Know Your Opponent: El Farolito SC
Everyone's favorite Burrito Boys will be making a trip to Sacramento.
After the third-round draw for the 2025 edition of the Open Cup, Sacramento Republic will be hosting El Farolito SC. El Farolito will be a team that the Republic should not underestimate as they have become known for their upsets in this tournament. This will be the Republic's first match in this year's Open Cup. The game is slated to be played on April 16.
El Farolito SC
Manager: Santiago Lopez
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Record: 2-0-0 (NPSL; Golden Gate Conference)
Last 4 Games: WWWW
Path to Open Cup: Real Monarchs SLC (3-1 AET), Monterey Bay FC (2-1)
Players to Watch: Dembor Benson, Herlbert Soto
Top Goalscorers: Benson - 3 goals (2 in NPSL, 1 in Open Cup)
Top Yellow Cards: Omar Quiroga - 2 yellow cards
Top Red Cards: None
Sacramento has built up a reputation in this competition for pulling off a cupset. But the same can be said for El Farolito. They are the last remaining team from the Open Division still alive in this year's edition of the tournament. And they have already pulled two upsets on their way here. Both on the road. The first one was a win at altitude against Real Monarchs SLC of MLS Next Pro. They were taken all the way to extra time before scoring two late goals to avoid the penalty shootout. And then they knocked out a somewhat rotated squad of Monterey Bay FC. Monterey was up early in that match, but El Farolito pulled off a comeback in the second half to get them here.
The main player to keep an eye on is Dembor Benson. The man leading the line for El Farolito. He will be the main target for El Farolito. And they will aim to build play around him. Crosses from El Farolito's wingers like Herlbert Soto will look for Benson in the box. And the striker will try and get any part of his body on the end of the ball to put it in the Republic net. That was their main form of attack against Monterey. This is an attack that put up 5 goals in 2 matches against professional opponents. They were outshot by Real Monarchs 10 to 18 but were even with 6 shots on target each. And then against Monterey they held the majority of shots with 17 shots against Monterey's 14. And had 5 shots on target as opposed to Monterey's 4. It's a potent offense that can be lethal if given the opportunity. Also, keep an eye out for set pieces. They've been able to launch some great crosses into opposition boxes and find some success.
EL FAROLITO is the MAGIC (and MADNESS) OF THE CUP
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup.ussoccer.com) April 1, 2025 at 9:57 PM
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LET’S GO BURRITO 🌯 BOYS - EL FAROLITO GOAL
— Sickos Committee (@sickoscommittee.org) April 1, 2025 at 8:33 PM
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The real question will be at the other end of the pitch where I expect a majority of the game to be played. I'm expecting El Farolito to sit in a low defensive block. And if the Republic makes a mistake, El Farolito will pounce on it and lead a counterattack. The impetus of this match will be placed on the Republic and finding out if their strikers can find a way past this defense. We've seen the Republic struggle against a low block, against FC Tulsa. Hopefully, the players have learned some lessons from that match and can use them here. The Republic midfield and attack will need to hold possession of this match and not let El Farolito break through.
Republic's Way of Victory: The Republic will need to make their presence felt and impose their will on this game. Do not let El Farolito have any hope in this match. Do not let El Farolito frustrate you in possession. Strangle life out of this match. There will be chances against this defense, the Republic strikers need to be lethal in front of net. This is a match Sacramento is expected to win. However, the same could've been said for Real Monarchs and Monterey Bay. Sacramento will need to show their quality, be decisive in front of the net, and not make any silly mistakes. I'll be curious to see how Neill Collins approaches this match with his lineups. Will we see players we haven't seen yet this season like Trevor Amann? Or will we see our normal starters to get them in a groove? Either way, the Republic should show up and give a strong performance to push them into the next round.
Image Credit: Dario Cruz/NPSL.com
Riyan Lacara
All Is Quail Blog Author/Co-Host
The “numbers guy”, Riyan! Riyan is a native of Sacramento and has been following the Republic since day one. He has covered the team across different media outlets including now his own, All is Quail Soccer. Aside from putting numbers in spreadsheets, he has a love of video games and finding a good book to put in his ever growing to-read pile.
2025 USL Cup Recap: Sacramento Republic FC 1, AV Alta 0
