Delemea, Dielna partnership takes root for New England Revolution

Revolution coach Jay Heaps gave Claude Dielna a little bit of time to settle into the squad and work his way back into things. Once that brief period passed, Dielna’s ambition — and the Revs’ desire to insert their new defender into the fray — took hold.

After spending most of the buildup to the 2-1 defeat at New York City FC in the heart of the Revolution back four with Antonio Delamea, the French defender stepped straight into the fray for the trip to Yankee Stadium on Aug. 20.

"We trained hard last week to get it there, but I thought the ultimate test was the game and I thought the two of them really did a nice job with communicating, but also managing the back line and playing some key balls into the midfield," Heaps told reporters. "So they were, for me, two bright spots from the game."

Dielna displayed some of the qualities that prompted the Revs to sign him on a free transfer earlier in the month. His experience showed as he took up good positions alongside the steady Delamea and tried to figure out how to strengthen the side.