S.F. beats N.Y. to win title in inaugural season
Capping a fairy tale season, the first-year San Francisco Deltas rode an early penalty-kick goal to defeat the New York Cosmos 2-0 and claim the North American Soccer League championship in front of a sellout crowd of 9,691 at Kezar Stadium on Sunday evening.
“It’s going to be a day to remember,” Deltas head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “I’ve always wanted as a coach to impact the people around me, and I hope people are going to have incredible memories of what happened here tonight.”
San Francisco got the early advantage in the 18th minute when winger Jackson was taken down by Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Mauer chasing a loose ball in the penalty box.
Deltas forward Tommy Heinemann stepped to the penalty spot and blasted the ball right down the middle of the net. “I repeated scripture in my head, reminded myself of a couple of fundamentals, and I hit it,” he said.
San Francisco’s goal forced New York to play from behind, and Deltas goalkeeper Romuald Peiser was able to snuff out several first-half chances from the Cosmos.
With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, New York had one more excellent chance when an Emmanuel Ledesma corner kick found the head of teammate Juan Guerra, but Guerra was not able to direct his shot on goal.
The Deltas put the icing on the cake in the 95th minute when substitute Pablo Dyego slotted a ball into the top of the Cosmos’ box. Kyle Bekker poked the ball around the charging Mauer to forward Devon Sandoval, who tapped the ball into the empty net.
When the final whistle blew moments later, the fans stormed the field to celebrate the Deltas capping their expansion season with a title.
The title could be the Deltas’ only one, as the future of the team — and the league — is in doubt. Sunday night, though, was all about celebrating the victory.
“To win with this group with all that we’ve gone through is ... unbelievable,” Heinemann said. “I don’t understand how soccer can’t succeed in San Francisco. If you were here tonight, you know it can succeed in San Francisco.”