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El Farolito - CD Mexico

2024 US Open Cup: Dembor Benson of El Farolito voted TheCup.us Lower Division Player of Tournament

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Graphic by Phil Naegely

Two game-winning goals, one equalizer, and the opener on the road against bitter rivals. Dembor Benson balanced quantity and quality in a red-hot Open Cup campaign. Benson scored four goals in three games which saw him tie for top scorer in the tournament despite only making it to the third round.

With a three-way tie for the Golden Boot, multiple players were in the running for this accolade. However, given the circumstances and magnitude of Benson’s performances, he was voted the clear winner of the 2024 TheCup.us Lower Division Player of the Tournament award. 

Benson is the first player from an NPSL team to win it since TheCup.us added a Lower Division version of the Player of the Tournament award in 2012. 

“I was a little surprised because there are so many teams, there are so many good players and well, I understand it’s a bit difficult (to win this award) but I’m very happy to be honest,” said Benson after learning that he won the award.

Benson run away with the vote with NYCFC II’s Jonathan Jimenez finishing second. Jimenez led the tournament in scoring with four goals and two assists, helping NYCFC II (MLS NEXT Pro) reach the Round of 16 (and the $25,000 Division 3 prize money). Indy Eleven goalkeeper Hunter Sulte, who had three clean sheets to help his team reach the Semifinals, finished third.

The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) from TheCup.us’ Patreon team.

Early on in the tournament, El Farolito looked unstoppable. They caused back-to-back upsets against professional sides with Dembor Benson scoring four of the team’s five goals. The first goal was a 68th minute winner in a 2-1 road win against Timbers2 (MLS NEXT Pro). That performance made him just the second Honduras native to be voted TheCup.us Player of the Round, joining Romell Quioto who won the award as a member of the Houston Dynamo (MLS) in the 2018 Quarterfinals.

The next two goals came in the form of a brace against Central Valley Fuego (USL League One), where he scored an equalizer just before halftime as well as an 88th minute winner to secure his team’s place in the Third Round.

His fourth and final goal of the tournament came in the first half of a road game against local rivals Oakland Roots (USL Championship). El Farolito wasn’t able to hold on to that early lead as the Roots came back to win 2-1 in extra time.

When asked about his thoughts on being knocked out of the tournament early despite his success in front of goal he had this to say: “Well, the personal aspect was good, to be honest, but we also knew that they were favorites on paper even though we were also good on paper but we kept believing. We were like a family and we knew that the other team would be stronger than us. Pitifully, the expulsion for us made us fractured and what happened, happened. If we hadn’t had that player expelled, then things would’ve been different to be honest because we were very comfortable in that game, we started off winning. We felt really good in that game but to play with one man down is difficult … we believed we could’ve achieved more.”

After an impressive few years with El Farolito, Benson’s performance has earned a spot with one of his US Open Cup opponents: USL League One side Central Valley Fuego where he scored three goals in his first 10 games.

When asked what inspires him to remain consistent he said “Well to be honest, the main thing that inspires me is my family,” said Benson about his . My family is always looking out for me. We’re always going to watch soccer, that’s our passion. My son, my wife, and my mother it’s a passion of theirs… their support is always there and every time I take the pitch I go ‘This is for my family.’ ‘I’m going to do it for my son, for my wife, and for my family who is always raising me up and supporting me.’ and I think that’s the primary motivation that pushes me in every game.”

Why is it against the rules to change leagues during the US Open Cup?

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The scene from historic Boxer Stadium in San Francisco with El Farolito hosting Burlingame Dragons in the First Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Evan Ream
The scene from historic Boxer Stadium in San Francisco with El Farolito hosting Burlingame Dragons in the First Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Evan Ream

On Nov. 19, 2017, El Farolito dominated Cal Victory FC 8-0 to clinch a spot in the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. It was a “Win & You’re In” game in the Open Division qualifying tournament for the 105th edition of the competition. It was the second year in a row that the San Francisco-area club would punch their ticket and they did it by not allowing a single goal in three games, outscoring their opponents 16-0.

