U.S. Open Cup Round 3 Recap
The last round before the MLS contingent joins the competition had two more great nights of soccer...
The third round of the U.S. Open Cup featured 32 teams playing 16 games across two nights to earn the right to move into the round of 32. They’ll be joined by sixteen MLS teams in a few weeks time, round three saw 16 USL Championship teams enter the tournament including Rhode Island FC.
Let’s take a look at the results from the last MLS-free round of the US Open Cup!
Winning Hearts and Minds, Losing the Round
The Portland Hearts of Pine have been winning admirers across the U.S. in their inaugural season with their impressive roll out, shirt designs, ticket sales, and Open Cup success. But Rhode Island FC weren’t interested in any of that; they went into Fortress Lewiston and came away with a 2-1 win and a trip to the next round.
The game saw a pair of red cards in a cagey, sometimes heated affair that saw a valiant late comeback bid from Hearts fall short. It set the tone for when these teams will meet later in the season in the Jagermeister Cup. It was another big crowd in Lewiston and hopefully we’ll see the Hearts of Pine up there again in the future.
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed"
Only four non-MLS or USL Championship teams made their way into the round of 32 with wins in the third round. They can keep daring to dream about knocking out an MLS team, while others saw their Open Cup magic run out.
Columbus Crew 2 0 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1
The Crew 2 were unable to turn home field advantage into an upset over Pittsburgh as Daniel Griffin’s 28th-minute goal was the only one of the game for either side. The Crew managed more time on the ball than the Riverhounds but struggled to turn the possession advantage into a shots advantage. They head out after two cup wins, including a second-round victory over USL Championship side, Lexington SC.
Tacoma Defiance 2 - Oakland Roots 1
The sole MLS Next Pro team to make the round of 32 defied the odds with their Tuesday night upset over the Oakland Roots. The Tacoma Defiance needed extra time to score the 108th-minute winner after being unable to hold onto a 1-0 lead at half time.
The Roots chopped their deficit away thanks to a 75th-minute penalty by Neveal Hackshaw but were unable to find another goal despite a shot advantage of 22 to 8. Tacoma’s goalkeeper, Andrew Thomas, stood tallest among the trees with an inspired player of the match performance. Not even a 117th-minute red card for the Defiance’s Cody Baker allowed Oakland to cook up a goal in the dying minutes of the game.
Charlotte Independence 1 - North Carolina FC 3
The Independence will have to do some more rewriting of history after their bid for the round of 32 came up short with a home loss to North Carolina FC. Carolina did all their damage late, scoring in the 71st, 74th and 77th minutes after going behind early in the second half. Rodrigo Da Costa scored the game winner and the insurance goal shortly after.
AV Alta 2 - Orange County SC 2, 4-2 on penalties
It might be time to actually look into where AV Alta is from and what AV stands for now that they’ve won three times already in this competition. The League One outfit took it all the way to penalties before knocking out Orange County SC.
There were plenty of goals before then as Orange County scored in just the 15th minute thanks to Ousmane Sylla. It wasn’t until the 68th minute that AV drew level thanks to a goal from Luca Mastrantonio. They looked headed into the next round when Emmanuel Alaribe put them in front in the 75th minute. That was until Mouhamadou War showed what he was good for with his 84th-minute salvo to send it to extra time.
After scoring two goals during the game, it was Alta la vista to Orange County as they only converted two penalties in the shootout to AV’s four.
Union Omaha 1 - San Antonio FC 0
Working class hero, Dion Acoff, scored the lone goal in this one in the 37th minute to send Union Omaha through at the expense of San Antonio FC. The League One side showed strong solidarity that would have made Dan Osborn proud in seeing off the USL Championship side just one round after knocking out the Des Moines Menace and their free-riding ringers.
Shop steward (captain), Rashid Nuhu, made three saves in helping the Union hold the line with a shutout victory. The Union are no strangers to success having won League One in 2021 and again in 2024.
Detroit City FC 3 - Westchester SC 1
Another League One bid for the round of 32 came up short as Westchester SC lost to Detroit City in a game that took a while to get going. It wasn’t until the 71st minute when Morey Doner opened the scoring and put Detroit ahead, a lead that would last just five minutes. Juan Obregon gave Westchester hope with his strike to level the proceedings in the 76th minute. But it wasn’t to be as Detroit hit back with a goal from the spot in the 85th and a final strike to seal the win in the 94th minute from Darren Smith.
Old friend, Jordan Adebayo-Smith got on late and provided the game-winning assist. The former Revs II player might get a chance to show the Revs why they should have kept him around in a later round as Danny Dichio’s boys are moving on.
