Players from Sacramento Republic (right) and El Farolito battle for the ball in the First Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Sacramento Republic
The most anticipated rematch of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup’s First Round ended in absolute bedlam as the USL Championship’s Sacramento Republic FC defeated NPSL side El Farolito 2-0 in extra time.
The action kicked off just before sunset at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., and the first half showed almost no signs of the pandemonium things would ultimately end in. The Sacramento pros controlled the flow of things, getting possession at over double the rate of the San Franciscan amateurs. But as we’d seen in El Farolito’s Cinderella runs from years prior, their defending was up to the task, and their ability when they did have the ball was enough to make them a serious threat. Ultimately, though, everyone had to settle for a scoreless first half, with both sides’ best efforts thwacking off the post.
The second half was much like the first, only with more yellow cards coming out, substitutions getting made, and goalkeepers actually having to make saves. The Republic kept the pressure on and grabbed corner kicks like free candy, including a sequence right towards the end where they managed to earn three consecutively.
But no matter what Sacramento did, the Burrito Boys were just too tightly wrapped. Farolito keeper and Oakland Roots alum Kevin Gonzalez saved the Republic’s two best chances, matching the stops his counterpart Danny Vitiello made over the course of the half, and even after six minutes of stoppage time, there was still no separating the two sides.
Soon after the break, the dominoes finally started to fall in a clear direction. The big turning point arrived in the 95th minute, with the hosts once again bearing down on the visitors’ box. After a bit of triangle passing among teammates on the wing, German midfielder Dominik Wanner lofted up a cross into the box, where Ghanaian forward Forster Ajago got his head on it at point-blank range at just the right angle to finally put Sacramento on the board.
Things went from bad to worse for El Farolito seven minutes later, when Ivorian substitute Sacré Kipré attempted a tackle and wound up going studs first into teenage substitute Rohan Chivukula’s groin. It looked like an unfortunate accident, but intent is no excuse in these scenarios, so Kipré saw a straight red. If the Burrito Boys were going to mount a comeback, they’d now have to do it with only ten men.
As desperation set in on El Farolito’s side, the usual “Open Cup After Dark” moments we’re used to seeing on West Coast nights went one step beyond into total madness.
Sacramento lost their man advantage in the worst way. Early in the second half of extra time, Chivukula’s first real minutes in the pros ended with him curled up and injured on the grass. With Republic out of substitutes, they had to simply pull him for thin air and fight on.
The San Franciscans tried to capitalize and equalize from there, but it didn’t quite go to plan. The big visual metaphor arrived in the 122nd, when Omar Lemus tried to score on the volley and ended up launching the ball out of the stadium entirely.
The big back-breaker soon followed in stoppage time. El Farolito tried to mount one last assault from deep in their own territory, but when Gonzalez went right of the net he was meant to defend and tried to clear, Ajago jumped up and got his hip on it. It wasn’t an intended shot, but with the net wide open, the ball slowly bounced in anyway, giving Ajago a brace and Sacramento the dagger they’d been hunting for ever since their first goal.
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“We didn’t want to have extra time,” Sacramento head coach Neill Collins told reporters after the match, “but we managed to see that through.” Collins was also quick to praise the youth of the lineup, particularly the two debutantes on the night, and the academy system for preparing them for this moment.
Officially, there was still more soccer to be played, but practically speaking, that was the end of the game and the start of what could be called a “Burrito Brawl”. As Ajago went behind the net to celebrate with the home diehards, everyone else formed one big circle and tried to get at each other. Officials and other cooler heads worked to keep the two sides separated, and the point that the stadium announcer didn’t even bother trying to keep up with the cards shown.
Three players were shown red cards: Sacramento’s Mark-Anthony Kaye and El Farolito’s Sebastián Yabur and Herlbert Soto both saw red cards, with potentially more players to be confirmed once we factor in post-match disciplinary action. DJ Oh My Josh, the man on the wheels of steel for the night, took the chance to steal the scene, first playing Sacramento’s goal song “Electric Worry” again, then swapping to the original War recording of “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”
All the while, starters, substitutes, and coaches alike all proved impossible to corral to their appropriate places so play could resume. With no other recourse, the refs simply blew the final whistle after several minutes of overrun. That locked the result in, but it didn’t stop the multiple El Farolito players who, for reasons as yet undetermined, rushed into the stands and got into screaming matches with the home fans. People can be seen on the broadcast fighting in the area as the players climbed up, but it’s not clear yet which action started first or why the players went there in the first place.
Suffice to say, El Farolito will not defend their John Motta Trophy this year as the amateur team that advances the furthest. More importantly, despite another valiant performance, the feel-good aura they amassed by humbling professional franchises who only sent their reserves to the Open Cup may be shaken in the wake of their conduct at the end of the night.
Meanwhile, Sacramento Republic lived up to their moniker as the Indomitable Club by staying undefeated in all competitions for 2026 and securing their 24th U.S. Open Cup victory. They’ll find out who their next opponent is in the official draw on Friday, March 20th, and their second round matchup will take place on either March 31 or April 1.