However, when they made the decision to change leagues from the historic San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL) to the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), they violated a rule in the US Open Cup bylaws and it cost them a trip to the 2018 tournament.

So, why is that rule in place?

It began before the 2015 US Open Cup when the tournament committee made a change to the bylaws about team eligibility. In Section 202, subsection c reads that teams entering through the Open Division must adhere to the following rules to remain eligible throughout the tournament:

“(i) A team must remain a playing member in good standing within its club/league competition, starting from the Open Division entry deadline and continuing until the Open Cup Final for the competition year;

(ii) A team’s league must be in operation from the Open Division entry deadline until the Open Cup Final for the competition year.”

During the qualifying tournament, El Farolito had been in talks with the NPSL and were hoping to be accepted into the league.

“We always knew about the rule,” said El Farolito general manager Santiago Lopez. “But there was a deadline to enter the US Open Cup and we didn’t know if NPSL was going to accept us.”

A portion of Section 202 of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup handbook.
A portion of Section 202 of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup handbook.

So they decided to continue with the qualifying tournament as a backup plan just in case they weren’t accepted into the NPSL. Shortly after they defeated Cal Victory FC to clinch a spot in the tournament, the NPSL decided to accept El Farolito into the fold.

After the tweet was sent out, it didn’t take long for US Soccer to give Lopez a call to confirm the news and to let him know what his options were. Lopez was told what he already knew, if he decided to join the NPSL and leave the SFSFL completely, they would be disqualified. There have been other teams who have changed leagues during the tournament, but the workaround is that they keep a team in the old league, or field a reserve team, in order to remain in good standing with the league.

They would either have to field two teams or play their first team twice each weekend. That wasn’t an option for El Farolito.

“SFSFL is one of the toughest amateur leagues in the country and having two clubs at the same time is extremely difficult,” Lopez said. “The President decided to just focus on NPSL.”

This wasn’t the first time since 2015 that a team was disqualified for switching leagues. On Oct. 22, 2016, Minneapolis City SC defeated Michigan’s Oakland County FC 2-1 in extra time to clinch a spot in the 2017 US Open Cup before they learned that their plans to move from the Premier League of America to the NPSL was a violation of tournament rules. Once it became clear that they were in violation of the Open Cup bylaws, Minneapolis approached the USSF to see if they could work out an arrangement that would allow them to continue. In the end, they were disqualified.

Some fans and members of the media have asked why this rule was added in 2015. Also, why does the New York Cosmos B, Jacksonville Armada and Miami FC 2 get to participate in the 2018 US Open Cup despite technically changing leagues.

As for the motivation for the rule change, a USSF spokesperson explained it this way.

By changing leagues, even if the team in question leaves to join another US Soccer-affiliated league, there is an “interruption” to their affiliation with the federation. In theory, a team could drop out of their current league, join another league and if they are eliminated from the Open Cup, they could drop out of the new league before they even play a game.

In an extreme scenario, a club could drop out of its current league and register to join another, followed by losing its next Open Cup game without having played a match in its new league. With the Open Cup out of reach, the club could then decide to immediately withdraw from its new league (which it might have joined to retain Open Cup eligibility as its only intention).

While this scenario may be unlikely, based on this explanation, the federation is just concerned with covering their bases.

El Farolito, 1993 US Open Cup champions, disqualified from 2018 tournament

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el-farolito-logo-bigThe 1993 US Open Cup Champions will not get a chance at a second title this year as El Farolito, a San Francisco-based amateur club, has been disqualified on account of moving leagues. After decades of thriving in the famed San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL), El Farolito decided to take its talents to the continually-growing National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).

Minneapolis City SC suffered a similar fate last year as they transitioned from the Premier League of American to the NPSL. However, while last year’s Minneapolis City disqualification resulted from a miscommunication, El Farolito seems like they knew exactly what they were getting into.

“Yes, we understand the rule and it is unfortunate that we, like other amateurs clubs in the past years, have been eliminated,” Santiago Lopez, El Farolito general manager and head coach told TheCup.us.

