WASHINGTON — The lone African American member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet said Monday he would “work with” the president on the issue of athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, though Trump has shown no signs of softening, tweeting over the weekend that he would not watch soccer or football if players don’t stand for the national anthem.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said he believes that players are kneeling to protest police brutality, not because they disrespect the flag. He added that players need to make that clear.

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That was awful.

The only luck during the first weekend back in Spain’s top flight was of the bad variety, as four late goals and a red card relegated us to a winless Matchday 28. After the first few, I just became numb to it.

Let’s hope for some better luck on Matchday 29.

Granada (+320) at Real Betis (-115), Draw (+255)

Granada impressed in the first match back, coming from behind to beat Getafe – a result that has breathed life into their hopes of a top-four finish. Diego Martinez’s side leave the friendly confines of Nuevo Los Carmenes for this match, and while they’ve struggled on their travels, the circumstances surrounding this trip to Seville are much different given the absence of fans.

Real Betis rely heavily on the atmosphere at Estadio Benito Villamarin, but won’t have that crutch on Monday. Rubi’s side was dreadful going forward against Sevilla in the derby, but we can expect a more spirited performance here on home soil, where they have scored 27 times in 14 matches. They’ve struggled defensively though, failing to keep a single clean sheet this season at home.

Granada showed no signs of rust in their first match back, getting after a stingy Getafe side. They’ve struggled away from home but the result will give them plenty of confidence as they get set to face a Betis side that will undoubtedly produce a positive response following their derby loss. With the visitors pushing for the top four and the hosts hoping to avoid being dragged into the relegation scrap, a draw would be a positive result for both of them.

Pick: Draw (+255)

Espanyol (+335) at Getafe (+100), Draw (+210)

These sides experienced different fates in their first matches back. Espanyol ran out 2-0 winners at RCDE Stadium – the beneficiaries of an early Alaves red card – while Getafe uncharacteristically squandered a lead, losing to Granada.

Jose Bordalas is a terrific manager and we can expect him to get quite a reaction out of his players following that defeat. Bordalas’ Getafe play a miserable brand of football – long balls and a high press – and are an incredibly frustrating side to play against as a result.

On home soil they’re at their best with this approach, and it will give fits to an Espanyol side that really struggles outside of Barcelona. The Periquitos have lost seven of their last nine away matches, and have also tasted defeat in each of their last four trips to Getafe. The hosts have been dominant this season on home soil against clubs in the bottom half of the table, and we can expect more of the same here.

Pick: Getafe (+100)

Celta Vigo (+160) at Real Valladolid (+205), Draw (+195)

The threat of relegation looms large for Celta, while Valladolid are still far from safety – though a win at Leganes on Saturday certainly helped matters.

This has all the makings of an ugly match with both sides looking to maintain a cushion between them and the bottom three. A draw would suit Valladolid excellently here, keeping Celta six points back, while every point is precious at this stage for the visitors.

Valladolid have lost just three times in 13 home matches this season – all against clubs in the top half of the table – and are a strong bet to avoid defeat again here at Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla. Of those 13 home games, seven have ended in a stalemate, while four of Celta’s last five away matches have ended level. A point would suit both sides well here, and feels like something of an inevitability.

Pick: Draw (+195)

Full card:

• Levante/Sevilla draw (+290)
• Real Betis/Granada draw (+255)
• Getafe (+100)
• Villarreal/Mallorca BTTS (-130)
• Valladolid/Celta draw (+195)
• Eibar/Athletic draw (+210)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Backfield depth: In describing why the Patriots invested a significant asset to bring aboard a backup, coach Bill Belichick once said, “Nobody needs insurance until you need insurance.”

At the time, he was speaking of No. 3 quarterback Jacoby Brissett being activated off injured reserve late in the 2016 season. Fast-forward to the present and Belichick’s words also fit with running back Damien Harris.

•

Caldwell had joined the Patriots after four seasons with the Chargers, and totaled a career-high 61 receptions for 760 yards and four touchdowns. A dropped pass in an AFC Championship Game loss to the Colts was one blip over an otherwise solid season.

That drop haunted Caldwell into his post-playing career, because up to that point, Faulk remembered how uplifting the 2006 season had been for him.

“He got the best out of himself that year. I don’t think it shocked him, he knew he could do it, but that had been good for him because it really boosted his confidence,” he said.

4. Michel hurt by first-round perception: If Michel, the 31st pick in 2018, was selected two picks later — making him a second-rounder instead of a fringe first-rounder — would the perception of his first two seasons be viewed a bit differently? I say yes. Michel has been solid (but not spectacular) as the Patriots’ lead back through two seasons. But because he carries the first-round tag with him, it never seems good enough in the view of some.

5. Slater’s perspective: Special-teams captain

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So if Slater, 34, was in position to do the same to help rally communities in challenging times, what would he say? He shared his message during Tuesday’s Boston Uncornered’s virtual fundraising event that honored teammate Devin McCourty.

“When you start looking at people as individuals — not necessarily men/women, not necessarily black/white, not necessarily Democrat/Republican — who they are, what their story is, what their life journey has been like, just try to connect and meet with them where they are. I think we’ve kind of moved away from that, with where we are in our society now. I hope that we can kind of move back in that direction. I have a lot of hope and faith that is something we can move toward as we navigate this uncertain time.”

6. Setting the pace on signings: Through Thursday, a total of about 60 draft picks had been signed, 10 of whom were from the Patriots, the first team to finalize contracts for its entire draft class. This was a result of the team aggressively coordinating remote physical examinations between team doctors and local physicians in the players’ areas.

