No beans about it, the amateur soccer team affiliated with the taqueria El Farolito is now the best Cinderella story in soccer, as they beat their second consecutive professional team in the US Open Cup tournament Tuesday night.
It was only recently that most SF sports fans (or burrito fans) learned of the US Open Cup, the longest-running soccer tournament in the United States, where about 100 soccer teams from various different professional leagues compete for the cup, and a few amateur teams are thrown in the mix too.
The amateur soccer team affiliated with popular Bay Area taqueria chain El Farolito made waves in this year’s tournament when they beat the pro team Portland Timers 2 in late March. On Tuesday night, El Farolito SC faced another pro team, the Central Valley Fuego FC, in their second-round US Open Cup.
And once again, El Farolito stunned the pro team, beating Central Valley Fuego FC by a score of 2-1 in Merced, California, according to Remezcla.
.@elfarolito_npsl LEAVE IT LATE 🌯@opencup // #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/s7alwqCN45
I don’t know who this announcer was, but the winning call on the goal seen above is quite an all-timer. The 87th-minute goal was scored by El Farolito forward Dembor Benson, who scored both of the team’s goals Tuesday night, as well as the winning goal in their March tournament victory over Portland.
#USOC2024 stats: @elfarolito_npsl are the first @NPSLSoccer team to upset multiple pro teams in regulation in the same tournament. (@OrangeCountyFC upset 2 in 2019, but one was in PKs)
Photo: @fuego_futbol pic.twitter.com/etwWsApFjM
It’s rare that amateur teams defeat professional teams in this tournament. But El Farolito became the first amateur team to beat two pro teams during regulation time in the US Open Cup tournament with Tuesday night’s win.
A historic taqueria and football club that has passion and trophies not just paid players on a sheet of paper. https://t.co/ggmdqvRD97
The team will also advance to the tournament’s Third Round for the first time since they won the tournament outright in 1993. (At the time, they were called Club Deportivo Mexico.)
Third Round Berth for @elfarolito_npsl 👊
The San Francisco amateurs are through to #USOC2024's 3rd Round after shocking @USLLeagueOne pros @fuego_futbol (1-2) on the road (WATCH Thursday's Draw LIVE on @ussoccer YouTube & https://t.co/dZIFg48nxe) pic.twitter.com/wnvGReXUra
According to the Chronicle, El Farolito SC will learn who their next opponent is on Thursday. But the rest of the games won’t be played anytime soon. While the Third Round of the US Open Cup is April 16-17, according to the tournament schedule, the semifinals aren’t until way off in August, and the Finals match is scheduled for September 25.
Related: El Farolito Amateur Soccer Team Knocks Off Portland Pro Team in Stunning Tournament Upset [SFist]
Image: MERCED, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 2: Dembor Benson #9, Erik Arias #13 and Herlbert Soto #7 of El Farolito celebrate a goal during an US Open Cup qualifying match on April 2, 2024 in Merced, California. (Photo by Maciek Gudrymowicz/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
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Joe Kukura is an SFist staff asst. editor / reporter who has been published in almost every San Francisco publication, including Hoodline, SF Weekly, Thrillist, and Broke Ass Stuart.
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