Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Round 3 Preview, Day 1 | OneFootball

Round 3 of the venerable U.S. Open Cup is upon us. The sixteen winners from the first two rounds of sixty-four join the sixteen remaining USL Championship teams for two nights of single-elimination ties to see who will advance. This article focuses on the Tuesday fixtures.

Columbus Crew 2 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

6:00 PM ET @ Lower.com Field – Columbus, OH Streaming on Paramount+Three days after their loss to a superior Charleston Battery, Pittsburgh will travel to nearby Columbus to take on the Crew academy team. As one of the three fixtures featuring a division gap of two or greater, fans of the underdog should be pulling for the Columbus kids. Crew 2 have already knocked down one USL side (Lexington SC) via a gameplay on defensive solidity coupled with swift counterstrikes.

Portland Hearts of Pine vs. Rhode Island FC

7:00 PM ET @ Franklin Athletic Complex – Lewiston, ME Streaming on Paramount+Portland will be hosting their third Open Cup match and look to secure their third straight win in the competition. Rhode Island haven’t played a game since their 3 – 0 demolition of Oakland Roots back on April 5th. Portland’s league record isn’t stellar; Rhode Island’s 2025 season hasn’t been great either. I’m pulling for the debutantes from Maine, but think RIFC will just pip them.

Charlotte Independence vs. North Carolina FC

7:00 PM ET @ Mecklenburg County Sportsplex – Matthews, NC Streaming on Paramount+This here’s a gen-u-wine Cackalacky tussle. NCFC take their thoroughly average USL record (2 each wins/losses/draws) down to the southern Charlotte suburbs to take on the Independence, Known locally as “The Jacks,” Charlotte have needed extra time to dispatch opponents in their last two Open Cup ties. We’ll see if that’s the case in this round.

Louisville City FC vs. Loudoun United FC

7:00 PM ET @ Lynn Family Stadium – Louisville, KY Broadcast on CBS Sports Network & Streaming on Paramount+Our first Championship vs. Championship tie will see red-hot Loudoun visiting the 2024 champion Louisville City FC. LouCity is undefeated in this 2025 season and coming off a bye week. We’ll see if the extra rest and home field will give them an edge. Loudoun sit right above LouCity in the Eastern standings; their only loss this year came at the hands of the Boys in Purple. Lots at stake in this one.

Charleston Battery vs. South Georgia Tormenta

7:30 PM ET @ Ralph Lundy Field – Mt. Pleasant, SC Streaming on Paramount+

Tormenta just squeaked by the amateur club Foro SC in the second round. They’ll need better defensive discipline to have any chance of toppling Charleston, who boast one of the most lethal strikers in the USL: Cal Jennings. If he’s on form, it will be game over for the Pelicans.

Union Omaha vs. San Antonio FC

8:00 PM ET @ Caniglia Field – Omaha, NE Streaming on Paramount+Two weeks ago I would have shrugged this one as a no-brainer for San Antonio. But two straight losses have tarnished SAFC’s glow and Union Omaha could pull off an upset. The Owls will need to be disciplined in defense, and ruthless on the attack. SAFC won’t give them many windows.

AV ALTA FC vs. Orange County SC

10:00 PM @ Lancaster Municipal Stadium – Lancaster, CA Streaming on Paramount+Approximately 100 miles apart, it still takes around 2.5 hours to drive between these teams’ stadiums, and that assumes no traffic in the Los Angeles basin. Despite playing in different divisions these two are fairly even on paper and coming off recent league wins.

Tacoma Defiance vs. Oakland Roots

10:30 PM @ Starfire Sports Complex – Tukwila, WA Streaming on Paramount+I think the Roots are happy they didn’t pull El Farolito in this round, despite having to travel north for the match. With their win on Saturday, the Roots should have the confidence to defeat the Sounders’ academy team. Oakland has more experience (26.2 year avg.) over the Defiance (20.8 year avg.)

Read the second day (Wednesday) preview here.