Revs searching for league success against Union

Soccer Betting Lines

07/30/2010 - Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England has won four straight games without allowing a goal, but just one of those matches was in Major League Soccer. The Revolution hope to build on their SuperLiga success in league play Saturday at PPL Park against the expansion Philadelphia Union.

New England won all three of its SuperLiga group games, 1-0, to advance to the semifinals. But in MLS, the Revolution (4-9-2) are even with the Union (4-8-2) in the Eastern Conference with just 14 points halfway through the season.

The Revs last played an MLS game on July 10 against the Los Angeles Galaxy and posted their most impressive win of the season, 2-0, over the league's overall leader.

New England had won just one of its previous 11 MLS matches before the victory over L.A., and were shutout seven times during that stretch. New England's win over the Galaxy was just its third shutout of the season, but it sparked a run in SuperLiga play.

Central defender Darrius Barnes returned from a right foot injury against L.A. and has played a major role in the team's turnaround. Barnes was paired in the middle with Emmanuel Osei, and veteran goalie Matt Reis posted his first clean sheet of the season against L.A.

Following the L.A. win, New England topped Mexico's Pumas and Morelia, and the Chicago Fire, in SuperLiga group play with those three anchoring the team.

"The main thing - just organization and keeping our shape. If we get everybody in the right shape and everybody in the right spots," Barnes said on the Revs' website, "we're going to be successful.

"We have something good going on right now. We're playing well, we've put a little winning streak together, and hopefully we can continue to build on that."

New England will have to find a way to win on the road to continue its streak, as it has lost six of its seven road matches in MLS.

Philadelphia has built its success at home, earning 10 of its 14 points at PPL Park or Lincoln Financial Field. The Union won their last game against Toronto FC on July 17, and traded for midfielder Justin Mapp from Chicago this week.

Mapp, a 25-year-old with nine years of MLS experience, will add another cog to the young Union, who have just one loss in their last four matches. Sebastien Le Toux, who has a team-high seven goals, could benefit from Mapp's addition.

Le Toux started for the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to Manchester United. Mapp is a former MLS Best XI and has 36 career assists. Mapp admitted he was a little surprised by the trade, but is ready for a new challenge.

"It's a little bittersweet," Mapp said. "I'm excited to be here though, and very optimistic, so I'm looking forward to it."

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.