After qualifying in 2017 for the first time since the club won the tournament under the name CD Mexico in 1993, El Farolito will miss out on the competition due to the rule spelled out in this year’s Open Cup Handbook. Section 202c1i reads: “To remain eligible throughout the tournament, a team must remain a playing member in good standing within its club/league competition, starting from the Open Division entry deadline (which was last summer) and continuing until the Open Cup Final for the competition year.”

Some teams have gotten around this rule by keeping a team in their previous league while also playing in their new league. For example, Boca Raton FC continued to compete in the American Premier Soccer League to maintain their Open Cup eligibility when they joined the NPSL.

This was a non-starter for El Farolito.

A undated team photo of El Farolito
An undated team photo of El Farolito

“SFSFL is one of the toughest amateur leagues in the country and having two clubs at the same time is extremely difficult,” Lopez said. “The President decided to just focus on NPSL.”

Further, that regulation would have forced the Open Cup team to continue in the SFSFL, meaning El Farolito would either have to field two teams or play their first team twice each weekend.

So while the regulation is clear, the purpose behind the regulation is less so. TheCup.us reached out to USSF for comment but received no response as of Thursday morning. Lopez implied that the regulation existed to prevent teams from qualifying and simply moving to unsanctioned leagues to focus on the Open Cup and other tournaments.

Further complicating matters is that, according to Lopez, El Farolito didn’t yet know whether they’d be accepted into NPSL once the Open Cup Qualifying deadline rolled around. But that uncertainty didn’t deter the former champions from applying for, and eventually winning three games in, the open division qualifying tournament.

“We wanted to play and show everyone we are an Open Cup team,” Lopez said.

2018 US Open Cup qualifying: El Farolito crushes Cal Victory, qualifies without allowing a goal

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The entrance sign at Matthew J. Boxer Soccer Stadium on Nov. 19, 2017. Boxer Stadium first opened back in 1953. Photo: Thomas
The entrance sign at Matthew J. Boxer Soccer Stadium on Nov. 19, 2017. Boxer Stadium first opened back in 1953. Photo: Thomas Hodul

El Farolito stormed into the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with an 8-0 win over Cal Victory of the UPSL. The San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL) champions and former Open Cup champions (1993) took care of business to qualify for the Open Cup proper rounds for the second consecutive season.

The match kicked off at 11:15 a.m. local time in San Francisco at historic Boxer Stadium. The early kickoff time seemed to have Cal Victory slightly asleep at the wheel.

El Farolito began the scoring inside of six minutes when Ederson De Silva dribbled the ball uncontested to the top of the box and curled his shot passed the helpless goalkeeper to start what became a long morning of scoring.

Gustavo Ruelas would add two more for El Farolito by the 12th minute of the match. The first goal came off of a beautiful cross from the right side off of the foot of Arnold Rivas, which Ruelas poked home, and a second from the left side off of the foot of Andres Rodriguez, which Ruelas headed home.

Carlos Montes, the hat trick hero for El Farolito in their opening round qualifying match, scored in the 30th minute to make the score 4-0 to the host side. Moments later, it got worse for Cal Victory when Jefferson Nunez made a dangerous tackle from behind and picked up his 2nd yellow, putting his team down to ten men.

MORE: California wildfires not stopping Cal Victory FC in quest for 2018 US Open Cup berth

El Farolito picked up a fifth goal just before the end of the first half to extend their lead to 5-0. Marco Lubel scored this time for El Farolito to send his team into the break with a commanding lead.

The scoring continued early in the second half for El Farolito as Carlos Montes scored in both the 48th and 55th minutes to once again pick up a hat trick in the US Open qualifying rounds. El Farolito added an eighth goal to put the final stamp on a decisive victory in the 65th minute, when Ederson De Silva picked up his second goal of the match.

“I’m really happy with the group. They have showed a lot of effort since the beginning of August since we had to get this roster together,” said El Farolito head coach Santiago Lopez. “They knew the goal was to qualify no matter how. I’m not surprised the way they did it with zero goals against in three games. It’s a great feeling to qualify and I’m really proud of the group.”

