El Farolito Soccer Club clinched the 2025 Hank Steinbrecher Cup on Sunday afternoon in Manchester, New Hampshire, defeating Seacoast United Phantoms 1–0 in a hard-fought final to claim the trophy that crowns the best amateur team in the country.
El Farolito has now won the semipro NPSL, made a deep run in the pro and amateur U.S. Open Cup, and taken the Steinbrecher Cup, a clean sweep of the highest achievements available to a club at its level. Their latest conquest did not come with any prize money, just a trophy, pride and one more line in El Farolito’s growing list of achievements.
The lone goal came in the first half, when forward Sebastián Yabur, back with the team after a stint in Colombian professional soccer, buried a chance against the New England-based opponents that ultimately made the difference.
“It was a very intense match from the start,” said head coach Santiago López, recounting a game that was not streamed by the tournament organizers and only lives in the memory of those present. “We had three clear chances early that we didn’t finish, and the group started to feel some desperation.”
But the experience of a mature side — and the fatigue of having played a physically taxing semifinal the day before — shaped El Farolito’s strategy in the second half. “We slowed the game down and looked for the counter. They had only one shot on target and some corners, but nothing dangerous.”
On Friday, El Farolito had rolled past West Chester United FC with an emphatic 3–0 win in the semifinal, earning praise for intensity, discipline and fluid attack. But Sunday was a different kind of test: A battle of endurance, nerves, and control.
“It was a fast-paced game, [Seacoast United’s play] was typical of USL League Two teams with a lot of college players,” said defender and captain Jonathan Mosquera. “After Yabur scored, it was a war.”
Yabur’s return was a clear boost. The striker, who was a key piece of El Farolito’s 2024 title run in the National Premier Soccer League before heading back to Colombia, rejoined the club just before the tournament and quickly picked up where he left off. “We all know what he brings,” said forward Dembor Bengtson. “He knows he has the support of the group, and that gives him more confidence.”
Bengtson also praised the collective mindset. “We came prepared for this tournament. Our only mission was to bring the cup back to San Francisco — and we did that, thank God. I’m proud of this team, of my teammates, of how we keep pushing the Farolito name higher.”
The 20-man squad traveled across the country on Tuesday, flying from SFO to Boston and taking a bus north to New Hampshire. Most of the players are Latin American immigrants or first-generation Americans.
Balancing their soccer aspirations with full-time jobs back in the Bay Area is part of the DNA of the club. For a few days, that balance tipped the other way.
“We’ve been able to live the football life we’d like to have every day,” coach López said before the final: Days filled with rest, team meals, tactical meetings, and no alarm clocks set for work.
El Farolito returns to San Francisco on Monday with a title in tow, a little more belief, and the same big question hanging overhead: What next?
Until the U.S. opens the door to promotion and relegation, their ceiling remains frustratingly fixed. But for now, they’ve reached it — and broken through, even just a little.
It means “The” Farolito in spanish.