El Farolito Wins 2026 USASA National Amateur Cup with 3-1 Victory over Lansdowne Yonkers FC
By Jake Deal/NPSL.com
Ordinarily, quiet would be an adequate description of a scoreless deadlock.
For Saturday’s championship bout between El Farolito and Lansdowne Yonkers FC, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Saturday’s USASA National Amateur Cup match went scoreless for over 80 minutes.
Still, aggression defined the match. On the day, El Farolito tallied 18 fouls, while Lansdowne Yonkers committed 10.
El Farolito’s head coach Santiago Lopez said his side entered the game focused on the ball.
“But when they came out very physical, we said, ‘Okay, let’s go back and do the same,’” Lopez said.
A defensively defined first half meant neither team found much success within the penalty box.
Despite playing a spirited match just a few hours prior, El Farolito used their deep bench and remained energized.
“We brought in some extra players knowing that we have three games in less than 24 hours,” Lopez added. “It was very complicated but definitely a learning experience to manage.”
Lopez continued to bring it back to the excellence of his players.
“These guys deserve it all because they not only mentally but physically came up with this championship,” he said.
El Farolito spent the greater part of the second half on the attacking third. Despite their opportunities, Lansdowne Yonkers FC’s bend-but-don’t-break defense held strong as El Farolito struggled to find the back of the net.
The game’s stalemate was finally broken when El Farolito’s Christian Valencia slotted home the game’s first goal in the 86th minute.
With six minutes of stoppage time on the clock and the Bhoys’ backs against the wall, Seamas Keogh booted home the equalizer in the fourth minute of added time. Keogh’s flying swing sent the match to extra time.
It wasn’t long before the tie was broken by El Farolito’s Dembor Benson, who struck in the third minute of extra time.
Working in tandem with Benson, Herlbert Soto was credited for the go-ahead assist. Soto’s masterful dribbling sliced through the defense and created the opportunity for Benson’s strike.
“We saved Soto in the national semifinal to bring him on in the second half of this game, and it definitely paid off,” Lopez said.
Later in the first half of extra time, Lansdowne Yonkers’ Ed Speed was hastily sent off after an aggressive tackle in the 102nd minute. The Bhoys were down to 10 men after Speed took his second yellow of the match.
Soto once again paid dividends in the 107th minute, when he delivered the ball to Dembor Benson’s left foot. Benson’s strike was his second goal of the match and put El Faroito ahead 3-1.
Minutes later, El Farolito’s man advantage was nullified after El Farolito midfielder Jonatan Valdivia was sent off in the 114th minute. Valdivia had just gone down to the ground with apparent cramping before receiving his second yellow card due to delaying play.
El Farolito, nicknamed the “Burrito Boys” because of the team’s taqueria namesake, secured the 3-1 win after a 123-minute marathon.
Saturday’s victory capped off a perfect 3-0 record in a 24-hour period for El Farolito in the Cream City. Their National Amateur Cup Championship means El Farolito punches their ticket to the 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“Winning this for me, it’s special because it’s the club’s first U.S. National Amateur Cup Championship,” Lopez concluded.
Looking forward, El Farolito will face Bristol Rhythm AFC in the 2026 NPSL National Championship on August 1.
Photo Credit: Michael Miller/NPSL.com