7. Vrabel’s compliment to Belichick: Titans coach and five-time Patriots Hall of Fame finalist Mike Vrabel joined “The Camera Guys” of NBC Boston for an entertaining, lighthearted interview last week, and shared a compliment of Belichick not often highlighted: His self-deprecating sense of humor. Vrabel reflected on how he used to poke fun at Belichick’s affinity for the 1980s Giants defenses, among other things, telling co-hosts Bill Messina and Glenn Gleason: “One thing I always appreciated [that] Bill did is you can’t ever take yourself too seriously, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself to be able to be part of a team. That’s the same type of culture we’re trying to have here. When they imitate and make fun of me, at least I know they’re listening to me.”

8. Scar still connected: Longtime Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is happy in retirement, but he also remains connected to the organization in a non-coaching capacity. For example, on Friday, Scarnecchia volunteered as part of the team’s second Soup R Bowl event at Gillette Stadium, which benefited 1,500 local military, veterans and their families.

9. Gilmore, PR staff are PFWA finalists: The Pro Football Writers of America has voted on

10a. Seely’s impact remembered: When Belichick was hired as Patriots coach in 2000, Brad Seely was one of a small handful of assistants he retained from Pete Carroll’s staff. Seely stuck around to lead special-teams units under Belichick through the 2008 season, playing a key role on the early-era Patriots championship teams that were known for their defense and special teams. Belichick once referred to him as one of the best special-teams coaches he has been around. Seely, who went on to coach special teams for the Browns (2009-10), 49ers (2011-14), Raiders (2015-17) and Texans (2018-19), announced his retirement this month and his contributions to the Patriots’ two-decade run of success naturally warrant mention.

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The Premier League will officially return June 17. England’s top flight mapped out its plans for Project Restart, which unveiled a bottomless buffet for bettors with 92 matches set to be played over the next 40 days to complete the 2019-20 season.

Here’s a guide to wagering on the Premier League – diving into the more popular markets – for bettors looking to join in on the fun, using the Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United match as a point of reference.

Three-way moneyline

There are three possible outcomes to every soccer match – home win, away win, draw – and thus three different moneyline bets that can be made. In this case, you can bet on Aston Villa to win, Sheffield United to win, or the match to end in a draw.

Asian handicap

More commonly known to North American bettors as the spread, this can be one of the trickier markets. A spread of -0.5 is straightforward, and means a bet on the team favored by -0.5 needs to win the match by a goal or more, while betting on a team at +0.5 would require them not to lose. Spreads of -1/+1, -1.5/+1.5, and so on, are also self-explanatory.

But in the case of this match, things get a bit trickier. If I were to bet on Aston Villa +0.25, half the stake of my bet would be on Aston Villa +0.0 (or pick ’em), and the other half would be on them at +0.5. If they were to lose the match, I would lose the full bet; if they were to win the match outright, I’d win the full bet. Where it becomes confusing is if the match ends in a draw. In that instance, I’d win half the bet and push the other half, because the part of my stake that was on them at +0.5 would cash, but the other half of the stake on pick ’em (PK) would push with the match ending in a tie.

The same logic can be applied to betting on Sheffield United -0.25. A bet of $100 on that would result in $50 being placed on them at +0.0, and the other half at -0.5. We can also apply this logic to other half spreads like -0.75, but in that case, half the stake would be on -0.5 and the other half on -1.

Double chance

The bets in this market are self-explanatory. A bet on “Aston Villa or draw” means you’re betting on Aston Villa to win or the match to end in a draw. The only way you lose this bet is if Sheffield United wins. Easy, right? A bet on “Aston Villa or Sheffield United” means you’re betting on one of those two teams to win. If the match ends in a draw, the bet loses.

Draw no bet

This market is exactly as described. In the event of a draw, all bets push. So betting Sheffield United draw no bet means you need them to win the match to win your bet, but should they tie, the bet is refunded. The only way you can lose in this market is if the team you bet loses outright.

Total

This refers to how many goals will be scored in the match. If there are three goals or more, a bet on over 2.5 would be a winner. If there are two goals or fewer, a bet on under 2.5 would cash.

Where it can get a bit harder to understand is when we’re dealing with totals such as over/under 2.25. In that case, the same logic regarding Asian handicaps can be used. Betting over 2.25 means half your stake is placed on over 2 and the other half on over 2.5. If the match were to end 1-1, the half of your bet on over 2 would push, while the half on over 2.5 would lose.

BTTS

If you didn’t know this market before, you do now. BTTS stands for “Both Teams To Score.” This is a simple yes/no market. Either you want to bet that both teams will score in a given match, in which case you bet yes, or you think at least one of the two sides will fail to score, in which case you’d bet no.

You can also combine the BTTS market with the result of the match. This isn’t as tricky as it might appear. If you think Aston Villa will win the match and both teams will score, you’d bet “Aston Villa, Yes,” which is offered at +500. If you think Sheffield United will win and keep a clean sheet – otherwise known as “win to nil” in soccer speak – you’d bet “Sheffield United, No,” which is offered at +275. If you think the match will end 0-0, you’d bet “Draw, No,” which can be had at the attractive price of +850.

First, last, and anytime scorer

This one is also straightforward, but it usually includes a longer list of players. I’ve shortened it for the sake of this example.

Here, you can bet on a given player of your choosing to be the game’s first scorer, last scorer, or to score at any time in the match. If you think Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi will score the game’s first goal, you’d find his name, and bet him under the “First” column, which is offered at +800. If you’d like to bet him to score at any point in the match, regardless of whether his goal is first, last, or somewhere in the middle, you’d bet him under the “Anytime” column, which is offered here at +275.

Handicapping matches

You can find information on how to cap matches here.

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.