Las Vegas Lights FC 2 - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 2, 3-4 on penalties
Not since Alan Garner’s four-man wolf pack has Las Vegas seen a group of outsiders roll into town and leave big winners as the Red Wolves did on Wednesday night. They may not have stolen a police car but Las Vegas were robbed of a trip to the round of 32 after a 120 minute stalemate was settled in a shootout.
Both teams scored in both halves and both converted a penalty in regular time but Christian Pinzon’s (no relation, as far as we know) 63rd-minute goal tied it all up at 2-2, and that’s how it stayed all through extra time. Pinzon missed his penalty in the shootout, and the Red Wolves went on to win the spot kick battle, 4-3.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks 3 One Knoxville SC 2
We know friend of The Blazing Musket, James Casella, loves a good switchback but he’ll have been heart broken to see his One Knoxville SC given the black flag and knocked out of the cup. They forced extra time with an 84th-minute goal from Stavros Zarokostas. But it was Anthony Fontana’s winner in the 104th minute that settled the tie. Not being able to bear witness to the bitter end, Zarokostas got sent off in the final minute.
Sacramento Republic FC 1 - El Farolito SC 0
Ryan Spaulding and Sacramento are apparently not appreciators of the great story that is a team of amateurs working day jobs knocking out teams of full professionals. Not wanting to add another chapter, the Republic won a fairly even game with its only goal scored in the 30th minute.
El Farolito was the last remaining amateur side in the competition after beating Real Monarchs and Monterey Bay in the first two rounds. That earned them a $50,000 payout for doing so. It’s well earned and probably well needed after all the extra time off from work in recent weeks.
Charleston Battery 4 - South Georgia Tormenta FC 0
It’s been a good week for soccer teams named after antiquated weapons of war. The Battery spared no quarter in routing South Georgia with a pair of goals in each half and a hat trick from MD Myers. Turns out Myers is quite the marksman; he has 21 goals in 41 games for Charleston between this year and last.
It was the end of the Tormenta and Yavin Bazini’s cup run having previously defeated Harbor City and Foro SC. Bazini will make his long-awaited return to New England on July 6 to face the Portland Hearts of Pine.
FC Naples 1 - Tampa Bay Rowdies 1, 8-9 on penalties
The newly formed FC Naples lost for the first time in their young history after a nine-round penalty shootout. Naples currently sit on top of USL League One with 4 wins and two draws in six games. The Rowdies came into this game struggling in the Championship having lost three of their last four.
It had all the makings of an upset with the lower league team doing well and having home field advantage but it wasn’t to be, Tampa Bay emerges as the only Florida based team to make it out of the round.
All Championship Affairs
Indy Eleven 1 - Miami FC 0
It’s on to the month of May for Indy Eleven after a last lap, ugh, minute goal from Hayden White in stoppage time of extra time. That was the only goal in the game that certainly would have looked headed for penalties for much of the night.
Miami goes out to the first team from outside the state of Florida it faced in the cup after previously defeating Naples United and Inter Miami II.
Louisville City FC 2 - Loudoun United FC 1
Louisville got their work done early, scoring twice inside the first half hour with goals from Adrien Perez and Sam Gleadle. Loudoun couldn’t find a goal until the very end with a 90th-minute goal from Egyptian, Abdellatif Aboukoura.
Loudoun exits the tournament having ended the Virginia Dream’s cup run all for naught in the end.
FC Tulsa 1 - Phoenix Rising FC 1, 2-4 on penalties
FC Tulsa won’t be kings of the US Open Cup after all. That’s down to a valiant effort from Frank Costanza’s favorite team, Phoenix Rising, who needed a serenity now moment after going down to ten men in the 76th minute. Tulsa were able to strike in the 87th minute with a goal from Stefan Lukic but that only tied things up as Phoenix had gone ahead in the 51st.
Even with all of extra time up a man, Tulsa couldn’t find the game winner and went on to fall, 2-4, in the shootout.
New Mexico United 2 - El Paso Locomotive 2, 1-4 on penalties
Just as the train was about to leave the station on Wednesday night, El Paso scored in the 97th minute to send the game to extra time. Wilmer Cabrera Jr.’s goal came with Locomotive trailing 2-1 after giving up an early lead from Daniel Carter’s 21st-minute goal.
In between El Paso’s cowcatcher and caboose goals, New Mexico thought they had their luggage packed for the round of 32. Marlon Vargas’ 39th-minute equalizer and Jaylin Lindsey’s 72nd-minute go-ahead goal were nearly enough coal for the engine to chug on towards the cup’s later rounds. Instead, it was all destined for a shootout that saw Locomotive advance. It’s all board for the round of 32 for El Paso.
And just as the third round ends, the draw for the next round is out already. The Open Cup will be back on May 6 and 7.