Burrito Boys Sink Monterey Bay In Epic Upset | OneFootball

It’s past midnight on the East Coast. I’m in a hotel lobby watching the waning seconds of a livestream soccer game playing out in Cardinale Stadium in Monterey, California. It’s Round 2 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The home team is the USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC, a professional club in the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. Their opponent is El Farolito, an amateur team that plays in the SFSFL (San Francisco Soccer Football Club). The internet has dubbed this club “The Burrito Boys” as their sponsor is a chain of burrito restaurants in San Francisco.

The first half wasn’t kind to the visitors. A PK conceded by Dembor Benson in the 27th minute put the Burrito Boys behind the eight ball. But Farolito didn’t stop, and certainly didn’t drop their heads. And in the 57th minute, after steadily ratcheting up the pressure, Farolito found their equalizer from a set piece ultimately pushed over the line by Andrés Zuluaga. This wasn’t a fluke. They had forced Monterey keeper Sam Gomez into a tremendous save moments earlier, and a minute after the ensuing kickoff had a shot deflect off the post.

Then came the type of Open Cup magic words cannot do justice to. In the 83rd minute left winger Herlbert Soto drove past two defenders to the goal line. He floated a cross over the face. El Farolito’s Dembor Benson took two shots. Both blocked. Edgard Kreye took a shot. Also blocked. The ball came back to his foot. Fourth time’s the charm. Kreye guided it past four Monterey defenders into the net.

Heartbreak for Monterey, jubilation for the Burrito Boys. This is the beautiful game.