FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After spending six years with Olimpija Ljubljana in the Slovenian PrvaLiga and recently earning his first call-up to the Slovenia national team, Antonio Mlinar Delamea knew that to continue his career’s upward trajectory, he was going to need to move. The only question was, where?
That’s when the New England Revolution came calling.
In their quest for central defensive reinforcements the Revs set their sights on Delamea, Olimpija’s hard-tackling, ball-winning, 25-year-old captain. It was a lengthy process, but New England’s technical staff successfully wooed the player and secured a transfer to MLS from the Slovenian champions.
“I just think I needed to move on,” Delamea said after completing his first training session in Foxborough on Wednesday morning. “It’s the right move.
“I have to say that [the Revolution’s staff] showed me everything about the club. I was flattered. I already decided much before I joined that I wanted to come here.”
Delamea’s arrival comes at the right moment, as well, just one day after the Revs kicked off their six-week preseason camp ahead of the opener on March 4 in Colorado. For a player adjusting to a new system, a new coaching staff and new teammates – not to mention a new country – that time will be critical.
“We need to know each other a little bit,” Delamea said of his teammates. “I need to fit into the new system and I need to know what the coach expects from me; that’s the most important thing for myself for the next six weeks.
“The team also needs to come along and start to play as one. That’s the prime goal for this preseason.”
Delamea, who has previously spent his entire career in Slovenia but does speak English, also noted the challenges of finding a home and a car, but added that he’s “not concerned” because New England’s operations staff have already begun to help him work out those details.
Instead, Delamea’s focus can remain on the field, where he’s anxious and excited about the new challenge that lies ahead in 2017 and beyond.
“I’m very happy, very excited to be here,” he said. “I can’t wait for the league to start.”
