Fireworks From the Field to The Stands in Open Cup Opener

By Daniel Feuerstein | Sacramento, CA | March 19th, 2026

In the U.S. Open Cup First Round Proper, it was a rematch between USL Championship side Sacramento Republic and National Premier Soccer League Darlings El Farolito from the Golden Gate Conference met up once again after last year’s third round match that saw Republic take the win in regulation by a goal to nil. This time, however, it went further, and after the extra session was over, anger and frustration came on the field and then into the stands, but the final score of this one was a two-goal-to-nil victory after extra time.

Game recap

Throughout the entire 90 minutes of regulation, both sides were battling it out on the field, and they were giving it their all. Both goalkeepers, Daniel Vitiello of Sacramento and Kevin Gonzalez of El Farolito, were brilliant in preventing the ball from going into the back of their nets, forcing an extra thirty minutes to settle the match. Inthe extra time session, it was Forester Ajago who scored a brace and settled matters on the field with a brilliant header in the 95th minute, then ended it all in second half stoppage time in extra time with his second of the match.

But in between goals, the red card came out several times for dirty tackles, and a big brawl towards the end of the match. In the 102nd minute, being down a goal, El Farolito was reduced to ten men when Kiper Sacre delivered a reckless challenge from behind and showed his studs into the back of the legs of the player. The big moment was after Ajago’s second goal, as El Farolito were upset and their anger started to show. There were some angry words, and then both sides got together at the near side of the field along the center line. Pushing and shoving started to ensue.

Then, all of a sudden, a player from El Farolito made a run towards the stands at Heart Health Park. Not sure if a fan threw a projectile on the field, or they heard a terrible word, but one player ran towards the stairs to enter the stands and tried to do something with the fans. Not once but twice, after everything started to calm down, several minutes later. Learning from the club, one of the players’ wives and children was injured by one of the hometown fans of Sacramento. Hopefully, they are alright, and nothing serious happened. Then the referee issued two more red cards to Sacramento’s Mark-Anthony Kaye & El Farolito’s Sebastian Yabur.

While this match was entertaining, seeing that moment escalate to that level was scary, and hopefully, no one was seriously hurt. While you don’t want to see fisticuffs break out or handbags at five paces, what we have here from this season and last season’s US Open Cup tournaments is a rivalry brewing between two teams that never play each other in the regular season due to them being in two different leagues, but will always meet up in the US Open Cup. Now the hope for El Farolito is to qualify again either through the National League standings of the NPSL, or enter the Amateur Qualification stages to return. But this one had everything in it.

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