Columbus hosts struggling K.C. in mid-week MLS fixture

Soccer Betting Lines

07/13/2010 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew return home when they host the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer action at Crew Stadium on Wednesday.

The Eastern Conference leading Crew (8-2-4) are coming off a scoreless draw at Houston on Saturday that extended their road winless streak to three games, but defender Danny O'Rourke was happy with the result.

"Anytime you can go on the road against an established team like Houston in the heat out here, a tie is a good point," he told mlssoccer.com. "They're a really compact team. It's a small field. A point on the road, we'll definitely take it."

Wednesday's fixture will be the second between the two Eastern clubs this season, with an Emilio Renteria goal being the difference in the Crew's victory on May 23 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to extend their unbeaten streak vs. Kansas City to eight games in league and cup play, dating back to 2007.

The Wizards (3-8-3) are in desperate need of a result on Wednesday, having lost three in a row while being shut out in three consecutive games for the second time this season. Their current scoreless streak is 325 minutes.

On top of that, the club is winless on the road this season, going 0-5-1 away from CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

The Wizards most recent game was a 2-0 loss at home to Chivas USA, but the team thinks it can take some positives out of that game.

"We did everything that you need to do to win the game," Wizards captain Davy Arnaud told mlssoccer.com. "But unfortunately we come out on the wrong end of things again. This might not sound right, but the way we played [vs. Chivas USA] is a positive sign."

A couple defensive lapses by Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad followed the trend the team has been following this season.

"I'm responsible for both goals," Conrad told mlssoccer.com. "Obviously, we've been giving up soft goals all year, and it was just my turn I guess to catch the disease. It's unfortunate. I feel bad that I put my team in that position. We have a lot of people, both on the field and off, who do a lot of work to make sure we win, and we're just not getting it done."

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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.