Two of the weakest Eastern Conference teams meet on the field this Wednesday in Major League Soccer. The Revolution will welcome Toronto FC to New England as the betting favorites but both teams are in real need of a win.
A horrendous run has dropped the Revolution all the way to second-to-last place in the East, one point behind their upcoming opponents, leaving fans and handicappers angry.
They have now lost four consecutive games since a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Those losses have come up against some pretty strong competition in San Jose, Los Angeles, FC Dallas and New York, but New England could have at least managed a point here and there.
On Friday the Revolution gave it all they had but fell short in a 2-1 defeat to the streaking Red Bulls and their star Thierry Henry.
It was their own mistakes that really shot them in the foot though, as New England gave up an own-goal just one minute after missing a penalty kick. Zak Boggs scored a consolation goal for the Revolution but it was not enough to halt their losing streak.
Toronto however is sitting in the same boat. The Reds have not picked up the full three points in their previous six league fixtures.
Over the weekend they faced a stiff test in a road match versus David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy but really stepped up to the plate. Though they did not win, a 2-2 draw was testament to how well Toronto played.
Alan Gordon was the hero for the Reds, scoring both goals against his former team, including a stoppage-time equalizer.
Draw seems like a fair result
The Revolution, back on home turf, are at -120 on the soccer betting board to win on Wednesday. The visitors meanwhile are +300 to grab the three points.
You may also want to consider a play on the total, with the soccer odds makers at Bodog pricing the over 2.5 goals at +105.
Toronto has the worst goal differential in the entire MLS at -10, in large part due to a devastating 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union at the end of May.
Ever since that shellacking though, the Reds have been playing with a renewed sense of purpose. They now have two draws in a row and will look for another reasonably positive result against the Revolution.
While Alan Gordon was the man of the moment in the game against the Galaxy, it's been fellow forward Maicon Santos that has been the most consistent performer throughout the season.
He's found the back of the net five times and also has assisted on two goals so far.
Then we've got the Revolution, a team that has had some trouble putting it in the back of the net. Midfielder Shalrie Joseph leads the team with four goals, with no one else on the roster having scored more than once.
But who ends up as the winners on Wednesday? Obviously both sides are struggling right now, meaning there will be some added urgency to end the negativity.
That said, my best bet in this battle of Eastern Conference weaklings is some small action on a draw at +240.
FREE Pick: New England 1 Toronto 1