El Farolito did not allow a single goal during its qualifying run, outscoring all three opponents by a combined score of 16-0. They defeated Dynamos FC, 3-0 back on Sept. 23 and Academia FC, 5-0 on Oct. 22.

Following a long league season that saw his side earn the San Francisco League title once again, Lopez said, “I need a long break. It’s been since February we have been working. These guys deserve their long break and to rest up with their families. We will get back together end of January and start the planning for next year.”

El Farolito can now look ahead to the club’s second consecutive trip to the US Open Cup which is scheduled to begin in early May of 2018.

2018 US Open Cup Qualifying: El Farolito follow up league title with dominant Round 2 win over Academica SC

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El Farolito logoMORE: 2018 US Open Cup Qualifying Results/Schedule

The 1993 Open Cup Champions, El Farolito, cruised into round three of qualifying with a 5-0 victory over Liga NorCal side, Academica SC, from Turlock, Calif. Coming off of winning another San Francisco Soccer League title just two weeks ago, El Farolito looked dominant in almost every facet of the game.

The game kicked off at 11:15 a.m. at historic Boxer Stadium, home to the oldest running soccer leagues in the country. El Farolito looked intent on defending their home field and earning a place in the third round of the 2018 US Open Cup qualifying tournament.

The match was fairly balanced for the first 10-15 minutes of the game before El Farolito was able to break though in the 15th minute with a wonderful team goal. Herbert Alferez received a great ball over the top before centering it to Marco Iubel who rounded the keeper and slotted it home to send the host on their way.

Academica had their best chance to equalize in the 32nd minute when Jorge Carmona went direct for goal off of a corner kick, but El Farolito stand-out defender Jansen Salton expertly cleared it off the line to maintain his side’s 1-0 advantage.

The host doubled their advantage just before the break when Herbert Alferez scored from the spot to make the score 2-0 in favor of El Farolito heading into the break.

El Farolito kept their foot on the gas like they usually do and added a third goal once again from the penalty spot, this time from Rodolfo Espiniza in the 50th minute.

Not long after that, in the 52nd minute, Academica’s top player of the day went down, needing an ambulance. This caused at least a 20-minute delay to the match. When the match resumed, it was played at a different pace, almost as if the match had already been finished.

El Farolito added two more goals in the lengthy stoppage time that was added to the game. One of these goals was from Ederson Da Silva who expertly finished into the side netting to make the score 4-0, before Jorge Hernandez added a fifth from the penalty spot.

The former champions secured their place in the next round and will host the UPSL side from Petaluma, Calif., Cal Victory, in Round 3 with a spot in the 2018 US Open Cup on the line.

2017 US Open Cup Round 1: Burlingame Dragons oust former Open Cup champs to advance for first time

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The scene from historic Boxer Stadium in San Francisco with El Farolito hosting Burlingame Dragons in the First Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Evan Ream
The scene from historic Boxer Stadium in San Francisco with El Farolito hosting Burlingame Dragons in the First Round of the 2017 US Open Cup. Photo: Evan Ream

In a match that featured a former US Open Cup winner pitted against a side that had yet to win a match in the competition, it was the newcomers who ended up victorious on the day.

The Burlingame Dragons FC, a third-year PDL franchise, managed their first win in three first round tries, beating El Farolito at Boxer Stadium 6-5 on penalties after the two teams drew 0-0 through 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime.

The circumstances of the match replicated those of many early round matches in the tournament, with several instances out of the control of both squads playing a factor.

Any side competing at this portion of the competition may be familiar with the the following aspects that impacted the match:

* The lack of field lights at Boxer Stadium forced the match to a 3 p.m. kickoff, meaning that several Dragons couldn’t attend the match due to conflicting college classes.

Burlingame Dragons FC logo* Up until just days before the game, neither side was sure who winger Gabe Silveira would suit up for, as he had played for both teams in the past few months (he ended up starting for the Dragons).

* The playing surface was less-than-optimal, with a bumpy pitch also lined for lacrosse.

