Columbus Crew vs. New England Revolution Betting Preview

The Columbus Crew kept multiple streaks going last weekend with a 2-0 win over rivals FC Cincinnati. The Crew have now gone eight straight games without a loss, dating back to May 21, and they have scored more than one goal in three straight games.

New striker Cucho Hernandez also extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with the opener against FCC in his home debut. 

The win moved the Crew up the standings and into sixth place in the East with 29 points. This weekend they welcome the New England Revolution to Lower.com Field in Columbus for a 7:30 p.m. ET contest. The game will stream on ESPN+ and air locally on Bally Sports Great Lakes.

Columbus and New England played to a 2-2 draw back in May in Foxborough's Gillette Stadium. Columbus leads the all-time series 39-28 with 19 draws in regular season action. Last year the teams tied 1-1 in Columbus, but New England has gone seven straight matches in Columbus without a win. 

Cucho Strikes Again

It is amazing how much difference a quality striker can make to a team. The Crew struggled to score for most of the season, with 10 of 14 games between March 20 and July 9 resulting in one or zero goals. In the three games since Cucho Hernandez joined as a Designated Player, the Crew have scored seven goals with a pair of wins.

Hernandez has four of those goals, one each against Chicago and Cincinnati, plus a brace against D.C. United on July 13. He is the eighth player ever to score in his first three MLS games, and a goal this weekend makes him the fifth to score in the first four games. His presence has also opened up space for Lucas Zelarayan and Derrick Etienne Jr.

Zelarayan had an assist and a goal against FCC. He set up Cucho's header in the first half and scored from the penalty spot in the second half to put the game away. The Crew like what they have seen from Hernandez so much that they traded striker Miguel Berry to D.C. United for Allocation money. 

Revolution in Transition

Goalkeeper Matt Turner is now on Arsenal, and striker Adam Buksa plays for RC Lens. Both were on the Revolution the last time these teams met, and Buksa is still tied for the team lead in goals with seven.

New England hasn't won since June 19, with two draws and two losses in the last four games. Gustavo Bou has scored in three straight matches and is tied with Buksa as New England's leading scorer.

Last week, New England lost 2-1 in Philadelphia after Bou scored the opener. The loss from the lead means the Revolution have dropped 24 points from winning positions this season, the most in the league. They have lost four games in which they've led and tied ten others.

Last year New England won the Supporters' Shield before being stunned in the first round of the playoffs. This year they will need a rally down the stretch to get head coach Bruce Arena back to the postseason. The Revolution head to Columbus in 10th place, with 25 points, four behind the Crew.

This is a new era for the New England Revolution, with leading scorer Adam Buksa and goalkeeper Matt Turner now playing in Europe. Turner was back stateside this week, starting in an exhibition for Arsenal, while his former team was losing in Philadelphia 2-1. The Revs led 1-0 through Gustavo Bou before giving up two late goals in the loss, their second in a row.

Dorde Petrovic has taken over goalkeeper duties for Turner with seven starts. The Serbian has one clean sheet and 11 goals allowed with 27 saves.

Betting Analysis

Columbus Crew +115 moneyline

New England Revolution +215 moneyline

Draw +245

Total Goals: 2.5. Over -130. Under +105

First Goal: Columbus Crew -135. New England Revolution +110. No Goals +1100

This is a game that the Crew should win with the way they've played the last month. New England is not a good team on the road and struggle to hold onto a lead. Look for the Crew to play through Zelarayan and Cucho while feeding off the big home crowd as they climb up the standings.