FOXBOROUGH — Antonio Delamea has battled injuries — a concussion earlier in the season, other maladies that kept him out of the lineup — in this, his third full season with the Revolution.
Yet on Saturday night, with six changes made thanks to the short turnaround from Wednesday’s 1-1 draw to Philadelphia, Delamea made the most of his first appearance in either competition for the first time in nearly two months, scoring his first goal in just over two years.
And as we learned postgame, the Slovenian played Saturday’s game against Houston with a heavy heart.
“I just played today for my uncle. He passed away on Thursday. And I'm just happy. I know he was there with me. And that was for him,” Delamea said in his first words to the Boston soccer press corps since the 2-0 loss to FC Cincinnati.
Delamea’s header at the top of the 6-yard box beat Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis in the 51st minute. And as Adam Richins’ art above shows, he let all the weight of his emotions out after he sent Diego Fagundez’s corner service — the third consecutive Revolution corner — into the back of the net in front of The Fort.
Delamea with the equalizer! #NEvHOU pic.twitter.com/DXTvsd3Iiu
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2019