El Farolito’s keeper does well to save a penalty early on in the match.
Napa Valley 1839 has started its second season in the NPSL with an undefeated record of 2-0-1. Napa Valley caught my interest when it was announced in December of 2016, but Saturday was my first time making the short trip to Justin Sienna high school, where the team calls home. They were matched up with the historic El Farolito of San Francisco. Napa dawned slick, modern green kits and El Farolito sported a very classic Gold and Blue scheme that begs comparison to vintage Brazil kits.
The match got off to a lively start when El Farolito’s goal keeper picked up a ball out side of the penalty are due to the number of lines of the field for a dangerous free kick one minute in. Napa won a penalty from that free kick after an arm was used to block the attempted shot, but Farolito’s keeper redeemed himself by saving the ensuing penalty. That redemption didn’t last long as Napa’s Arturo Ortega gave the hosts the lead from a shot driven from the edge of the penalty area. But five minutes later, Napa found themselves in trouble after Bryan Marin was sent of for kicking out after being fouled. After the sending off, El Farolito got themselves back into the game and in the 23rd minute equalized through a Ervin Garcia header from a corner kick. Napa took the lead after a long throw in caught the El Farolito defense switched off and was headed in by Max Alvarez. As the frenzied half was coming to a close, El Farolito’s Luis Sampayo was sent off for collecting a second yellow card.
The Chicken edged out the al pastor for me. Both were solid though.
During the break I want to go check out “Ron’s homemade tacos” the PA announcer was advertising, hoping they were as good as they smelled. Thankfully they were – I think the chicken edged out the al pastor. I was also surprised about the amount of merch Napa had for sale, they had everything from scarfs and jerseys to hats and socks. They even took credit card! (hint hint FC Davis!)
Napa Charges forward looking for a winner in the second half
The second half didn’t have quite the exciting start as the first did, but the drama of the finish made up for it. El Farolito hit the post in the 66th minute, and drew level the 68th after Carlos Montes struck from 20 yards out. The match up to this point was a chippy affair, with pushing skirmish here and there, but the intensity was dialed up after the game was tied. The teams traded chances with shots of the posts and goal line clearances, but in the 88th minute Napa were down to 9 men after another red card to Adrian Calderon. As the game crept into stoppage time, El Farolito completed the comeback after Napa couldn’t clear the ball out of a scramble in the penalty area and Marcos Lubel scored what was surely the winner. Napa Valley had one more good chance as the game came to a close, but the El Farolito keeper made another brave save to secure all three point for the visitors.
The match was definitely not a pretty affair, but it was endlessly entertaining. The home crowd of about 250 were definitely given their money’s worth for the price of admission. ($10, plus free parking) The Napa Supporters added to the biting atmosphere of the battle raging on the pitch. The club seems to be well on the way to establishing itself in the community due to the thought and attention given to the product both on and off the field. This tied with budding interest in the sport at a local level should equate to a lot of success to the club in the years to come.
El Farolito wheel away in celebration after scoring the decisive goal.
Two matches in and I am already hooked to the football being played at this level. Sure it isn’t world class, but it’s hard to beat such entertaining matches being played in your backyard. As I said in my FC Davis match recap, the NPSL has a good footprint in the SF Bay Area and Sacramento region. This proximity of teams playing each other would lend nicely to the worldwide supporter’s culture of traveling to away games to support your club.
Speaking of which, Napa will travel to Davis for their next match in league action on Saturday April 14th, and El Farolio will take on Sacramento Gold at home. Napa and Farolito sit tied at the top of the table with 7 points each.
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