By Jake Dale/NPSL.com
San Francisco’s El Farolito prides itself on its defensive identity. Heading into Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Ambassadors FC Ohio, El Farolito had not conceded a goal since May.
So, after Sebastián Yabur’s 59th minute goal put El Farolito in a confident 3-0 lead, everything seemed business as usual.
That was, until El Farolito made multiple substitutions that flipped the game on its head.
According to El Farolito head coach Santiago Lopez, these substitutions were influenced by an effort to preserve legs for their amateur cup game later in the day.
“We changed everybody and started thinking about the next game once we got the third goal,” Lopez said.
El Farolito’s mentality, which exuded the confidence of a team that was seeking their third consecutive NPSL championship game appearance, changed after the substitutions.
“Our confidence went down,” Lopez said. “We started launching the ball out, and we stopped playing our game.
Lopez also spoke about his substitute’s increased energy levels.
“They tried to get into the energy of the game, and that cost us a lot of nervousness and a little too much effort,” Lopez said.
An 86th-minute goal from Ambassadors FC Ohio’s Diego Pinto put his team on the board.
It was Pinto’s 16th goal of the season and the cherry on top of a spectacular season that won him the Select 2026 NPSL Golden Ball, which honors the league’s most outstanding player.
“He’s a fantastic talent,” said Lopez.
As nine minutes of stoppage time was added to the clock, the Ambassadors’ comeback continued to mount. Nate Werthmuller scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to make it only a one-goal differential.
Trailing 3-2, the Ambassadors continued to pour in multiple strikes that were only stopped because of El Farolito goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez.
Ambassadors FC Ohio had trailed since the game’s second minute, when El Farolito’s Herlbert Soto found the back of the net.
Throughout the game, Ambassadors FC head coach Ryan Dean kept confidence in his squad despite playing a historic El Farolito side.
“They have talent and experience but sometimes soccer is just moments,” Dean said.
Unfortunately, that final burst-of-life equalizer never came. The final whistle eventually blew deep into stoppage time at the 100-minute mark.
After the match, Dean reflected on a game that swung their way too little, too late.
“We dug ourselves too deep of a hole to get out of,” Dean said.
Although the 3-2 loss ended Ambassadors FC Ohio’s season, it didn’t muddle their achievements in just their second NPSL season.
Ambassadors FC Ohio won this year’s Great Lakes Conference as well as winning an NPSL quarterfinal game.
“It’s a testament to the guys and how hard they’ve worked,” said Dean.
Lopez also expressed his thoughts on the growth of Ambassadors FC Ohio.
“They’re passionate, they’re very well organized and well supported,” Lopez said.
For the self-proclaimed “Burrito Boys” of El Farolito, they are headed to their third consecutive NPSL National Championship.
It’s there that they seek revenge after last year’s 3-2 defeat against Hickory FC. Their opponent this time will be none other than Bristol Rhythm AFC, which came away with a 2-0 win over New Haven United FC in the other national semifinal matchup.
Photo Credit: Michael Miller/NPSL.com
