CHICAGO (April 2, 2025) – A blossoming rivalry with a near-record crowd was one of two penalty shootout thrillers that brought the Second Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to a rousing conclusion across the country Wednesday night.
Chattanooga FC of MLS NEXT Pro and Chattanooga Red Wolves FC from USL League One have shared The Scenic City’s soccer scene for seven years, and a derby debut that percolated for so long could never live up to the hype, right? The 12,131 fans in attendance at historic Finley Stadium begged to differ, as most of them stood throughout a thriller captured by Red Wolves FC via penalties, 5-4, following a 1-1 draw. Tonight’s Chattanooga Derby attendance fell just short of the record audience for a Second Round match, nearly topping FC Cincinnati’s crowd of 12,790 at Nippert Stadium versus AFC Cleveland in 2017.
The lone upset of the evening’s 10-game slate went the way of Portland Hearts of Pine. The Maine side’s scrappy comeback from down a man and a goal in added extra time and subsequent advancement from penalty kicks against Hartford Athletic added to the new USL League One outfit’s growing lore. One more match needed bonus soccer to settle things, as Tacoma Defiance squandered a lead late in regulation before benefitting from a 99th minute own goal by Spokane Velocity FC to post a 2-1 win in the match for Apple State bragging rights.
This largely was not a night where the slipper didn’t fit, as professional teams went 4-for-4 against amateur squads. Three-time champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA) and the star-laden Des Moines Menace (USL League Two) saw comeback bids come up short against USL League One sides Westchester SC (3-2) and Union Omaha (2-1) respectively. While Virginia Dream FC (USASA) briefly found an equalizer before cracking under the weight of Loudoun United FC’s three-goal second half, FC Naples never let the upset hopes of Little Rock Rangers (USL League Two) get off the ground in a 3-0 win.
Those four losses by amateur teams combined with FORO SC’s defeat last night leaves El Farolito as the farthest advancing team from the Open Division for a second consecutive year. The San Francisco side’s feat is twice as nice – and so is the augmented $50,000 prize the club will receive as the last amateur team standing.
Elsewhere on the night, One Knoxville SC defeated rival Greenville Triumph SC, 3-1, in the lone all-USL League One contest, and the USL Championship also saw two more of its membership, FC Tulsa and El Paso Locomotive FC, move on with ease courtesy of impressive road wins.
The 16 victors across the last two nights now move on to the Third Round (April 15-16) where they will be pitted against teams from the Division II USL Championship. The draw for the Third Round is set to take place on Thursday, April 3 at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast LIVE on CBS Golazo Network, which can be viewed for FREE via the CBS Sports App & Pluto TV, and CBS Sports Golazo America on YouTube.
Beginning with the Third Round, CBS Sports will provide live match coverage of the Open Cup across its linear and digital platforms, with every match streaming live on Paramount+. CBS Sports’ coverage will include every match from the Third Round onward to the Oct. 1 Final, with select matches simulcasting on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round
Matchday #2 – Wednesday, April 2 (all times ET)
- Portland Hearts of Pine 0-0, 1-1 (aet), 4-2 (PKs) Hartford Athletic
- Loudoun United FC 4-2 Virginia Dream FC
- Greenville Triumph SC 1-3 One Knoxville SC
- Chattanooga FC 1-1, 1-1 (aet), 4-5 (PKs) Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
- Westchester SC 3-2 New York Pancyprian Freedoms
- Forward Madison FC 1-3 v. FC Tulsa
- FC Naples 3-0 Little Rock Rangers
- Des Moines Menace 1-2 Union Omaha
- Tacoma Defiance 1-1, 2-1 (aet) Spokane Velocity FC
- Ventura County FC 0-3 El Paso Locomotive
Matchday #1 – Tuesday, April 1
- Columbus Crew 2 3-0 Lexington SC
- South Georgia Tormenta FC 3-2 FORO SC
- Charlotte Independence 1-1, 2-1 (aet) Carolina Core FC
- Inter Miami CF II 0-1 Miami FC
- Monterey Bay FC 1-2 El Farolito
- AV ALTA FC 1-1, 2-1 (aet) LAFC 2
2025 U.S. Open Cup Second Round Match Capsules
Matchday #2 – Wednesday, April 2
Portland Hearts of Pine (USLL1) 0-0, 1-1 (aet), 4-2 (PKs) Hartford Athletic (USLC)
Maine’s first-ever pro soccer team returned to the scene of their First Round win over amateurs CD Faialense hoping for a Cupset over Div. II side Hartford Athletic in frosty Lewiston. The game began at a furious pace befitting the 35-degree temperatures. But for all the hustle and bustle – and chances from both sides – there wasn’t to be a goal until the 11th minute of extra-time. And when Hartford’s Jordan Scarlett headed home from a corner kick, with Hearts down to ten men following an Azaad Liadi sending off in the 95th minute, Portland’s Cinderella run seemed doomed. But cue one Jake Keegan, supersub off the bench, who chased a long, hopeful ball and chipped Hartford’s outstanding Antony Siaha in the 116th minute to send the game to a shootout. Hunter Morse – outstanding throughout the game for Hearts – made a crucial save on Sebastian Anderson and Evan Southern sealed the deal with the winning spot-kick as this young Hearts of Pine remain unbeaten in their young but thrilling history.
