The first round of the US Open Cup delivered some amazing soccer. Matchups between amateur and almost every level of the professional ranks gave America soccer fans a delightful opportunity to celebrate the sport in this country. It’s the tournament that most lower league soccer fans pay attention to in a media field crowded with cups and competitions that ignore everything but the top leagues.

Over the years, one of the top performers in the Open Cup is Bay area darling El Farolito. The tiny burrito chain-sponsored club has over-performed consistently, both in league play, but especially in the national spotlight that comes with the US Open Cup. One of the last amateur clubs to win the competition outright, the team has always delivered against top-level competition, including winning the John Motta trophy last year for best performance by an amateur team.

Last night, El Farolito drew one of the worst draws for a lower league side in this year’s competition, facing a USL Championship side that finished in the league’s quarterfinals last year and currently undefeated in this year’s league play: Sacramento Republic. This is the same Sacramento Republic that knocked out El Farolito in the third round of last year’s competition, 1-0.

Whether is was last year’s close call or frustration with El Farolito’s darling status with national media, Kevin Gonzalez, El Farolito’s goalkeeper, noticed right away that Sacramento was playing with edge. “During the game, one of my defenders turned to me and said ‘They’re mad about something. I don’t know what it is, but it’s personal.’ I think it was personal. From the start, they were rotating the ball around the field and they put a shoulder into one of our young kids.” After the match, Sacramento head coach Neill Collins mentioned starting many players looking to make an impact on the team and Farolito’s prioritization of the their Open Cup opponent. Whatever the reason, the match was a chippy one.

Gonzalez is a veteran of the American soccer system, playing professionally for several years before settling in with his hometown club, El Farolito. Having interviewed Kevin multiple times during his time in NISA, I can say that his perspective is one that I appreciate and respect, though I’m confident there are other perspectives on what transpired on and off the field on Wednesday evening.

Regardless of Sacramento’s double digit tally in corner kicks, Gonzalez and his defense kept the match scoreless into extra time. In the 95th minute, a cross into the box found the head of Forster Ajago who rose in traffic to score the winner. Ajago would double it up before the end of extra time when he blocked Gonzalez’ clearance into the net. It was another tight win for second-division Sacramento over their nearby rivals, El Farolito.

FORSTER AJAGO LIFTOFF 🛫

Dominik Wanner serves it in, Ajago finishes it to give @SacRepublicFC the lead! pic.twitter.com/T1KgaCPJfU
— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) March 19, 2026

And while Kevin owned the goals during our conversation, he did have questions about how the match was refereed and how it might have led to the resulting altercations after the whistle was blown. According to Gonzalez, there were “racist comments from the fans…I heard a couple of things from the crowd. The craziest thing, when I expected the referees to finally say something, was when I heard the homophobic “P” chant when I was kicking the goalkicks. I heard it three or four times.”

For those not in the know, the “P” chant refers to a tactic employed most commonly in Mexican soccer stadiums and fandoms. When the goalkeeper kicks the goal kick, the crowd yells a commonly-used homophobic slur as contact is made with the ball. It is generally banned in the United States and usually results in warnings to the home crowd (potentially ending in match suspension).

When the match ended, Gonzalez offered his explanation of what happened with the crowd. Video from the match showed he and another Faro goalkeeper on the front row railing interacting with some Sacramento fans. From Gonzalez’s perspective, his teams reaction to the crowd came from the report that one of home fans “had kicked one of our player’s wife and son in the stands.” They jumped into the crowd to extricate and protect family members. “People were throwing stuff and doing different things. It was difficult on our part, because our fans (many of them are family members) were in a small stadium. There wasn’t much security and it was a one-way-in, one-way-out stadium…a separation of the fans would have helped, but once it started it was hard to stop.”

San Francisco’s El Farolito, the soccer team formed by its namesake Mission District taqueria, will not repeat as a feel-good story of American soccer this year.

The amateur side’s U.S. Open Cup campaign ended in a crash-out on and off the field Wednesday, culminating in an… pic.twitter.com/9heRxAmtZo
— SFGATE (@SFGate) March 19, 2026

Kevin can be seen in the above video, in purple on the railing (the closer of the two goalkeepers on the rail to the camera).

For his part, Gonzalez didn’t point the finger at his opponents in any way regarding the altercation after the match. “Sacramento is a real professional club and I’m not bashing them in any way.” Neill Collins expressed his thoughts in a post-match interview with Fox40, “I’ve never seen anything like I saw tonight. In the last 30 to 40 minutes, the match got away from the referee and, at the end, the scenes were just unacceptable.” Consistently, Gonzalez expressed his sadness and regret that a great match was overshadowed by fighting. “The show we gave US Soccer was a good one. People enjoyed it…we gave them a show and this matchup is one they wanted.”

What the fallout of the fight in the stands will be is hard to say at this point. As of this afternoon, Gonzalez hasn’t heard anything about what sanctions or punishments El Farolito or the players involved might face. Sacramento Republic issued a statement on social media that included “Last night’s win was dampened by unsportsmanlike behavior that could have led to a more dangerous situation. After collecting as much information as possible today, we will support US Soccer as it investigated the on- and off-field elements of last night’s match.”

A US Soccer spokesperson responded when asked about the match and the potential fallout from the fight, “We are aware of an incident that occurred and are reviewing all relevant information. The matter will be referred to the U.S. Open Cup Adjudication & Disciplinary Panel, which will evaluate the situation and determine any actions it deems appropriate under U.S. Soccer policies. A safe environment for everyone attending and participating in Open Cup matches remains one of our highest priorities.”

- Dan Vaughn