That Red Bulls team, which competed in the Premier Development League (now USL League Two) took a 19th-minute lead on Brian Saramago's header. Then Duka took center stage during a nine-minute span.
Chris Katona sent a ball from the right side into the middle to an onrushing Duka, who drilled a left-footed shot home for a 35th-minute equalizer. Then, after a long throw-in, Duka shielded off a defender and volleyed the ball inside the far post outside the six-yard box for a 2-1 lead in the 44th minute.
Duka admitted he had mixed emotions.
"I was competing against players on that Red Bull team that were a lot younger. So, it was a bittersweet moment where I'm playing against the younger generation of kids that have these dreams and goals for the team I played for and I kind of crushed it. Even after the game, you wish those guys the best and you hope they make it as far as possible."
Among those players was midfielder Omir Fernandez, who played five years with the senior Red Bulls before signing with another MLS team, the Colorado Rapids, as a free agent.
Duka's most recent Open Cup game for Motown wasn’t as successful. He scored in a 2-2 draw with the now defunct Rochester New York FC in April 2022, but missed his penalty kick in the shootout. Motown ended up losing 4-3 in the tie-breaker.
"It was difficult," he said. "I wasn't totally convinced I was going to be competing in the Open Cup with Motown [that year]. My fitness level wasn’t there. I tried to do my best for the group. It always stinks to lose."
While the loss stung, FC Motown did earn $25,000 from the U.S. Soccer Federation as the furthest-advancing amateur team in the competition that year.
A Dilly of a Dilly
And before we forget, about that name.
Headline writers should thank Duka for his nickname:
A Dilly of a goal.
A Dilly of a performance.
A Dilly of a win.
You get the idea.
He was christened Dilaver Duka before he was nicknamed Dilly as a youngster.
"It's worked, right? The nickname was catchy, and it stuck as a youth. It definitely makes my life a little easier when people don't have to mispronounce it," he said with a laugh.
"My name comes from my background. My dad was born in Albania. ... It's something my siblings have called me, and it just stayed. As a youth player, it was just very easy. Everyone resorts to nicknames when someone has too long of a name."
After starring for Rutgers University, Duka was chosen eighth overall by the Columbus Crew in the first round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
