One by one, Claude Dielna gathers his teammates together into a circle. He pulls the starting XI together tight and supplies a few words of motivation during a preseason game against a USL team that offers another chance to take a tangible step forward.
It is a typical scene that illustrates Dielna’s considerable influence within the group and underscores the changing dynamic for the New England Revolution. These small moments in obscurity reinforce the changes instituted since the turn of the year. The alterations are enacted day after day, session after session with the objective of molding a capable and disciplined squad capable of returning to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
