The Farolito Bar remained the home base – the family table. The players would meet up there before away games. And Don Chava, after all the games, would lay out massive spreads of delights that spoke to his players of homes both old and new.
“He never thought about the results,” Santiago said of his father, scion of San Francisco’s first family of food and football. “He just did what he thought would be fun and never really wanted any attention.”
Assembling the best players in the area – the likes of Colombian Jose Angulo and former Atlas goalkeeper, Guillermo “Grillo” Valadez and Samuel “Abuelo” Cid del Prado – could only have been fun. And in 1993, it was time for Don Chava to take his party to the national stage and our historic Open Cup.
The tournament, and soccer in America, was different then. The decade between 1984 and 1994 were dark days. It was these very ethnic clubs, like El Farolito, that made sure the sport stayed alive and vibrant. The dreams and ingenuity of folks like Don Chava kept the entire framework from crumbling.
El Farolito – known that Cup-winning year for reasons unclear as CD Mexico – met another ethnic superpower in the 1993 Semifinal: The Milwaukee Bavarians. “They were so good, really quick on the ball,” remembered Bob Gansler, son of the former USMNT coach of the same name, who played for that Bavs team. “We didn’t have our best day, and they [El Farolito] attacked us in numbers.”
While that Semifinal required extra-time and two late goals from the outstanding Angulo, the Final was a cakewalk. El Farolito beat the United German-Hungarians of Pennsylvania 5-0 at Kuntz Stadium in Indiana. The rout ended, after some travel back to the West Coast, like every other game did – and still does to this day: with the players gathering up at El Farolito Bar for a celebration of life and times.
El Farolito is still here. They’re into the Third Round of the current Open Cup and winners of the $50K prize for being the longest-surviving amateur team for a second year in a row. They’ll take on Division II giants and 2022 Open Cup Runners-up Sacramento Republic on the road next – and they’ll be huge underdogs on the day. Frankly, that’s just how they like it.
The result won’t mean everything and, win or lose, you can count on food and a few drinks at the bar after the final whistle. And you can bet that the Republic, their players, coaches, staff and fans, will be welcome too. It’s how Don Chava would have wanted it – and how his offspring keep it going with loving hands.
Abel Anguiano (@_abelanguiano on X) is a writer and reporter for Area Sports Network. Jonah Fontela (@jonahfontela on X) is editor-in-chief of ussoccer.com/us-open-cup.
