New England Revolution: 2018 Midseason Player Ratings

Center Back. New England Revolution. JALIL ANIBABA. 9.5. Signed as a preseason trialist, Anibaba fought for and earned his starting job and has easily been the best defender on the team this season. The MLS-veteran has averaged 1.1 blocks per game this season, with that number rising to 1.6 on the road. His fiery style and personality help energize the Revs defensively and he is one of the classiest players in the league. His addition to the Revs defense has helped solidify it as well as limit the number of cautions on the back-end — a big problem for New England is recent years. A possible MLS Defender of the Year candidate?

Center Back. New England Revolution. ANTONIO MLINAR DELAMEA. 8.0. It was a rough start to the year for Delamea, who was sent off just 24 minutes into the season opener before a two-month spell of no game action. Delamea has returned to his starting role and is as good as ever, forming a solid partnership with Anibaba. He has been better both discipline-wise and with his marking in the box. His major weakness is his lack of pace to keep up with speedy strikers. Aside from that, he has been good at cancelling out aerial service into the box and is another leadership presence at the back for New England. He just needs to stay out of the ref’s book.

8.5. A surprise-choice for team captain at the start of the year, Dielna has done well in his leadership role. Defensively, he still lacks some discipline but has improved in his tackling and speed. He has proven once again to be an athletic defender and has filled in admirably at left-back this season. When he plays centrally, Dielna is quick enough to keep pace with some of the speediest strikers in the league (i.e. Alberth Elis, Gyasi Zardes). He gets the extra half-point over Delamea for his leadership and versatility.. CB/LB. New England Revolution. CLAUDE DIELNA