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El Farolito FC are taking the U.S. Open Cup by storm and pulled off another cupset on Tuesday defeating USL 1 side Central Valley Fuego FC 2-1.
The underdogs advanced to the third round of the tournament courtesy of a brace from Dembor Benson. The 28-year-old scored an equalizer just before halftime and then tucked in the dramatic winner in the 88th minute.
El Farolito highlights
EL FAROLITOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*That's it, that's the tweet | #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/cf6WzJlhgX— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) April 3, 2024
.@elfarolito_npsl LEAVE IT LATE @opencup // #USOC2024 pic.twitter.com/s7alwqCN45
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) April 3, 2024
El Farolito put themselves on the map in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup when they took down the Portland Timbers II. The club play in the National Premier Soccer League which is considered fourth tier.
Named after the late owner Salvador Lopez's chain of restaurants, El Farolito have quickly become the darlings of the 2024 tournament. In the pre-MLS era, the club based in San Francisco won the 1993 edition of the Open Cup.
BURRITO BOYS DO IT AGAIN. San Francisco amateur side El Farolito—founded in 1985 by local burrito restaurant—upset 2nd pro side in US Open Cup Tuesday night with late 2-1 win over USL's Fuego FC. And made SF Chronicle front page. #KeepTheOpenCupWeird [ @Marisa_Ingemi] ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jNFVZ0ifm6
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) April 3, 2024
The draw for the third round will take place on April 4 and El Farolito will get to face an even bigger challenge. The burrito minnows will get the opportunity to play a club from the USL Championship, the second tier in the U.S. Soccer pyramid.
Geography will play a factor into who the San Francisco club faces as teams will be put into groups for the draw based on how close they are.
USL Championship teams entering the next round relatively close to El Farolito include Monterey Bay FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Las Vegas Lights FC and Oakland Roots SC.
