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According to a report from The Mercury News, The San Francisco Deltas will indeed fold after winning the 2017 NASL Championship.
Thank you to everybody who made the 2017 season truly special #OnlyTogether pic.twitter.com/q0IVNFKbZr
— San Francisco Deltas (@sfdeltas) November 13, 2017
On Sunday, the Deltas defeated the Cosmos 2-0 in the NASL Championship game in front of a sold-out crowd at Kezar Stadium. The team overcame their struggles on the field and were able to turn around after initially struggling early in the season. However, they could not overcome their off the field financial issues.
Rishi Sehgal tells @sfdeltas crowd the league is doing everything it can for the team to continue pic.twitter.com/wuF4RVBBYC
— Chris Kivlehan (@kivlehan) November 13, 2017
Earlier in the season Deltas CEO Brian Andres Helmeck addressed fans pleading them to bring friends to matches. The Deltas seem to be another victim of the lack of promotion/relegation in the United States. The prospect of promotion would have surely brought more fans and their championship win should have brought more financial rewards as well.
Neither the San Francisco Deltas nor the NASL have yet to confirm the report. Hopefully the club can somehow survive, but things aren’t looking good for the NASL Champions.
.@MDOSSANTOSJNJ led the @sfdeltas to the #NASL title in 2017.
— NASL (@naslofficial) November 14, 2017
He was also the league's Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/BpelazSMfl
Why Marc Dos Santos is the Most Undervalued Coach in North America - https://t.co/T4bWh1LEUU pic.twitter.com/pXSckW5pe3
— Midfield Press (@MidfieldPress) November 15, 2017
Marc Dos Santos apparently already has his next job lined up. I doubt it's in MLS.
— Jake Nutting (@jakenutting) November 13, 2017
Here's what he told @EmpireOfSoccer about being overlooked as a lower league coach. pic.twitter.com/mRDBGoWvoT
Deltas head coach Marc Dos Santos has confirmed that he will be leaving the club, but has not confirmed his new team. Despite their place on the period, any club would be lucky to have Dos Santos, a man who won two NASL coach of the year awards (2015 and 2017) and lead the Swope Park Rangers to a USL final in 2016.
Too many “soccer fans” in this country point and laugh at the issues facing NASL not thinking about the lives of the staff and players. These same people would take a new job in their own careers for better wages without hesitation
— Tyler Ruthven (@Truthven) November 10, 2017
The Deltas situation brings more questions about the state of the NASL. It seems as though North Carolina FC will be leaving for the USL, will more clubs do the same? Will other fledgling NASL clubs like Puerto Rico FC fold as well in the coming weeks? What about the brand new 1904 FC?
Buckle up folks, it’s time for another crazy offseason where we’ll be wondering if our league and team survive.