An early red card in Sunday’s match to advance to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup was seemingly too much for visiting Inter San Francisco as host Folsom FC advanced with a 4-2 win, securing the club’s first chance at US Open Cup glory.
Folsom FC had never been in the Cup before while Inter San Francisco made it last year. Both teams had very different styles of play, with Inter San Francisco playing very physically with a team of very large players. Folsom FC on the other hand relied on speed and an aggressive offense, which ultimately worked out well.
Folsom FC captain Luis Aguilar said the team is excited for their debut in the Cup next spring.
“We’re very excited and very anxious to see what’s next,” he said. “It’s a learning experience for all of us. But I think we’re a senior team. We’re all (in our) mid-twenties, that’s probably our average age, so I think we’ve all played at high levels. I think we know what it takes.”
The game got off to a rough start for Inter San Francisco, with a red card given in the 10th minute to Sebastian Alvarez for spitting. Down a man, the odds of coming out ahead in the match were diminished. Despite the man advantage, the match remained scoreless for the first half, with the ball mainly being controlled by Folsom.
Aguilar said their play was “hectic” for the start of the game, but after Inter San Francisco’s red card, Folsom started playing as a team and their game came together. Controlling the ball for most of the game, they seemed to be playing calm, contrary to Inter San Francisco, who played a very physical game.
Aguilar says that once they adjusted to the physicality, they “really picked it up on the physical aspect, mental aspect and the technical aspect as well.”
The second half started fast with a goal from Inter San Francisco’s Javier Rivera in the 46th minute but Folsom responded quickly to tie the game through Kody Duff.
Ten minutes later, Folsom’s Moshi Wilondja scored in the 63rd minute, taking the first lead of the day. Just two minutes later Joe Restrani did the same, extending the lead and putting Folsom in control. The game was idle for a bit, until Folsom FC’s Gabe Padilla scored in the 75th minute, to extend its lead to three.
Inter responded with a goal from former pro Matt Fondy — also in the 75th — but it wasn’t enough and the game ended at 4-2.
The last moment of excitement came in the 88th minute with a scuffle taking place on the field, involving most of the players on the field. Although nothing major happened in the altercation, and no red cards were assessed, a player on both teams each received a yellow.
