The dream slipped away on Wednesday night in Sacramento, under floodlights that shone just a little too harshly on the El Farolito soccer team. A 1-0 loss to Sacramento Republic, a professional soccer team, ended the amateur side’s underdog run in the U.S. Open Cup. El Farolito was cut short in the third round for the second year in a row.
From the opening whistle, it was clear El Farolito wanted this, perhaps too much. The players’ movements betrayed their anxiety; legs just a beat too fast, passes just a touch too long. There was no room for nerves against a Sacramento side that brought full respect to the occasion. The Republic was steady and sharp, absorbing El Farolito’s early pressure and striking back with remarkable precision. Sebastián Herrera scored a header in the 29th minute. Going forward, the game never felt out of reach. With every save, from free kicks to one-on-ones, goalkeeper Johan Lizarralde kept the yellow and blue alive.
El Farolito fought until the final whistle, chasing every ball, contesting every inch. Coach Santiago López practically emptied the bench. In the north end of the stands, the Burrito Brava supporters made sure that, even 90 miles from home, it sounded like a weekend in Balboa Park. They chanted, screamed, and groaned in unison, bilingual pottymouths assembled. The “puto” chants to the opposing goalie may have been offensive to some, but were fairly inconsequential for the match itself.
Outside the locker room afterward, a few family members waited, somber and quiet. Some laughed ruefully about bets lost — $100 here, $500 there — but the real wound wasn’t financial. It was emotional. “That one hurt more than money ever could,” one uncle said, voice low, arms crossed.
It hurt the players, who dragged their slippers to the parking lot outside Heart Health Center, huddling back in their carpool groups to return to the Bay. The working-class squad needs to go back to work. What is another commute, after all?
They’ll be back.