Roots fans it’s inconvenient game day! Roots host El Farolito Soccer Club at 7:30 tonight at Pioneer Stadium on the Campus of Cal State University East Bay in Hayward. By virtue of playing in USL Championship, the Roots got a bye straight through to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, and because of the heavy geographic weighting, they will face El Farolito, based out of San Francisco. El Farolito knocked off Portland Timbers 2 of MLS Next Pro and Centro Valley Fuego F.C., or USL League 1, to earn the right to play in Hayward.
El Farolito
El Farolito have existed in various leagues and under a couple different names since 1985. They are connected with El Farolito the burrito restaurant (I see sometimes described as a taqueria but I don’t think I know anyone who orders their tacos). In 1993, under the name Club Deportivo Mexico, they won the US Open Cup, which kicks ass.
Last year, for the same geographic weighting reasons, their US Open Cup journey was cut short by the Roots in Hayward.
The first goal, of course, Johnny Rodriguez. The second goal being Ethan Kohler to Wolfgang Prentice is real Rootsheads hours. Sure, your average season ticket holder probably remembers Wolfgang Prentice’s name, but Kohler? Oh yeah, that’s a deep cut. Prentice scored again to give the Roots a 3-0 lead before the 24th minute, and the game was all but over except for quite a lot of low-grade assaults.
This year, Farolito played Timbers2 in Round 1 on March 19.
Timbers 2 took the lead in the 30th on a curling free kick that the Farolito keeper just dropped, allowing a Timbers player an easy finish on an open net. The equalizer came in the 52nd with a long free kick that was headed almost out of touch by a Timbers defender, but a Farolito man was there to cross back into the mixer for an unmarked man at the back post. A minute later, Harvey Neville1 picked up a red card. Farolito then took the lead in the 68th on essentially the same cross to the same location for the same kind of nodded header. So, uh, just don’t let them do that?
In Round 2, on April 2, Farolito traveled to Fresno to face USL League 1 side Central Valley Fuego.2
These highlights are really something. Farolito just pepper the box with head-height crosses and got a bunch of decent chances out of it early. Fuego got a penalty in the 17th and scored with a drilled shot middle-high. The equalizer two minutes into stoppage came from almost nothing–a long clearance headed on by the left-sided forward caught the center defender sleeping and the Farolito central striker ran onto the ball and just poked a shot in past the on-rushing keeper. If you don’t watch anything else on these highlights, watch starting at 14:32 (87:02 on the game clock), where Farolito can’t quite scramble a ball into the net off of a corner, include a bicycle kick that just doesn’t quite come off, and then it’s cleared, but Farolito maintain possession, and again, manage to catch a defender sleeping to sneak in behind for an easy shot and goal. I mean, “easy.” I’m not saying I could do it.
Players to Watch
Dember Onasis Benson Bodden #9 – Bodden has three goals in Farolito’s two Open Cup matches.
I literally cannot tell you anything else here because they don’t even post their wins/losses on instagram or twitter, the NPSL website does not have box scores (or even results) and google lists results but does not list box scores. So they have apparently scored 8 and conceded 1 in NPSL play this season, good for 3 wins and a draw, all on the road. I can’t imagine why NPSL would struggle.
Anyway, Farolito create real problems in the box for their opponents. I think they have some decent crossing, and win a lot of the physical battles. I like the Roots playing some youth in this game, but they’ll need veteran presence in the box to avoid conceding this same kind of goal. I’d really like to see at least Hack and one other starter in the back line.
Lineup and Score Predictions
Bloom
Christ the lineup is hard to predict. We might as well run out Hack, since he can’t play at the weekend anyway. Riley didn’t even travel to El Paso, so he’s probably still out. I would bet that at least Alekseev and Etsgar Cruz get the start and maybe Tim Syrel to give him game time. I might give Johnny 60 minutes unless you’re worried about re-aggravating his injury. This might be a chance to get Chery some confidence. [Note: I largely agree with Aaron’s lineup prediction, although I think Camier would be first in line for a starter position at RCB].
Anyway, I think we fucking do them again. 3-0 Roots and it never looks in doubt. Up the fucking Roots.
Aaron
Hoping we see some guys that (1) don’t start a lot, and (2) allow us to say in a few years’ time when they’ve dominated the league or moved on to bigger things that we remember that one time they did some crazy thing against El Farolito, and have everyone we know who doesn’t watch too much soccer politely smile and nod, and wonder if we’re losing it already. And Hackshaw, of course, because he can’t get any other game time right now.
4-2 Roots.
Jon
This is difficult to predict, but I’m running back the right-side combination of Bryan Tamcas at RCB and Ilya Alekseev. Whether both can players are able to start back-to-back games on short rest, but Tamacas is a veteran and Alekseev has youth on his side. I can also see Hackshaw playing at CB, but Niall Logue is another veteran who I would bet on being able to go. I’m going Napo in the midfield because Danny Gomez and Koze Donasiyano played full 90s against El Paso. In the CAM role, I have Etsgar Cruz getting the start and Jeciel Cedeño getting some rest on the subs. Up top, I’m going with Lindo Mfeka as one center forward and Chéry playing alongside him. It’s a good opportunity for both players to get going.
I’m going 5-1 Roots with the game well in-hand by halftime.