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Revolution confident they’ll win appeal of Antonio Delamea’s red card

New England Revolution coach Bruce Arena is confident the team will win its appeal of a red card given to Antonio Delamea (above, left) in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to New York City FC.Globe Staff

FOXBOROUGH — The Revolution are optimistic about an appeal of a red card issued to defender Antonio Delamea in the ninth minute of a 2-1 loss to New York City FC on Saturday. Delamea practiced with the starters during sessions on Tuesday, and sporting director/head coach Bruce Arena said: “I think this one’s a no-brainer. We should win the appeal.”

With the Revolution leading on a second-minute goal by Juan Fernando Caicedo, Delamea appeared to make a clean tackle on Valentin Castellanos in the sixth minute of the match at Yankee Stadium. Castellanos went down as Delamea sent the ball back to goalkeeper Matt Turner, and referee Silviu Petrescu issued a caution. Before the free kick could be taken, Petrescu was notified by the video assistant referee and, after checking a replay, red-carded Delamea in the ninth minute.

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The Revolution went to a 4-4-1 setup and held NYC FC off until substitute Jesus Medina’s 70th-minute equalizer. Medina’s 96th-minute penalty kick, following another VAR review, broke the deadlock.

“We saw there was no foul on the play,” Arena said. “[Delamea] got to the ball first and poked it away. And that, somehow, from the referee decision to the VAR, became a sendoff. So, hopefully they can correct that.”

The Revolution (10-10-9, 39 points) appeared on the way to a possible victory that might have gone far in clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2015. But Arena benched Caicedo, adding Jalil Anibaba to reinforce the defense midway through the opening half. And Gustavo Bou, who had a four-game scoring streak and had converted deciding goals in the late going of the last two matches, departed in the 63rd minute. His replacement, Juan Agudelo, misfired with a chance to stretch the Revolution’s advantage.

Wilfried Zahibo and Agudelo were yellow-carded late in the game and will be suspended for the Revolution’s visit to Orlando City SC on Saturday. Delamea would also be suspended, unless the Revolution’s appeal is upheld. No timetable on the MLS Disciplinary Committee decision has been announced.

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Revolution captain Carles Gil said he is optimistic about the Revolution’s playoff hopes.

“We have a really good team, and I think we’ll get points in these games,” Gil said. “This game against Orlando is very important.”

The top seven Eastern Conference teams qualify for the postseason, and the Revolution stand in seventh place, ahead of the Montreal Impact (11-15-4, 37 points) and Orlando (9-13-8, 35 points).

Billionaire club

The billion euro mark has been surpassed for the first time by Manchester City, according to the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES) in Neuchatel, Switzerland, which has compiled transfer fees paid for current rosters.

The Citizens ($1.014 billion euros) are followed by Paris Saint-Germain ($913m), Real Madrid ($902m), and Manchester United ($902m).

Seven of the top 12 transfer value teams are from the Premier League (Man City, Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton), and three of the top 10 are from Spain’s La Liga (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid).

AS Roma, presided over by Boston Celtics’ part-owner James Pallotta, is ranked fifth in Italy’s Serie A at $254 million euros. Italy’s Atalanta ($93m) has paid the least amount of transfer fees among teams qualifying for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu announced the club could become the first to surpass the $1 billion euro mark in revenues. Bartomeu said he wanted to reassure socios of the club’s financial stability, as Barcelona plans to expand the Camp Nou stadium from 99,354 to 105,000 capacity.

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Among national teams, England ($1.11 billion euros) is ranked as the most valuable by www.transfermarkt.com. Brazil ($1.06 billion euros) is ranked second, followed by Spain ($1.01 billion euros) and Germany ($927 million euros).

Mexico ($254 million euros) is listed at No. 21, and the US national team ($137.3 million euros) is listed 33rd.

Algerian exodus

Algeria won the African Nations Cup, but many of its players capitalized by going for big money in the Middle East, rather than Europe. Only four of the Algerian starters are competing in Europe’s Big Five leagues — England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain — and one (right back Mehdi Zeffane) is without a club, though he will likely sign in Portugal or Spain.

Les Fennecs’ most accomplished player is Manchester City right wing Riyad Mahrez. Left wing Youcef Belaili, 28, kept Yacine Brahimi out of the lineup and performed at Mahrez’ level in the continental tournament, but failed to attract significant interest in Europe.

But former NYC FC coach Patrick Vieira has taken an interest in the Algerians. Vieira, who has guided OGC Nice to a 3-1-0 (9 points) record and a tie for first place in France’s Ligue 1, has signed Youcef Atal, 23; Hicham Boudaoui, 19; and Adam Ounas, 20. Atal and Boudaoui are products of the Paradou club, Algeria’s prime development setup.

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Algeria defeated Sengal, 1-0, in the Nations Cup final in Cairo, and also topped the Teranga Lions in group play. Senegal’s starting lineup included nine players who are starting in the Bundesliga, Premier League, and Ligue 1.

The Algerians could have a chance to show their talent with a possible friendly against France at Stade de France next July 5, according to an announcement made by Fédération Française de Football president Noel Le Graet. When the teams met at Stade de France in 2001, the match was abandoned after Algerian supporters went onto the field with France leading, 4-1, late in the second half.