MLS Sides Go Five-for-Five on First Night of U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 32
USMNT Starlet Patrick Agyemang Makes His Mark on the Cup with Added Extra Time Game-Winner for Charlotte FC;
Kevin Kelsy’s Stoppage Time PK for Portland Timbers Staves Off Potential “Cascadia Cupset” at Tacoma Defiance;
Electric 11-Game Slate to Wind Down Round of 32 on Wednesday, All LIVE on Paramount+
ATLANTA (May 6, 2025) – It wasn’t easy tonight, but Major League Soccer’s entrants fought their way to a five-for-five start on the first of two matchdays in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 32.
USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang’s added extra time game-winner for Charlotte FC and Kevin Kelsy’s tiebreaking PK for the Portland Timbers in second half stoppage time stood atop the evening’s memorable performances.
The 24-year-old Agyemang built upon his breakout 2025 campaign – including a three-goals-in-four-caps start for the U.S. senior side since January – with another memorable marker. This one came on behalf of his Charlotte FC side, which took a 4-1 result from a feisty first meeting against USL Championship’s North Carolina FC. After entering in the 78th minute, Agyemang was dangerous up to, during, and after his 104th minute header that gave Charlotte a 2-1 advantage it wouldn’t relinquish.
A near “Cascadia Cupset” closed things out in Greater Seattle, but the Portland Timbers roared back against a Tacoma Defiance squad that saw its Starfire Sports Complex home lend its Open Cup Magic to the visitors in shocking fashion. Portland gave away a 1-0 lead within the first five minutes of the second half, but Gage Guerra evened at 2-2 in the 80th just a minute after entering. Kelsy slammed home from the spot three minutes deep into stoppage time for a smash-and-grab win that added to the lore of both the mystical venue in Tukwila and the now-extended Cascadia rivalry that includes Portland, Seattle Sounders FC, and their MLS NEXT Pro kin.
D.C. United defended Audi Field in the latest edition of the Coffee Pot Cup rivalry with Charleston Battery, 2-0, after being pushed to added extra time after a scoreless 90 minutes in the nation’s capital. Nashville SC began its Cup run with a tidy 1-0 victory over fellow Tennessee side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, which made it to the Round of 32 on the strength of three penalty shootout wins in as many contests but finally saw their fortune end. Much like Charlotte FC, fellow MLS side New York Red Bulls also captured a 4-1 win on the road. However, their result over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC could not have been accomplished any differently after Mohammed Sofo’s first half brace put RBNY’s thumb on the scales from the jump.
Wednesday’s final 11 games of the Round of 32 – and every match onward to the tournament Final – will stream live on Paramount+. Three of those contests will also be simulcast via either CBS Sports Network or for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network, which will also kick off the evening at 7 p.m. ET with The Golazo Show, a whip-around program highlighting every goal from every match. The full broadcast schedule for Wednesday’s contests can be found below.
2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Results/Schedule – Round of 32
Matchday #1 – Tuesday, May 6
D.C. United 0-0, 2-0 (aet) Charleston Battery
North Carolina FC 0-0, 1-4 (aet) Charlotte FC
Nashville SC 1-0 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 1-4 New York Red Bulls
Tacoma Defiance 2-3 Portland Timbers
Matchday #2 – Wednesday, May 7 (all times ET)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. New York City FC | 7:00 PM | Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network
The Golazo Show | 7:00 PM | CBS Sports Golazo Network
Philadelphia Union vs. Indy Eleven | 7:30 PM | Paramount+
Louisville City FC vs. Minnesota United FC | 7:30 PM | Paramount+
Rhode Island FC vs. New England Revolution | 7:30 PM | Paramount+
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Orlando City SC | 7:30 PM | Paramount+
Chicago Fire FC vs. Detroit City FC | 8:00 PM | Paramount+
FC Dallas vs. AV ALTA FC | 8:00 PM | Paramount+
St. Louis CITY SC vs. Union Omaha | 8:00 PM | Paramount+
Austin FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC | 8:30 PM | Paramount+
CBS Sports Golazo Matchday | 10:00 PM | Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
Phoenix Rising FC vs. Houston Dynamo FC | 10:00 PM | Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sacramento Republic FC | 10:30 PM | Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
2025 U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Match Capsules
Matchday #1 – Tuesday, May 6
D.C. United (MLS) 0-0, 2-0 (aet) Charleston Battery (USLC)
Forward Jacob Murrell and midfielder Jared Stroud scored six minutes apart in the first extra-time period to lift the hosts over 10-man Charleston at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. After a rather non-descript 90 minutes, Murrell tallied what proved to be the game-winner in the 96th minute. He made a move on his marker and curled a 25-yard shot with his left foot, from the right side into the upper left corner past goalkeeper Luis Zumudio. A pair of second-half substitutes combined for the insurance goal to give D.C. some breathing room in the 103rd minute off a quick counterattack. Forward Randall Leal found a streaking Stroud on the left side. Stroud then ripped a low, 16-yard shot that bounced into the left corner. The Battery played the final five minutes of the match a man down after forward Juan Torres was awarded a red card. Keeper Kim Joon-Hong made four saves in the shutout. United moved on to the Round of 16, where the three-time Champions will face fellow MLS side Charlotte FC.
