Burrito chain’s soccer club, El Farolito, brings league champion cup back to SF

San Francisco’s own El Farolito captured this year’s National Premier Soccer League championship Saturday night, defeating FC Motown Celtics 2-1 in a weather-delayed, drama-filled final at Drew University’s Ranger Stadium.

Before the match, San Francisco Mayor London Breed posted her support on X for the scrappy amateur team funded by burrito sales from an eponymous local restaurant chain in the city’s Mission District.

El Farolito (Spanish for “the little lighthouse”) is a team of experienced men from six different countries. They all arrived in San Francisco for various reasons and play soccer only part-time. 

The team enjoyed a dream run this spring with a pair of victories in this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before losing to the Oakland Roots in the cup’s third round. El Farolito, playing under the name of San Francisco CD Mexico, won the cup outright in 1993.

Although team members enjoy free catering from El Farolito, the players don’t actually work at the restaurants. Some are in the U.S. on tourist visas and others work full-time jobs.

The match, originally scheduled for an earlier start time, was delayed twice by inclement weather. Once underway, the teams battled in front of a crowd eager to see the culmination of the NPSL season between the two previously undefeated teams.

Neither El Farolito nor FC Motown managed to score during the first half, with the Morristown, N.J.-based team’s strong early efforts slowly giving way to persistent play from the Bay’s finest. During early play, referees saw fit to hand out at least a half-dozen yellow cards to players on both teams.

The San Francisco side netted its first goal with a penalty kick in the 53rd minute, sending a ball past a replacement Motown goalie after the starting goalie was pulled due to injury. But FC Motown was able to even the match at 1-1 with a goal less than two minutes later.

Minutes later, forward Erik Arias rose to the occasion in the match’s 62nd minute, sending a goal past a pinwheeling FC Motown goalie to put El Farolito up, 2-1. 

More drama ensued with additional penalties in the 68th minute, forcing El Farolito to play with only 10 men on field for the rest of the match. But the team’s gifted passing efforts managed to hold off energetic attacks from FC Motown, and stoppage time ended with a championship victory.