"For me it was a reality check. The landscape going forward is much harder than it used to be. The tournament trimmed its field from 96 to 80 teams this year, eliminating a round that had previously matched amateur clubs against lower-tier professional sides. Now that buffer is gone."
"We weren't that far off. It was an even game, and it can be done. Now we're going to impose our game. The 1-0 loss last year was a close match, and forward Dembor Bengtson believes the team can succeed with better execution in the final third."
"I think about that game all day. This is a must-win exam. Captain Jonathan Mosquera, 38, was injured during last year's match and views the rematch as a personal opportunity for redemption against Sacramento Republic."
El Farolito, an amateur soccer team from San Francisco's Mission District, returns to Sacramento to face the same opponent that defeated them 1-0 in last year's U.S. Open Cup third round. The 2026 tournament structure has changed significantly, reducing the field from 96 to 80 teams and eliminating the round that previously matched amateur clubs against lower-tier professional sides. This means El Farolito now enters directly against USL Championship teams, the country's second professional division. Coach Santiago López acknowledges this represents a harder landscape. Despite the challenge, the team believes they can succeed, with forward Dembor Bengtson noting the previous match was even and winnable. Captain Jonathan Mosquera, absent due to injury last year, views this as a personal redemption opportunity.
Read at Mission Local
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]