N.Y., Henry set for huge match against Toronto

Soccer Betting Lines

08/10/2010 - Harrison, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York should have Thierry Henry in the starting lineup Wednesday against Toronto FC, but Rafael Marquez will miss the Major League Soccer match while on international duty with Mexico.

New York's two recent designated player signings were on the field together on Sunday for the first time in a 0-0 tie against the Chicago Fire, but Henry was pulled off the field in the first half by coach Hans Backe.

Henry is expected to return to the lineup despite the early exit just days ago for precautionary reasons. Backe saw Henry grasp his upper leg, and the French star is questionable for the Toronto match with a slight groin injury.

Marquez played just 16 minutes into the second half, and will now wait to make his home debut at Red Bull Arena until Saturday, when the Los Angeles Galaxy visit. He will captain Mexico in a friendly against World Cup winner Spain on Wednesday.

Backe will definitely have original designated player Juan Pablo Angel, who is second in MLS with 11 goals, and plans to start Henry as well after he trained on Tuesday.

"Henry can play," Backe said. "It's just tight muscles, like a cramp."

Henry played last season at Barcelona and was on France's roster for the World Cup, but has not played a full 90 minutes since February. Backe will continue to let Henry regain full fitness before pushing the 32-year-old too hard.

New York (8-6-4) is second in the Eastern Conference behind the Columbus Crew, but holds just a two-point cushion against third-place Toronto (7-6-5).

The Red Bulls have tied both matches with Henry, the other a 2-2 draw against the Houston Dynamo, but he will make his home MLS debut against Toronto. New York is 5-2-1 at home, and Toronto has struggled with six losses in eight road games.

Toronto beat Chivas USA, 2-1, on Saturday to snap a three-game winless streak, and could put itself in good position for its first-ever postseason appearance with a rare road win at New York.

TFC will be without defender Dan Gargan, who will serve a one-match suspension for accumulated yellow cards. In addition, Martin Saric and Maicon Santos will miss the match with injuries, leaving Preki without a number of key options in the key clash.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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