North Carolina FC (USLC) 0-0, 1-4 (aet) Charlotte FC (MLS)
The first meeting with consequences in this nascent Tar Heel State Series saw all five finishes at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. tallied in added extra time. NCFC’s Tristan Hodge and Charlotte’s Nicholas Scardina both cleared chances from their respective goal mouths inside the first seven minutes, but that early flurry was not indicative of a generally tight affair through the first 75 minutes. When finally called upon in the second half, both Charlotte ‘keeper David Bingham and his opposite number for NCFC, Akira Fitzgerald, stood tall, with the latter’s strong-handed stop of Patrick Agyemang’s chance in the 93+’ sending the scoreless match into added extra time. Good things came to those who waited, as Liel Abada’s first-time stroke of Scardina’s low cross in the 97th minute put Charlotte in front … for about 90 seconds, as Rafa Mentzingen picked out the far left corner from the top of the area for North Carolina’s immediate equalizer. The substitute Agyemang was denied for only so long, as he nodded home from the six to notch the eventual game-winner in the 104th minute, followed by insurance tallies from Nikola Petkovic (119’) and Kerwin Vargas (123+’) that secured the result for the MLS side – and a Round of 16 meeting with D.C. United.
Nashville SC (MLS) 1-0 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USLL1)
In the battle of Tennessee, Nashville SC defeated the Chattanooga Red Wolves, 1-0, at GEODIS Park in Nashville. The MLS squad avoided the upset against the Division III opponent courtesy of a goal in the 18th minute, when Josh Bauer jumped on a loose ball and struck it into the far-left side netting, away from the reach of Red Wolves goalkeeper Ricardo Jérez. The goal was Bauer’s first in the Open Cup and third across all competitions this season. Chattanooga played the last 10 minutes and change with only 10 after Alhassan Alhassan received his second yellow card, but it didn’t get much going before that, either. Nashville held possession for 73% and created 14 opportunities to just three for the visitors. The USL League One Red Wolves end a memorable 2025 Open Cup journey technically without a win after advancing via penalty kick shootout triumphs over NJ Alliance (UPSL), in-town rival Chattanooga FC (MLS NEXT Pro), and Las Vegas Lights FC (USL Championship). Nashville SC made sure that didn’t happen for a fourth straight game, moving on to the Round of 16 for a meeting against the winner of Wednesday’s Tampa Bay Rowdies/Orlando City SC affair.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USLC) 1-4 New York Red Bulls (MLS)
Sofo, so good for New York Red Bulls. 20-year-old Ghanaian forward Mohammed Sofo scored twice in the first half as Red Bulls got out to an early lead before holding on to win their tournament opener in a cold rain at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, Colo. Sofo’s soft left-footed finish grabbed the lead in the 14th minute before a stronger effort doubled the advantage just before halftime. Dennis Gjengaar added a third goal in the 64th, and Sean Nealis scored a late insurance goal for last year’s MLS Eastern Conference winners. The Red Bulls now are 9-0-5 all-time against second division opponents in the Open Cup. Anthony Fontana got the home team on the scoreboard with a flying volley in the 72nd minute, but it wasn’t enough. The defending champions of USL have not fared so well in the Open Cup, as Colorado Springs has never advanced beyond the Round of 32. Meanwhile, the two-time Cup runners up advance to face the winner of tomorrow’s FC Dallas/AV ALTA FC showdown.
Tacoma Defiance (NP) 2-3 Portland Timbers (MLS)
The Portland Timbers escaped the Open Cup bear pit that is Starfire Sports Complex thanks to a last-gasp penalty kick conversion by Kevin Kelsy in the third minute of added time that gave the Division I side a 3-2 victory against the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of its most hated rival. The Timbers initially seemed well on their way when defender Zac McGraw scored the game's opening goal in the 33rd minute. However, a quickfire double from Tacoma's Osaze De Rosario (48') and halftime substitute Yu Tsukanome (50') just after the restart put the home side ahead ... and in line for what would have been a notorious “Cascadia Cupset.” Just as the finish line came into view, the Division III side's resistance crumbled, allowing the Timbers’ Gage Guerra – a loanee from their own MLS NEXT Pro affiliate – to score the equalizer in the 80th minute before Kelsy's coup de gras came as a result of Tacoma's Georgi Minoungou fouling Eric Miller in the box during the five minutes of added time. Portland will next face the winner of Wednesday’s NorCal meeting between San Jose Earthquakes and Sacramento Republic FC.
About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Now in its 110th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2025 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The 2025 tournament features a total purse worth $1 million that includes a $600,000 award for the champion.
Los Angeles Football Club of MLS is the defending Champion. The 109th edition of the tournament concluded on September 25, 2024, with LAFC beating four-time Champions Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles to become Open Cup Champions for the first time
