The Deltas Keep Spring Title Hopes Alive

Photo Credit: @theprojectfc

The Deltas picked up three points behind the two-goal effort of Tommy Heinemann and a big penalty save from Romuald Peiser to keep their push for a Spring Season championship alive. With the win over last place Puerto Rico FC, the Deltas climb within 4 points of League leader, Miami FC, after picking up their 4th win in a row and 6th game unbeaten. The win also puts the Deltas 11 points ahead of the playoff line.

The Deltas scored a goal in both halves to secure the victory, but the 1st half was not as controlled as the Deltas’ boss, Marc Dos Santos, might have liked. “There were two things positive in the first half: the goal and the defensive display. We weren’t able to hold the ball. You know we weren’t good in possession. We didn’t have the ball. It was a tough first half, even though we came out leading 1-0.”

Tommy Heinemann scored on what might have been the only good chance the Deltas saw all half, when a nice move and a nice cross from Danny Cruz down the right wing found the head of Heinemann to put the Deltas in front in the 24th minute.

In the 2nd half, the Deltas conceded a penalty kick just minutes into the half. The Deltas’ keeper, Romuald Peiser, came up with a huge save to deny Jairo Puerto and keep the Deltas in the lead. “I’ll tell you that our goal keeper, Romuld Peiser, has been top class this year: a penalty save, a big save on Welshmen 1st half. He’s really given us a big boost in a handful of games. It’s helped us to stay in the game,” said Deltas’ striker, Tommy Heinemann, postgame.

Heinemann would go on to add his 2nd of the game to bury the match for the Deltas when he curled a left footed effort into the top corner. “Yeah, it was a bit of almost like a broken play, a ball played in behind, and they didn’t see me running onto it there, and then I had him one on one and I decided to have a go,” said Heinemann about his 2nd goal.

The Deltas now have to wait and watch for the result of the League-leading Miami FC’s game on Tuesday night vs. North Carolina FC. Anything less than a win for Miami and the door will remain open for the Deltas to win the Spring Season. “I think what’s happening between us and Miami now is a bonus. So we will see what they’re going to do on Tuesday in North Carolina, and hopefully we will get to play two finals against them,” said Deltas’ Head Coach after the match.”

Having won four games in a row and still fighting for the Spring title, the team is riding a high wave of confidence. “I think we are high in confidence, but we are very humble in our approach. We focus on our process. We don’t have egos in a bad way. We try and work hard, work for the team. If we trust in that and we stick to our model of play, then we’ll be successful,” said Heinemann.

Marc Dos Santos also knows that there is a reason that the Deltas are at this point fighting for a Spring Season title, but he also did not want to put pressure on the situation. ”I’m not the type of coach with excuse or hiding from objectives. It was clear that coming in this season, being an expansion team, our main objective was to make the playoffs. So we are in that route at the moment. We’re there and we’re fighting for that.” But he added that, “Work and training [we have] a clear identity of what we want to do. People call me defensive, and [say] that I don’t like my teams to attack. But at the end of the day, if you look at the top 3 teams in the NASL, it’s the 3 best defenses.”