Although it was April 1st, it wasn’t April Fool’s Day for El Farolito as two second-half goals sent the NPSL amateur side past the USL Championship Monterey Bay in a 2025 second-round U.S. Open Cup game.
Monterey Bay looked to claim its second victory over a San Francisco club, after defeating Inter SF in the first round of the Open Cup.
Everything looked to be going according to schedule in the first half when a penalty was converted in the 28th minute by Monterey’s Xavi Gnaulati for a lead the team would comfortably take into the half.
However in the second half, El Farolito attacked and pinned Monterey back for large periods in their defensive end.
The Burrito boys were rewarded in the 57th minute when defender Andrés Zuluaga got on the end of a free kick at the far post to place the shot past Monterery keeper Sam Gomez.
Sensing the momentum change, El Farolito kept up the pressure and took the lead in the 83rd minute.
First, a cross came into Faro’s forward Dembor Benson, whose shot was deflected by Gomez onto the bar. The ball fell into the box and Farolito’s Jhonatan Perez tried to take a shot but was also blocked. The ball fell to Farolito’s Edgard Kreye, who took another shot that was also deflected. The ball once more bounced back to Kreye’s feet, and he slotted the fourth attempt into the goal for the 2-1 lead.
El Farolito was able to weather Monterrey’s comeback attempt to celebrate the victory on the visitors’ home field.
Next up in the third round for El Farolito is perhaps a chance to match up with the Oakland Roots in the U.S. Open Cup. The Burrito Boys have lost the last two times they have played the Roots in the U.S. Open Cup.