“Not only did we not know much about our opponent, but our boys have only been together a few times, and we had a few players play today that we haven’t even seen,” said assistant coach Albertin Montoya, who took the reins on the night from head coach Joe Cannon, who was in Hawaii. “It’s more about an attitude and a mindset in the way we approached this game.”

Still, both sides came out attacking in a back-and-forth match, until the air was taken out of it by a stoppage of play late in the first half due to a pair of head injuries.

That pause resulted in 13 minutes of stoppage time in the first half, disrupting any momentum that was previously had by either side.

And that disruption was further exacerbated by a 52nd minute red card to Luis Nieves of El Farolito for a two-footed challenge in the middle of the park.

From there El Farolito, who were making their first appearance in the tournament since winning the US Open Cup title under the name CD Mexico in 1993, packed it in to try to play for overtime and penalties. This strategy was aided by the howling winds which saw corner flags perpetually bent over at a 45-degree angle.

Burlingame nearly prevented the inevitable in the 69th minute, but Silveira’s close-range attempt throttled the crossbar in the closest attempt either team got to actually putting the ball in the back of the net.

El Farolito dodged one more bullet just after Silveira’s shot when one of their players nearly scored an own goal, but it too could only rattle the woodwork.

The match ended up going to penalty kicks with Dragons keeper Mitchell North ending up as the hero in the shootout with two saves to help the visitors advance, 6-5.

“More often than not in PKs, the team that deserves it comes out on top,” Montoya said. “That’s just how it works. I thought we deserved it.”

For their efforts, the Dragons earned a second round match Wednesday against NASL expansion side San Francisco Deltas, who had trained at Boxer Stadium earlier in the day — many Deltas players stayed to scout their opponents.

“I haven’t even thought about ,” Montoya said. “We’re very excited that we moved on, but more importantly is the team’s coming together, they’re starting to believe in themselves. Who knows what’s going to happen? As long as we’re disciplined and we play with heart and play for each other, good things can happen.”

MORE: 2017 Meet the Underdogs: San Francisco’s El Farolito returns for first time since winning 1993 US Open Cup title

2017 Meet the Underdogs: San Francisco’s El Farolito returns for first time since winning 1993 US Open Cup title

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El Farolito, then known as CD Mexico, won the 1993 US Open Cup championship.
El Farolito, then known as CD Mexico, won the 1993 US Open Cup championship.

This story is used with permission from The Midfield Press

The first round of the US Open Cup will take place on May 10th with multiple matches pitting top amateur soccer clubs from around the country against each other. The only amateur side that has previously won this competition that will be participating in this year’s first round is El Farolito. A San Francisco-based amateur soccer club, El Farolito won the historic US Open Cup in 1993 when at the time they were called Club Deportivo (CD) Mexico.

The club was founded by Salvador Lopez, the owner of Taqueria El Farolito, one of the most famous Mexican food spots in San Francisco if not all of California. With the prime location directly outside of the 24th Street/Mission BART Stop, El Farolito is distinguished for being one of the originators of the San Francisco Mission-style burrito. Just next door to the restaurant is El Farolito Bar where I was able to meet with Head Coach, General Manager, do-everything-for-the-Club, Santiago Lopez, to talk about the history of the Club and the upcoming tournament. The bar is where all of the Club’s trophies and memorabilia are kept. Even the 1993 Open Cup trophy sits on a shelf at the bar.

Since its founding in 1985, the club has played in the historic San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL). Salvador Lopez founded the Club because he had “always been a fan of soccer and wanting to compete,” said head coach Santiago Lopez.

They won consecutive promotions immediately to the SFSFL Premier Division, the top tier of the League. The SFSFL is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States and even the world, playing league matches in the heart of SF since 1902.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, every team is going to show up and play hard,” said Lopez.

The league features its own three-tiered promotion-relegation system as well as some of the same clubs that have played in the league since the 1910s. The Olympic Club is the oldest current club in the SFSFL, having joined the League in 1916. It is perhaps El Farolito’s biggest current rivals.

