Soccer club
 | |
| Full name | El Farolito Soccer Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Faro |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Stadium | Boxer Stadium |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Owners | Salvador Lopez |
| Head Coach | Santiago Lopez |
| League | National Premier Soccer League |
| 2024 | Golden Gate Conference: 1st Playoffs: Champions |
 Current season | |
El Farolito is an amateur soccer club based in San Francisco, California. It currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), generally considered the fourth tier of U.S. Soccer, within the Golden Gate Conference. The team is best known for its 1993 U.S. Open Cup championship under its previous name, Club Deportivo (CD) Mexico.
History
The club was founded in 1985 and was first known as El Farolito, named after the owner's chain of restaurants. 'El Faro' was a new force in the San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL) that was rising to challenge the dominance of teams like the Greek Americans. The team gained successive promotions to the top division in the space of five years. By the 1991–92 season, the club had won the SFSFL championship and had reached the final of the National Amateur Cup. The following season, El Faro retained the title as 'Club Deportivo Mexico'.
In 1993, San Francisco C.D. Mexico won the U.S. Open Cup, an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF) affiliated teams. The team pulled off wins against the defending tournament champion San Jose Oaks, Milwaukee Bavarian SC, before defeating United German Hungarians in the Final. As U.S. Open Cup champions, C.D. Mexico qualified for the 1994 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup and played Club Necaxa of the Mexican First Division in the quarterfinals. They lost 5–1 in San Jose.
When the California Premier Soccer Association (CSPA) was formed in 1993, CD Mexico was one of the SFSFL representatives along with Greek-American A.C., SF United, and Concordia. The CPSA was developed as a 'super league' composed of teams from the SFSFL, Peninsula Soccer League, and the San Joaquin Valley Soccer League. The team, returning to their original name El Farolito, won multiple titles over the next two and a half decades.
On November 20, 2017, El Farolito announced it would field a team in the National Premier Soccer League for the 2018 season.
On March 22, 2023, El Farolito defeated Inter San Francisco 3-0 in the first round of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, scoring all 3 goals in extra time. On April 4, 2023, El Farolito was downed by Bay Area rival Oakland Roots SC in its second round Open Cup match.
On March 19, 2024, El Farolito bested MLS Next Pro side Portland Timbers 2 in the first round of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup by a 2-1 tally, after MLS Commissioner Don Garber withdrew the annual participation of every MLS first team in the U.S. Open Cup.
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited information available on early seasons in the San Francisco Soccer Football League | |||||
| 1991–92 | SFSFL | 1st, Major Division | did not qualify | ||
| 1992–93 | 1st, Major Division | Champions | Defeated United German-Hungarians, 5–0, in U.S. Open Cup Final | ||
| 1993–94 | No information available | ||||
| 1994–95 | |||||
| 1995–96 | 1st, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 1997 | No information available | ||||
| 1998 | |||||
| 1999 | 1st, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2000 | 3rd, Premier A Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2001 | 1st, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2002 | 2nd, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2003 | 1st, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2004 | 4th, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2005 | 3rd, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2006 | 3rd, Premier Division | Semifinal | did not qualify | Lost to San Francisco Glens SC in CPSA Semifinal | |
| 2007 | 1st, Premier Division | Champions | did not qualify | Defeated San Francisco Glens SC, 4–1, in the CPSA Final | |
| 2008 | 2nd, Premier Division | Semifinals | did not qualify | Lost to Olympic Club in the CSPA Semifinal | |
| 2009 | 1st, Premier Division | Champions | did not qualify | Defeated Rosal FAS, 2–0, in the CSPA Final | |
| 2010 | did not qualify | ||||
| 2011 | 2nd, Premier Division | did not qualify | |||
| 2012 | 1st, Premier Division | Champions | did not qualify | Defeated Olympic Club, 1–0, in Cup Final | |
| 2013 | 2nd, Premier Division | Champions | did not qualify | Defeated Olympic Club, 1–0, in Cup Final | |
| 2014 | 3rd, Premier Division | Semifinals | did not qualify | Lost to Olympic Club in Cup Semifinal | |
| 2015 | 1st, Premier Division | Champions | did not qualify | Defeated Olympic Club, 1–0, in Cup Final | |
| 2016 | 2nd, Premier Division | League Final | First Qualifying Round | Lost to Olympic Club in Cup Final | |
| 2017 | 1st, Premier Division | Champions | First round | Defeated Olympic Club, 3–2, in Cup Final | |
