  England is still the third favorite at +600 to win the Cup, while Spain moved down to second at +550 due to their poor performance in the first round. France is the favorite now at +400.  England has now won three straight World Cup opening matches. It wasn’t easy as Croatia twice equalized the match before England pulled away in the second half.

5)The United States was very impressive in its 4-1 win over Paraguay last Friday. They are still a +4000 long shot to win the World Cup and -230 to win Group D. Who is the second favorite? Australia (+300), who faces the U.S. on Friday at 3pmET.

6)Argentina, led by Lionel Messi’s 3 goals, dominated Algeria 3-0. They looked like the World Cup champs of 2022. They are currently +800 to repeat and +400 to reach the Final.

7)After a slow first half, France didn’t disappoint in its 4-1 win over Senegal. Kylian Mbappe had two goals, though it was Michael Olise who dazzled and was the player who moved the needle.

Here are the leaders after the opening round and their odds in each Group.

Group A

Mexico (-185) 1-0 3pts  

Korea Republic (+190) 1-0 3pts

Group B

Switzerland (+110), Qatar (+3000), Canada (+160) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (+450) all have one point.

Group C

Scotland (+550) 3pts 1-0. Brazil (-200) has 1 point after their tie with Morocco.

Group D

Australia (+300) 3pts 1-0

USA (-230) 3pts 1-0

Group E

Germany 3pts 1-0 (-370)

Ivory Coast 3pts 1-0 (+300)

Group F

Sweden 3pts 1-0  (+210)

The Netherlands (+120) is still the favorite in this Group after tying Japan 2-2.

Group G

New Zealand, Iran, Belgium (-165) and Egypt all have one point.

Group H 

Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain (-310) and Cape Verde all have one point.

Group I  

Norway 3pts 1-0

France 3pts 1-0

France is the favorite (-370)

Group J

Argentina 3pts 1-0

Austria 3pts 1-0

Argentina (-700) is the favorite.

Group K

Colombia (+115) 3pts 1-0

Portugal (-110) is still the favorite after their tie with the Congo (+1200)

Group L

England 3pts 1-0

Ghana 3pts 1-0

England is a -1400 favorite to win this group.

(odds from DraftKings)

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Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
• US Open Golf (June 18-21) and Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)

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Betting on Baseball before the All-Star Break

We’re less than a month away from the Baseball All-Star Break, which begins on Monday, July 13, and goes through Wednesday, July 15. That’s always a significant time for baseball teams, because even though they are not at the halfway point, they’ll know where they stand about two weeks before the trade deadline on August 3rd (6pmET). 

Here are some betting tips for the next 3 1/2 weeks. 

1)You know the standings. But betting the best teams is not always the way to go due to values and the line. Always check both starting pitchers and their recent workload.

2)The bullpen strength is always a huge issue, so make sure you have a handle on which teams have good and bad bullpens. InsidethePen.com is one of the top sites that goes deep into the stats. If you wonder why Atlanta is fourth against the Money Line (+587), it’s because they have the best bullpen ERA (2.82).

3)Always check the home/road splits. There are stats for each player and pitcher on ESPN.com and most baseball sites. I’d also recommend that for player props

4)The weather is a real issue in baseball. Check where the wind is blowing in Chicago, but also if there is a good chance of a thunderstorm throughout the night, get off the game. Now you have odd stadiums like the Athletics playing in Vegas or in Sacramento. 

5)Shop sportsbooks. If you get the Reds at -145, shop around. Maybe you can get them at -130 elsewhere. 

6)Injuries are always a factor. The Yankees will likely be playing without Aaron Judge for 4-6 weeks due to a stress fracture in his ribs. Do you go against them or go under without him?

7)Travel schedules and getaway-day lineups are always a factor, especially on Sundays.

Top 10 Money Line teams

1)Washington $1365

2)St. Louis $1180

3)Chicago White Sox $1150

4)Atlanta $1061

5)Milwaukee $764

6)Tampa Bay $763

7)Cleveland  $524

8)NY Yankees $315

9)Athletics $209

10)Arizona $-20

______________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
• US Open Golf (June 18-21) and Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events at ATS:

• The World Cup runs through July 19. Consists of 48 teams and 12 groups in the Group Stage, mainly playing in the United States. It’s the biggest event in the world. 
• US Open Golf (June 18-21) and Wimbledon Tennis Championships (June 29-July 12)

______________________________________________________________________________