Loudoun United FC (USLC) 4-2 Virginia Dream FC (USASA)
Loudoun steered what little action there was during an uneventful first half that saw Dream FC successfully absorb pressure in the run of play. However, Dream FC’s dam finally broke on Loudoun’s first shot on goal 40 minutes in, when Riley Bidois’ glancing header of Pedro Santos corner gave the home side a deserved lead at the interval. Virginia Dream looked like a different side out of the break, and their increase in possession paid off just five minutes into the stanza through Akingbolahan Akinkoye’s equalizer off a cutback pass from the endline by Asparuh Slavov. That seemed to wake up Loudoun – and especially first half substitute Ben Mines, who scored the go-ahead goal (59’) and played provider on Zach Ryan’s tap-in (77’) to give the reins back to United down the stretch. Nicholas Likulia’s 86th minute header from four yards indeed kept Virginia’s dream very much alive at 3-2 as stoppage time approached, but Mines again set up Ryan for a tidy counter attack finish that cemented a result that looked trickier than the final score indicated.
Greenville Triumph SC (USLL1) 1-3 One Knoxville SC (USLL1)
Knoxville’s one pro side is on to the Third Round for the first time. Two first-half goals set the tone as One Knoxville SC beat Greenville Triumph SC at Paladin Stadium at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. Greek center forward Stavros Zarokostas rocketed a volley past Greenville goalkeeper Seth Torman in the 15th minute, and Mark Doyle added a second goal on the end of a 50-yard counter-attacking run as One Knoxville SC held a 2-0 lead after the first 25 minutes. Knoxville keeper Johan Garibay stopped a penalty kick by Greenville’s Benjamin Zakowski just before halftime, and found a little luck early in the second half when a goal was denied after Zakowski was flagged for offside. Greenville’s Rodrigo Robles received a red card following an altercation in the 50th minute, and it fired up the home side as Triumph produced a rapid-fire four-shot sequence with Chevone Marsh getting it over the line in the 55th minute. Babacar Diene beat two defenders and slammed in a third and final goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time for Knoxville, which failed to advance out of the Second Round in two previous tournament appearances.
Chattanooga FC (NP) 1-1, 1-1 (aet), 4-5 (PKs) Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USLL1)
The packed crowd of 12,131 at Finley Stadium had an energy reminiscent of a proper rivalry, with the homestanding CFC fans packing one sideline in blue and a healthy contingent of Red Wolves SC faithful filling the opposite side in red. The spirit on the field matched that atmosphere at the opening whistle, and the fireworks began in earnest just seven minutes in courtesy of a sweeping 22-yard free kick off the left foot of Omar Hernandez that pulled Red Wolves FC ahead. Not to be outdone, CFC’s Daniel Mangarov upped the ante with a left-footed beauty of his own, a dart of a dead ball from 25 yards out into the upper right corner that set things square at ones in the 19th. CFC’s Keegan Ricardo smacked the crossbar with another set piece strike in the 33rd minute, but play tightened up thereafter, and other than Ricardo Jerez’s low, steering save of Farid Sar-Sar’s blast at his right post in the 65th minute there weren’t any big chances on either end to rouse the near-record audience through the rest of regulation and 30 minutes of added extra time. Jerez’s save of Mangarov’s shootout opener put Red Wolves FC ahead from the jump, and the fingertips of CFC ‘keeper Eldin Jakopovic couldn’t stop Owen Green from becoming the answer to the trivia question to be asked around this hotbed of soccer for years to come: Whose penalty clinched the first Chattanooga Derby?
Westchester SC (USLL1) 3-2 New York Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA)
The hosts rode a 3-0 halftime advantage as a second-half comeback by the three-time champions fell just short at The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, N.Y. Westchester captain Juan Obregon, who scored in the 81st minute of the 1-0 first-round win over FC Motown, did his damage this time in the third minute. Obregon raced onto a long ball from Jamaican international and left back Kemar Lawrence and buried a 12-yard shot past goalkeeper Joshua Levine. Westchester lost Lawrence to an injury in the 15th, but didn't miss a beat. It doubled the lead on a 22nd-minute own goal as Prince Saydee's left-wing cross deflected off defender Jack Sluys and into the net. Westchester made it 3-0 in the 34th as Daniel Bouman put away a deflected ball from the middle of the box. With Joe Holland leading the charge, the visitors turned it up a notch in the final half. They scored a deserved goal in the 54th as Pablo Herrera was credited with the tally after ‘keeper Dane Jacomen spilled a corner kick. A minute into stoppage time, James Thristino cut the deficit to one, burying a Jordan Bailon feed from point-blank range.