The trophy from the 1993 US Open Cup, won by CD Mexico (El Farolito)
The trophy from the 1993 US Open Cup, won by CD Mexico (El Farolito)

“They have so much experience. The players are so committed to the Club, the tradition, that the whole club is amazing. Everything that the Olympic Club represents is prestige and tradition,” said the El Farolito head coach. The Olympic Club is the defending SFSFL champion, having topped El Farolito who finished second last year in the league.

El Farolito is not the only club from the SFSFL to have won the US Open Cup. The league was the home of two-time Open Cup champions in 1985 and 1994, the San Francisco Greek-American Athletic Club. The San Francisco Italian Athletic Club won in 1976. Following the 1985 win for the Greek-Americans, their head coach, Lothar Osander, became the head coach of the US National Team, a position he held from 1986-1988. He also won the Cup with them in 1994. This means that in 1993 and 1994, the SFSFL won back-to-back Open Cups. This followed the San Jose Oaks win in 1992, making the Bay Area one of the most dominant soccer hubs in the pre-MLS era.

“The 90s was the most amazing decade for Bay Area soccer,” said Lopez. “You had the Greek-Americans, you had El Farolito, you had the San Francisco Seals .”

The 1993 El Farolito Open Cup run included some big wins over top amateur sides of the day. They beat the defending Open Cup champions, the San Jose Oaks, in regional qualifying with a 1-0 win. They then won their regional final against Exiles SC (Manhattan Beach, Calif.).

In the Semifinals, they beat the Bavarian SC (Milwaukee), a club that remains active today in the Premier League of America, and is a four-time National Amateur Cup winner. In the match with the Bavarians, El Farolito was reduced to nine men, but managed to force the game to overtime. Jose Angulo scored the lone goal for El Farolito in regulation, and then went on to score twice more in overtime to complete his hat trick and send El Farolito to the final.

They then were pitted against the amateur power, the United German-Hungarians (Philadelphia area), in the final Cup match at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The match was on national television on a tape delay. The United German-Hungarians were a club founded in 1910 that went into the 1993 Open Cup final with more history and experience than El Farolito. While El Farolito was able to reach the 1991 National Amateur Cup final, the German-Hungarians had already been to four Amateur Cup finals, including winning in 1965. They also appeared in the Open Cup final in 1977, a game in which they lost to five-time Open Cup winners, Maccabee AC (Los Angeles).

There was quite a number of talented players in the 1993 Open Cup squad for El Farolito. First there was striker Jose Angulo, a Columbian international. He was considered the heartbeat of the team. His biggest contribution was his hat trick in the semifinals. In addition, the team had two different multiple goal scorers in the final. Both Samuel Cid Del Prado and finals MVP Elias Fonseca found the back of the net twice that day as El Farolito won 5-0.

The Open Cup win became the true establishment of the Club’s winning tradition. They also won the SFSFL that year to complete the double and establish themselves as a force within the League. The club did hit some hard times about seven years ago when they found themselves on the verge of relegation. That is when current head coach Santiago Lopez took over. It was bad enough that in his first game in charge he had to play himself. However, he was able to salvage a 4th place finish in what would be his lowest finish in the league as coach to date. El Farolito last won the league in 2015 under Lopez.

The roster for the 1993 US Open Cup champion CD Mexico (El Farolito)
The roster for the 1993 US Open Cup champion CD Mexico (El Farolito)

To qualify for this year’s Open Cup 1st round, El Farolito thought they would have to win four or five games in qualifying rounds. However, it turned out to be only two matches. In the first qualifying round back on September 17th, El Farolito topped the Davis Legacy at home, scoring twice within 10 minutes before holding on for a 2-1 victory.

In the second qualifying round, they traveled to Lake Forest, Calif. to face Strikers FC South Coast. El Farolito saw two red cards go against them in the match within 30 minutes, reminiscent of the 1993 semifinal. However, El Farolito took a 2-0 lead while reduced to nine men, before winning the match 2-1 to reach the first round proper of the Cup.

“We just played two lines of four” to see the game out, said Lopez.

They currently sit on top of the SFSFL table on goal differential through 6 games.

