Erik Arias scored the game winner and El Farolito survived a second half red card to claim its first NPSL National Championship with a 2-1 win over FC Motown.
The match was held at Ranger Stadium at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. It kicked off more than 2 hours late, due to the dangers of lightning storms.
Motown Comes Out in Attack Mode in the First Half
Motown’s first chance came 30 seconds into the match, on a header from point blank range by Joe Holland. Goalkeeper Johan Lizarralde was able to scramble back into position to deflect the ball away.
The home side had a second great chance in the 7th minute. Maudwindo Germain got free on a break away after a quick direct ball from Papa Sow. Farolito’s Jhohann Yabur caught up with him and went in for the tackle, but Germain was able to get a shot off that took a couple of agonizing bounces on the turf before eventually hitting the post.
El Farolito’s first chance came in the 13th minute. Valdivia sent in a cross toward Edgard Kreye. Motown’s Joseph Fala broke up the pass with a sliding tackle, but goalkeeper Josh Schaffer had to scramble to make sure it didn’t end up as an own goal.
In the 26th minute, Motown earned free kick from just outside the penalty area. Christopher Bermudez’s shot sailed over the wall but straight into the arms of Lizarralde.
And as the half went on, El Farolito’s defense clamped down and the match got more physical, with three yellow cards on each side.
El Farolito’s best chance of the first half came on a counterattack in the second minute of stoppage time. Valdivia sent in a cross to Herlbert Soto, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Josh Schaffer.
Kreye and Schaffer collided as both men tried to get the rebound. Schaffer’s suffered a head injury on the play. He had to leave the match for the few remaining moments of the first half and returned in the second half with a large bandage on his head.
The Goals Finally Come in the Second Half
All of the goals came within an eight minute span.
El Farolito took the lead in the 53rd minute, As Kreye made a run into the box, his cross deflected off of Fala’s arm and the referee did not hesitate in calling for a penalty kick. Schaffer guessed correctly by diving to his right, but couldn’t stop Yabur’s laser that settled just inside the post.
Motown equalized less than two minutes later. Germain took on two Farolito defenders as he made his run into the box. His cross found Bermudez trailing the play; Bermudez blasted a one-timer that took a couple of bounces and beat Lizarralde at the near post.
The game winner came in the 62nd minute. Jesus Martinez sent a cross in to Kreye, who laid the ball off for Erik Arias, whose shot bounced off of a Motown defender and rebounded back to him. Schaffer was in position at the near post for Arias’s second shot, but the ball slipped through his hands and into the net.
Farolito was reduced to 10 men in the 67th minute, when Valdivia received his second yellow card for taking down Zachary Perez from behind. His first yellow also came on a confrontation with Perez, in the 39th minute.
But Farolito’s stout defense was able to run out the clock with their passing and dribbling skills, without giving up any significant chances.
Motown’s Nicolas Nee had a shot in the 75th minute, but it sailed well over the crossbar.
Germain also had a shot from the top of the penalty area in the 80th minute that Lizarralde saved at the near post. A nearby defender put the ball over the end line.
Lizarralde received a yellow card for time wasting in the 4th minute of second half stoppage time, but soon afterward the final whistle blew, confirming that El Farolito were champions.
Next Season
El Farolito’s rivalry with Napa Valley 1839 FC may be put on hold.
Napa and FC Davis are among the five prominent current and former NPSL clubs who have signed an open letter stating that they are abandoning their current league to build a new league called The League for Clubs.
“The League” will be a summer amateur league that is slated to kick off in the Spring/Summer of 2025. Like the NPSL, USL League 2, and the UPSL, “The League” will be a group of affiliated local conferences whose best teams will compete for a national championship.
There has been a lot of shuffling in the NPSL Golden Gate Conference in recent years. Three teams have moved on to other leagues including Academica SC (USL League 2) as well as FC Davis and Solano County Sol (UPSL).
