El Farolito Showcases Depth in Rout of Real San Jose
El Farolito began its 2026 NPSL season with a 12-0 shellacking of Real San Jose at Boxer Stadium in San Francisco.
From the opening whistle, Real San Jose had trouble keeping up with the home side’s pace and spent most of the match defending in their own half. The visiting side was also at a disadvantage because it had only three players available on the substitutes bench.
Unfamiliar Faces in the First Half
As the match began, Farolito’s lineup was missing several familiar faces, including Dembor Benson, Johnatan Mosquera, Herlbert Soto, and Kipre Sacre. It did include several Colombian players who had not played for the club before, as well as defender Omar Lemus, who formerly played for Central Valley Fuego and San Jose State University.
“I wanted to give everybody an opportunity,” Farolito’s Head Coach Santiago Lopez said after the match. “It’s the first game of the season. I want to see how they they react because it’s different types of pressure, more adrenaline. We’ve had a very long preseason with the season starting in May [in previous years, it started in March.] Some players were already feeling some fatigue and muscle soreness. I wanted to give opportunities to the other players and try changing formation as well.”
Even with the mix and match lineup, Erik Arias and Edgard Kreye were enough to stake the home side to a 4-0 lead at halftime, with Arias scoring on a pair of short headers in the 13th and 19th minutes, and Kreye using his foot to score in the 16th minute and in the first minute of injury time.
The Regulars Return in the Second Half
Benson entered the match as a substitute at halftime, and immediately made an impact, scoring on a diving header two minutes into the second half. Arias scored his third goal of the match a minute later, rushing into the penalty area to claim a loose ball and score from close range.
There were no goals for the next 25 minutes, but many more to come as the final whistle approached, with Soto scoring in the 72nd and 82nd minute; Benson adding goals in the 73rd, 87th, and 90th minute; and Arias capping off his evening with a final goal in the 86th minute.
After the final whistle, Lopez was pleased with the result.
“We missed [playing at] Boxer because of the size of the field,” he said. “We were trying a new formation and different strategy. The group looked good playing against a team that didn’t pressure us in our build-up, so it was good to see very good things in the final third.”
The final totals were 4 goals for Arias and Benson, and 2 goals each for Kreye and Soto.
El Farolito’s U.S. Open Cup Dreams Still Alive (for next year)
Lopez reiterated that one of the club’s primary goals is to once again earn a berth in next season’s U.S. Open Cup, in spite of the post-match brawl that overshadowed the club’s excellent performance in their match with Sacramento Republic earlier this year.
“Based on what I know, it shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “We need to stay focused and try to qualify again. The main intention is to do something memorable, and be a good team in the NPSL, show nationwide that the incident in Sacramento doesn’t reflect on the ownership or the coaching staff.
“It was a moment we have to move on from and we definitely learn and try to communicate to the players that we need to learn how to lose, but overall, just stay focused on playing and getting better.
“We’re gonna be playing in the USASA National Amateur Cup as well, so that’s another way of qualifying to the Open Cup. So, we’re gonna be competing in the NPSL, the Amateur Cup, and then we have a second team in the San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL). The most important thing is keeping these guys active and giving opportunities to new local players. That’s the intention of the second team and the San Francisco league.
“I’ve been scouting a lot of U-20 and U-17 players in the Bay Area, so regardless of what happened with the Sacramento Republic, this club has always offered a high performance environment to everybody in the Bay Area, and it’s the intention of the coaching staff and the ownership group is to have a very professional and respectful group.”
Stalemate in Vacaville’s Home Opener
The other Golden Gate Conference match last weekend ended in a 1-1 draw between Vacaville Elite and Cruizers FC.
After a scoreless 89 minutes, Joseph Mayorca converted a penalty kick to give the Cruizers a 1-0 lead.
But Angel Lopez’s equalizer in the 92nd minute enabled Vacaville to salvage a point.
Week One Matches
Week One in the Golden Gate Conference featured a doubleheader at PAL Stadium in San Jose.
Cruizers Earn 3 Points on Stoppage Time Penalty
This match was a back and forth affair, with Eamon Fakhri scoring in the 51st minute for the Stompers and Cruizers’ David Cortez answering 11 minutes later.
The Stompers responded one minute later, thanks to Atonal Torres, but Cruizers won the three points thanks to goals from Noah Reyneveld (87th minute) and Joseph Mayorca on a penalty kick in the 5th minute of stoppage time.
Vacaville Earns 3 Points in First NPSL Match
Vacaville got behind early, but upended San Jose by a score of 2-1, thanks to Gedeon Bukasa game-winner in the 58th minute.
San Jose’s Osmar Castelin had opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Eight minutes later, Vacaville’s Ahmed Gebreil equalized on a penalty kick.
Next Weekend
Oakland Stompers take on Real San Jose on Friday night. Though the match will take place at PAL Stadium, the Stompers are the designated home team.
Vacaville travels to San Francisco on Saturday to take on El Farolito.