| 2018 | NPSL | 1st, Golden Gate Conference | Regional semifinal | Disqualified | Lost to FC Mulhouse Portland in Regional semifinal |
| 2019 | 5th, Golden Gate Conference | did not qualify | Second round | ||
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2021 | Finalist, Golden Gate Conference Playoffs | Golden Gate Conference did not participate in regular league play | Not held | Lost to Academica SC in conference playoffs | |
| 2022 | 2nd, Golden Gate Conference | Regional Finals | Did not qualify | Lost to Crossfire Redmond in Regional Finals | |
| 2023 | 1st, Golden Gate Conference | Regional Finals | Second round | Lost to Crossfire Redmond in Regional Finals | |
| 2024 | 1st, Golden Gate Conference | Champions | Third round | Defeated FC Motown, 2-1, in NPSL National Championship Game | |
Honors
San Francisco Soccer Football League
- Division 1 Champions (11): 1991–92, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2017
- Playoff Champions (6): 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017
National Premier Soccer League
- National Championship (1): 2024
- Golden Gate Conference Champions (3): 2018, 2023, 2024
- Participants (1): 1994
Notes
- Beginning in 1993, the SFSFL formed the California Premier Soccer Association (CPSA) along with the Peninsula Soccer League and the San Joaquin Valley Soccer League. The CPSA housed the top teams from all 3 leagues with yearly promotion and relegation cycles. In the late 2000s, the "Premier Division" name was adopted by the SFSFL as its new top division and the league began to only house teams from within its own ranks.
- Includes California Premier Soccer Association titles
References
- Hakala, Josh. "1993 US Open Cup results". thecup.us. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- Hodul, Thomas (May 1, 2017). "El Farolito: A Look Inside the Club That Won the 1993 US Open Cup". Midfield Press. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- Stokkermans, Karel (July 4, 2019). "Central American Club Competitions 1994". RSSSF. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "El Farolito Joins The NPSL". National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). November 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- Koenig, Michael (March 23, 2023). "2023 US Open Cup Round 1: El Farolito erupt in extra time to beat Inter San Francisco, 3-0". TheCup.US. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- Koenig, Michael (April 5, 2023). "2023 US Open Cup Round 2: Oakland Roots hot start delivers first USOC win, 3-1 vs. El Farolito". TheCup.US. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- Anderson, Cass (March 20, 2024). "An Amateur Soccer Club Named After An SF Burrito Shop Beat A Pro Club In The US Open Cup". BroBible. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ "100th Anniversary: San Francisco Soccer Football League" (PDF). San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "SFSFL DIVISIONAL STANDINGS". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League, Inc. (Men's League) DIVISIONAL STANDINGS". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on December 4, 2004. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Divisional Standings". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League, Inc. (Men's League) DIVISIONAL STANDINGS". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on December 15, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "2005 CPSA SEASON". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "2006 CPSA SEASON". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "Seals Players Help Take the SF Glens to Finals!". www.leaguelineup.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "CPSA 2007 SEASON". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "OLYMPIC CLUB CPSA 2008 SEASON". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "EL FAROLITO CPSA 2009 SEASON". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2011)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2012)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2013)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "El Farolito Champions once again!". www.facebook.com. San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2014)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2015)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "El Farolito 3 Championships in the last 5 years!". www.facebook.com. San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2016)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "San Francisco Soccer Football League Standings (2017)". San Francisco Soccer Football League. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- Hodul, Thomas (October 11, 2017). "El Farolito Top Olympic Club to Win the 115th SFSFL Title". Midfield Press. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- Foster, Ian (January 18, 2018). "El Farolito, 1993 US Open Cup Champions, Disqualified from 2018 Tournament". TheCup.US. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- Prince-Wright, Joe (March 26, 2020). "2020 NPSL season cancelled". ProSoccerTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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