The San Francisco Deltas were dealt their first defeat ever when the New York Cosmos won 1-0 at Kezar Stadium last Saturday.
Here are three things we learned from the game:
1) The Deltas need to start scoring goals
It’s now been three games and over 270 minutes since any Deltas player has put the ball into the back of the net. That doesn’t discount the excellent work the team has done on the defensive end where they have yet to concede more than one goal in any of their first five games.
But you can’t win games if you don’t score.
After San Francisco netted three goals in their first win against North Carolina FC last month, teams have been aggressively marking the team’s top three scoring threats, Tommy Heinemann, Kyle Bekker, and Pablo Dyego.
The Deltas have employed an aggressive, quick, counter-attacking offense all season. Opposing teams have responded by clogging up passing lanes, slowing down the game and being incredibly physical when any offensive Deltas player that has the ball.
In the first half Saturday night, Heinemann was the recipient of a poke in the eye and a bloodied lip from the Cosmos defense.
The Deltas are in need of attacking reinforcements, and luckily there is help coming.
2) Jackson is sorely missed
The suspension of Jackson really stung the Deltas offense. Danny Cruz attempted to fill in on the wing but doesn’t have the same burst of speed as the Brazillian. Without Jackson on the field, opposing teams have really been able to concentrate on the Deltas other offensive threats.
In the pre-season, Jackson proved to be one of the most significant contributors to the offense. He has been particularly good at feeding the ball to Kyle Bekker, either to deliver the final pass or to put the ball on goal.
On the left side of the field, Bekker and left winger Pablo Dyego’s chemistry are still a work in progress. In the middle of the second half against the Cosmos, Dyego pressed the ball upfield on one of the team’s rear counter attacks. Bekker made a timed run into the box expecting the pass. However, Dyego did not see him and cut inside to be disposed of the ball by the Cosmos central defense.
With Jackson back on the pitch, it should help everyone else on the Deltas have some more space to work with. That will hopefully lead to more goals for San Francisco.
3) Romuald Peiser really knows how to deliver a wedding proposal
Sure there were some negatives from Saturday’s performance, but the best showing of the night (and most important) was from Romuald Peiser. The goalkeeper showed that he has many more skills than saving point blank shots on target.
Also that he is a romantic at heart.
Just before the start of the game Peiser brought his girlfriend Taylor Lincoln out to midfield and got down on one knee and proposed. She said yes to the cheers of the Kezar crowd.
Congrats Romuald and Taylor!
The Deltas will once again hit the road, traveling to North Carolina to play NCFC at 4:30 pm PDT on Saturday, May 6th. The game will be broadcast nationally on beINSports.
