You can measure a city by the things it celebrates. On Tuesday, inside the gold-trimmed walls of City Hall, San Francisco tipped its cap to a Mission District taquería, a scrappy soccer team and the siblings somehow running both.
El Farolito SC — the team that has knocked out professional sides with part-time players who also drive Ubers, install drywall and work double shifts — was officially commended by the Board of Supervisors today.
If a newly introduced resolution passes next week, May 22 will also become El Farolito Day in San Francisco — a fitting tribute to a team that has long represented a kind of underdog excellence pulsing through the city’s immigrant and working-class core.
Leading the commendation was District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who described El Farolito as “a massive source of pride,” calling the club “the best of San Francisco and the Latino community” and “a living testament to unity, resilience, and the beautiful game.”
Present in the room — after dodging past quinceañeras in ball gowns and newlywed couples striking poses on City Hall’s grand staircase — Santiago López and his sister Irene, the club’s manager, accepted certificates: one for him, one for her, and one for the team founded by their father, Salvador “Don Chava” López, in 1985.
Now reigning champions of the National Premier Soccer League and globally respected for their giant-slaying ways in the U.S. Open Cup, El Farolito famously won the tournament in 1993 under the name Club Deportivo México. The trophy still sits behind the bar at their 24th and Mission taquería.
Today, it’s Don Chava’s son, Santiago, who gets to frame and hang the team’s latest recognition beside that old glory.
Well-kept secrets
El Farolito’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign may be over, but the ball is still rolling.
Unbeaten so far in the NPSL’s Golden Gate Conference, the team will head to New Hampshire in early June to compete in the National Champions Soccer League, where El Farolito will face West Chester United FC, the Houston Regals, and Seacoast United for the title of best amateur team in the country.
The tentative 18-player travel list has existed for some time — but many team members are still waiting on time-off approvals from their bosses.
Blending multiple roles and passions — just like most of his players — is the coach himself. Santiago López balances his duties in the taquerías, where he ensures quality control over every taco, with his commitment to developing the team. He finds common ground between the precision of managing a business and the creativity of running a soccer squad. Both realms demand attention to detail, respect for tradition and the flexibility to adapt to ever-changing circumstances.
“The clear message, in the taquería and the team, is that everyone has their own individual role and must dedicate themselves to it,” he emphasizes. “Because everyone depends on you, and you depend on them, too.”
And here’s the twist: When he’s not sketching out new training routines or sorting out payroll, Santiago moonlights as a DJ and electronic music producer. His beats have slipped through the walls of underground San Francisco clubs for years. He even admits he sometimes considers himself “better at music than as a soccer coach.”
Leading a double (or triple) life seems to be working just fine for everyone involved.
With or without a formal day in its name, El Farolito is already part of San Francisco’s story. But if the Board makes it official next week, the rest of the city might just catch up.
Wish I could get my hands on an El Farlito soccer jersey. The should sell them.
GO TEAM!
Cool, but jackie should try addressing important issues in the neighborhood too.