Deltas coach guides club to second-place finish in first NASL season

Marc Dos Santos of the San Francisco Deltas has been named NASL Coach of the Year after leading the club to a second-place finish in its first season.

The ability to put together a team from scratch and ultimately transform it into a successful side on the field has become Dos Santos’ specialty. In this year’s case, he built a successful foundation on the field for the Deltas, guiding the club into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament.

Dos Santos, a native of Montreal, Quebec, was put in charge of the Deltas’ squad in August, building a roster full of players with NASL experience and others with pedigree from abroad. In the end, the club was one of the most consistent NASL sides in 2017, resulting in a postseason berth, a home game in The Championship Semifinals, and an overall record of 14W-12D-6L. The club was particularly strong away from home, with only one loss on the road all year long.

The 40-year-old coach is no stranger to the NASL Coach of the Year award. He won the award in 2015 after his Ottawa Fury FC side reached The Championship Final in New York. In 2016, Dos Santos led another first-year club to a Final, guiding Swope Park Rangers to the USL title game. He finished up as a runner-up both seasons.

Dos Santos has previously managed his hometown club, Montreal Impact, as well as several sides in Brazil.