Forward Madison FC (USLL1) 1-3 FC Tulsa (USLC)
Underdogs Forward Madison created opportunities early, but FC Tulsa eventually worked themselves into the match, which paid dividends in the 21st minute when Owen Damm smashed home a goal on a beautiful left footed cross from Taylor Calheira. Tulsa doubled their lead in the 31st minute when forward Kalil ElMedkhar slotted home a perfectly weighted through ball from forward Stefan Lukic. In the second half, Calheira drew a penalty in the box in the 51st minute and converted from the spot to make it 3-0. Forward Madison pulled one back in the 68th minute on a nice set piece just outside the top-left of the 18-yard box. Jacob Crull's swinging ball to the far post found Timmy Mehl, who headed the ball across goal where Nazeem Bartman finished it with a header. Tulsa’s Boubacar Diallo was sent off in the 88th minute on yellow card accumulation, but the visitors held on, 3-1, and punched their ticket to the Third Round.
FC Naples (USLL1) 3-0 Little Rock Rangers (USLL2)
FC Naples scored very early and often at the Paradise Sports Complex in Naples, Fla. In fact, it didn't take the hosts long to put their mark on the match as they scored only 40 seconds after opening kickoff. An onrushing Jayden Onen latched onto a long pass by midfielder Kevin O'Connor before depositing the ball past ‘keeper Henry Hampshaw. Brecc Evans headed home Luka Prpa's corner kick from close range to make it 2-0 in the 14th minute. Forward Andres Ferrin placed the exclamation point on the victory in the 77th, burying a shot from the top left of the box into the lower right corner. Hampshaw denied Karsen Henderlong's attempts to extend the lead in the 83rd and 86th minutes. Goalkeeper Edward Delgado registered the clean sheet for FC Naples, which outshot the visitors, 20-10, and placed seven shots on target to Little Rock's one.
Des Moines Menace (USLL2) 1-2 Union Omaha (USLL1)
The magic is over for the Menace. Unable to find a goal from the run of play and with team captain Sasha Klejstan sent off from the bench in the second half, Des Moines Menace lost to Union Omaha at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa. 33-year-old Dion Acoff scored in the 18th minute, and Josue Gomez buried a rebound in the 33rd minute as Union Omaha grabbed an early lead. Benny Feilhaber, who last played professionally in 2019, earned his second penalty in as many matches and slotted his spot kick into the back of the net to get Des Moines to within a goal with 35 minutes remaining. Despite playing the final half hour with 10 men, Union Omaha moved on to the Third Round for the fourth consecutive year, a run that includes the defending USL League One champion’s advancement to the Round of 32 last year and the Quarterfinals in 2022.
Tacoma Defiance (NP) 1-1, 2-1 (aet) Spokane Velocity FC (USLL1)
Tacoma Defiance opened the scoring in the 3rd minute on a well-worked goal from Joonmo Kang that started from the back to give the home side an early 1-0 advantage. Defiance forward Osaze De Rosario made the extra pass on the run up and was credited with the assist. The next 75 minutes passed in the match with the Defiance clinging to a 1-0 lead. Just when it looked like that would be the final score, Spokane Velocity substitute Luis Gil leveled the match in the 78th minute on a lovely cross from Nil Vinyals from the right side. Tacoma hit the woodwork two times across the final 12+ minutes, but could not find the go-ahead goal in regular time. In the 99th minute, Defiance midfielder Edson Carli put a shot on frame near the far post that ricocheted slightly off Velocity defender Marcelo Lage for an own goal to give the Defiance a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. With the win, Defiance move to 4-1-0 all-time in the Open Cup.
Ventura County FC (NP) 0-3 El Paso Locomotive (USLC)
Jose Alfaro Vasquez (aka Tony Alfaro) doubled his fun on Night Two of the Second Round. Vasquez/Alfaro scored two goals and received two yellow cards as El Paso Locomotive FC shut out Ventura County FC at Dignity Health Sports Park Track & Field Stadium in Carson, Calif. Vasquez/Alfaro received an early yellow card and then got Locomotive FC on the scoreboard with the slightest touch to get the ball over the line from a corner kick in the 17th minute. He added his second goal on a tap-in, again from a corner kick, in the 29th minute. Not finished, the former L.A. Galaxy defender got a second yellow card and was sent off following a hard challenge on Dylan Vanney, the son of L.A. Galaxy manager Greg Valley, in the 64th minute. Wilmer ‘Andy’ Cabrera, the son of manager Wilmer Cabrera, scored his first career Open Cup goal in the 80th minute to seal a win that moved Locomotive FC on to the Third Round for the second time in the last three years.
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.
The official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.
