The New England Revolution are hoping Antonio Delamea is available for Saturday’s trip (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info) to face Orlando City SC, as head coach/sporting director Bruce Arena confirmed they’ve appealed the center back’s red card last weekend.
That dismissal arose in the ninth minute of last weekend’s trip to face New York City FC. The Video Review decision, which saw head referee Silviu Petrescu turn an initial yellow card to a red, paved the way for a 2-1 win for the Cityzens. Counting extra time, the Revs were down to 10 men for over 90 minutes.
“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll be fine,” Arena said. “But I think this one is a no-brainer. We should win the appeal.”
What exactly makes Arena so confident? He was rather straightforward in answering that.
“We saw that there was no foul on the play, got to the ball first and poked it away,” Arena said. “Somehow from the referee’s decision to the VAR, it become a send-off. So, hopefully they can correct it.”
Should Delamea not be available for selection, New England would likely start Jalil Anibaba or Michael Mancienne next to Andrew Farrell. After the NYCFC loss last weekend, just New England's second since mid-May, Delamea called the red card the "wrong decision."
New England holds the seventh and final spot in the Eastern Conference race for the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
