Match Preview: Cosmos vs. San Francisco Deltas

This weekend, the Cosmos hit the West Coast to face off against NASL expansion side San Francisco Deltas. For the Cosmos who are coming off a 1-1 draw to the Jacksonville Armada, a win againsts the second place Deltas could be a statement for the rest of the league. The Cosmos have had a bit of a slow start, but are improving every week. The Deltas, on the other hand, drew and won their first two matches but have failed to score since.

As we pointed out in our matches to watch for this offseason, This matchup is the first between the Cosmos and the Deltas. However, the two clubs have been linked due to the Danny Szetela. The Cosmos man signed for San Francisco, before returning to the Cosmos when Commisso bought the team.

Players to watch

Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

For the Cosmos, the biggest challenge of this match will be scoring against a defensively sound Deltas team. Breakout star (pun not-intended) Eugene Starikov will have to have a big match for the New York Originals if they want to get three road points.

Cosmos fans are all too familiar with Tommy Heinemann and his 5 career goals against New York. In season’s past he has played for the NASL Runner Up Ottawa Fury and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, but has now found his way to San Francisco. He has spoken about playing the Cosmos and his former teammates Kalif Alhassan in an interview on the Cosmos’ website.

Key MatchUp: Kenny Teijisse vs. Ryan Richter

Two of the NASL’s best wingbacks face off this week. Kenny Teijisse has been a rising star for the Deltas this season. Featured in NASL.com’s players to watch. The Leftback has had an major impact on the team in both defense and attack. Tejisse will be facing off against Ryan Richter, who has helped stabilize the Cosmos defense since joining from the Fury in late 2016, and played in a killer assist to former Delta Danny Szetela. This week he featured on Sports Byline USA, representing the Cosmos.

Score Prediction

I’m feeling a low scoring draw from these two teams. The Cosmos official website has highlighted the success of both team’s keepers so far this season, and both teams have been having struggles in the final third. Even if these two play to a 0-0, don’t expect a boring affair, but a keeper showdown.

The Cosmos and Deltas kick off at Kezar Stadium at 10pm on MSG+