For 95 minutes, El Farolito battled Sacramento Republic FC to a scoreless draw in Round 1 of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Heart Health Park in Sacramento. But eventually the host side was able to earn their place in Round 2 with a 2-0 victory over the Burrito Boys.
The chaotic ending of the match intensifies a rivalry that began with the two clubs meeting in the Open Cup last year, with Sacramento also winning that match by a score of 1-0.
All the Goals Came in Extra Time
A pair of goals from Sacramento’s Forster Ajago was all the host side needed to earn their place in Round 2.
Farolito and goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez were able to keep a clean sheet until the 95th minute, when Ajago found space between a pair of defenders and nodded in the cross from Mayele Malango.
El Farolito’s best chance in extra time came in the 99th minute when Dembor Benson won a free kick from distance. But the resulting shot attempt was cleared away by the Sacramento defense.
More trouble for Farolito came in the 102nd minute when Kipre Sacre was red carded for a hard challenge to the legs of Sacramento’s Rohan Chivukula.
The second goal was the final play before the final whistle. Gonzalez was rushing to kick the ball down the field, but Ajago jumped into the ball’s path and deflected it into the net.
After this second goal, the battle became real as players began pushing and shoving and exchanging angry words. The officials decided that three red cards would be issued: to Mark-Anthony Kaye from Sacramento, and Johan Yabur and Herlbert Soto of El Farolito. (Soto had already been substituted for earlier in the half.)
The referee blew the final whistle, and coaches and officials tried to calm the players, but soon some Farolito players began climbing into the stands in response to insults from Sacramento fans. A few minutes later, calm was restored.
Caution was the Keyword in the First 45 Minutes
Neither club had a shot on goal in the first half, but Sacramento maintained 61% of the possession and outshot Farolito 8-2.
But as the half went on, Farolito began finding opportunities. The best came in the 36th minute, when a free kick from outside the box found Dembor Benson for a header that hit the post.
Gonzalez Stops Several Potential Game-Winners
In the second half, Sacramento made several substitutions, while El Farolito stayed with their starting lineup until late in the match.
Gonzalez made several key saves, including stopping a shot from Blake Willey in the 57th minute and another by Michel Benítez in the 67th minute.
In the 74th minute, Gonzalez redirected a dangerous cross from Arturo Rodriguez and got help from a teammate in clearing a shot off the line from Dominik Wanner.
In the 89th minute, Chibuike Ukaegbu’s header was on target, but Gonzales scrambled to keep it from crossing the line.
Vitiello’s best save came early in the half, when he stopped a hard shot from close range from Jonathan Valdivia.
Next Round
Sacramento Republic awaits its second-round opponent in the Open Cup, while El Farolito eagerly awaits the opportunity to qualify for the tournament in 2027.
