The most likable team in American soccer doesn't even have a pitch to play on. It doesn't have a regular practice time. It can't afford to host the biggest game in its history.
Well, in reality, it really isn't a soccer team. It's more than that.
This is the tale of El Farolito, an amateur soccer side from San Francisco's mission district, affiliated with - and proud representative of - a very successful local Mexican restaurant. The club's monikers - "Tacqueria Team" and "Burrito Boys" - write themselves. But what from the outside seems like either a quick laugh or something designed for the deepest corners of soccer social media is, in actuality, something far more
El Farolito is a family run restaurant. It is also a family run team. They are a power of the West Coast amateur scene. And yes, every game ends with a trip to the restaurant and a good meal.
And as the semi-pro side takes on a professional opponent for the second straight year in U.S. Open Cup, they're fighting for something more. Yes, it's fun. Yes, it's rag-tag. But El Farolito deeply care about their connection to the local community, standing as evidence of the staying power of grassroots soccer. And they're not bad at this sport either.
"We hear a lot of like these nicknames - the Burrito Boys or the Taqueria Team and all that stuff," head coach Santiago Lopez told GOAL. "And the whole team knows about it, but we're just focused. It doesn't matter."