In a Third Round battle of Northern California’s two most iconic Open Cup Cinderellas, one threw the other out of the ball, as USL Championship stalwarts Sacramento Republic brought NPSL adversaries El Farolito’s glory run to an end in a 1-0 home victory.
With Republic fans present in droves at Heart Health Park and El Farolito’s supporters punching above their weight in terms of noise, the bout quickly proved compelling. The Burrito Boys and the Indomitable Club battled back and forth from the jump, constantly launching attacks and counter-attacks, neither side letting the other control the ball for too long or showing any fear of playing direct. For a while, the only thing separating the sides was Sacramento’s ability to earn more setpieces than their San Franciscan counterparts.
Fortunately for the hosts, they had one other crucial advantage: the presence of team captain and Open Cup Modern Era assists leader Rodrigo López. In the 29th minute, that turned out to mean everything, as López launched a cross into the box for striker Sebastian Herrera, who headed it home to get both the all-important goal and the captain’s 12th career Open Cup assist. The amateurs soon got to work trying to mount a spot, and last year’s co-top goalscorer Dembor Benson came dangerously close in the 38th, but it ultimately remained 1-0 to the Republic at halftime.
As evening turned to night and the air continued to cool, the tension on the pitch only boiled hotter with each passing minute. The contest had already been somewhat chippy in the early going, but in the second half, it went to another level. Five different Burrito Boys and nine Indomitables picked up yellow cards by the end of the night, though not always at the times they were merited. For instance, Sacramento’s AJ Edwards drew a yellow card after a foul on El Farolito’s Jesús Martinez that Martinez had absolutely milked for all it was worth. Not long after, Edwards got away with blatantly shoving a Farolito player to the ground. Such was the nature of this contest as it teetered ever closer to getting out of control.
Of all the brewing dislikes in the stadium, none burned hotter than Jesús Martinez versus the home crowd—who, from his flop in the 61th onward, despised everything he did. When he started jawing with a subbed-off López and a member of the Republic’s coaching staff, it only added fuel to the fire. By the time Martinez landed knee-first on a downed Republic player, nearly sparking a brawl and ultimately earning his yellow card for arguing afterward, a red may not have satiated those who wanted his head.
Fortunately, the match still featured more productive outlets for the teams’ pent-up aggression. As the second half went on, Republic’s grip on the game felt tighter by the minute, and it helped that they gunned aggressively for another score seemingly every time they got a touch. Meanwhile, El Farolito kept playing determined soccer, preventing dagger after dagger to the point where a viewer trying to decipher who was leading from how the teams behaved might have concluded the Burrito Boys were a goal up instead of down.
However, despite a spark from Erik Arias once he came on as a substitute, the amateurs just couldn’t get the degree of attacking momentum that they needed. As the eighth of eight stoppage time minutes loomed, the Burrito Boys lined up for some last free kick, but once Sacramento snuffed it out, the clock struck midnight on El Farolito’s Cinderella run.
Few were happier for the win than Sacramento goalkeeper and fan-voted Man of the Match Jared Mazzola, who came up big with three saves in his first Open Cup start since 2023, when he was still playing for USL-1 side Greenville Triumph.
“It was an incredible experience,” Mazzola told reporters after the match. “Any time I get to play at Heart Health Park is amazing. I’m just blessed to wear the crest and blessed to have my name on the back of this shirt. It means so much to me and my family, so I’m really happy to be here.”
Also buzzing after the game was Rodrigo López—who, after tearing his ACL during Sacramento’s cupset over the San Jose Earthquakes last year, made a triumphant return to extend his assists record. In his own post-match comments, the Indomitables’ captain showed he wasn’t taking any of this for granted.
“To me, it feels good to win,” said López. “It’s been a long 11 months for me, and to be able to play today in front of my family, in front of the fans, and in front of the people who showed me a lot of love and support throughout these 11 months, for me to step on the field again, it’s just a blessing.”
With this win, the Republic have added yet another reason why Sacramento is such a dangerous place for Open Cup hopefuls to visit. The 2022 US Open Cup runners-up improved to 21-3-1 (1-0 PKs) all-time at home in tournament play, easily one of the best home records in American soccer. Now, the day’s Goliath set their eyes on playing David, as they prepare to take on an MLS side in the Round of 32 next month.