One of their top players on the Open Cup roster from last season, Dylan Autran, recently signed a pro contract in the Finnish second tier, so he will be unavailable for this match. Some of the top players to look out for in the upcoming match begin with the most local product, Emanuel Caldera. Caldera was born in Nicaragua but grew up in the San Francisco Mission District just a few blocks from the El Farolito Restaurant.

The current captain for the club is the goalkeeper, Jorge Rosales from Redwood City, Calif.

The most versatile player is Alex Lopez. Coach Lopez says that he can play anywhere on the field, including at the back or as a winger.

“You can put him at a 90,000 seat stadium or at Boxer Stadium and you’re going to get the same whole-hearted attitude.”

Gabe Silveira, a player who is currently playing for El Farolito and is on their roster for the current season, but last year played for the Burlingame Dragons.

“He still doesn’t know if he’s going to play with the Dragons against us,” said Lopez at the time of the interview. Since he hasn’t played for either side yet in this year’s Cup, he would be eligible to play for either team.

El Farolito will welcome local PDL side and San Jose Earthquakes affiliate, the Burlingame Dragons, to their home at the historic Boxer Stadium. Boxer Stadium is home to most SFSFL matches and is named after former SFSFL president, Matthew Boxer. The stadium is located just off of the Balboa Bart Stop in San Francisco.

“It’s a tough field,” said Lopez, when asked if Boxer Stadium would give his club a home field advantage. “You can play any field and anything can go wrong. It can go bad. Soccer has to do with a little bit of luck. Preparation will increase the luck, but at the end of the day anything can happen.”

A undated team photo of El Farolito
A undated team photo of El Farolito

Lopez said that he likes the draw with the Burlingame Dragons.

“It’s going to be entertaining. Both clubs don’t know each other,” said Lopez. “We have more games in preparation than them, but there are no games that we can go to and watch them play and scout them.”

However, he did recognize what Burlingame represents.

“We know the Dragons are going to be an extremely tough team, because they know how to play soccer. Maybe they haven’t worked together, but truly they have quality players,” said Lopez. “The Dragons are doing something extremely right and they are sending players to MLS, defenders that are debuting and scoring in their first MLS game. That’s amazing. We know we are up against a tough machine.”

He then went on to talk about his opposing head coach in this match for the Dragons, the newly-hired former MLS goalie, Joe Cannon.

“Goalkeepers to me are extremely good readers of the game. I know he’s well-prepared, definitely more prepared than me, no doubt.”

The winner of the game will play the San Francisco Deltas of the NASL in Round 2. When asked about potentially playing the Deltas, Lopez said, “We can’t think about that game right now. I do think about it because of the possibilities and what might be the test ahead of us, but you can’t. First is the Dragons, and I think they are the same level as the Deltas.”

He has great respect for the new San Francisco pro side as well.

“There’s support from the City, there’s a great coaching staff, they are doing things extremely right and that reflects on the team. A lot of the players you can tell they work their ass off.”

He has really enjoyed watching the Deltas so far this season. “Number 10 (Kyle Bekker) is very active. I think he is the best one there. He’s extremely good, and the left back (Kenny Teijsse) doesn’t get the ball enough. I really don’t know why he doesn’t get the ball. They play through the right side a lot.” He went on to add that “Jackson is super quick and #25 (Danny Cruz) and #9 (Hienemann) all work so hard” up front. He also mentioned that he “like(s) having the Deltas in town.”

We then discussed what he felt were the expectations and goals for El Farolito in the Open Cup this year.

“We expect the players to give 100%, because they know the commitment that the club has with them,” said Lopez.

He went on to say that the pressure is on them, because “we are up against teams that know the history of the club, so we expect them to work hard and represent the franchise and what it is. You know, we are not a big club, 1983 is not a long time. There are clubs in our league that have way longer history than us.”

As for El Farolito going forward, “My dream would be to put El Farolito back onto the national stage, like they were once before in the 90s, and have the team acknowledged like fuck we are up against El Farolito. We are up against lions. We are up against a strong team.”

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