The 111th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup resumed with a compact slate of exciting matches on Tuesday evening. Notably, USL League One sides amassed a perfect 4-0 record on the night, highlighted by upset victories by Union Omaha and the Charlotte Independence against USL Championship opposition. Additionally, defending League One champions One Knoxville SC survived a pair of red cards and a penalty kick shootout to down Smoky Mountain Series rival Asheville City SC on the road.
The Second Round will continue with 10 matches on Wednesday. In addition to all 10 remaining matches streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network will air one match (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Spokane Velocity FC) and CBS Sports Golazo Network will feature a doubleheader (Flint City Bucks vs. Detroit City FC | Orange County SC vs. Phoenix Rising FC).
USL League One’s Union Omaha is back in the Round of 32 for the third consecutive year and fourth time in club history, as the Owls overcame a late comeback bid from USL Championship side Indy Eleven. A scoreless, even first half gave way to a frenetic second half which really got going when Indy goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook was shown red for a dangerous tackle just outside the penalty area. From there, Omaha took control—the two-time League One champions found the back of the net twice in the final 15 minutes through Samuel Owusu and Kempes Tekiela’s first goal with the club. The victory marks Omaha’s sixth victory against a higher-division opponent.
Despite a quick turnaround from its First Round fixture a week ago, USL Championship side Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC took care of business at Highmark Stadium, defeating UPSL outfit Virginia Dream FC. The defending USL Championship title-winners overcame a scoreless first half with a quick start to the second half, as captain Danny Griffin scored the Hounds’ winner in the 51st minute before Eliot Goldthorp opened his Pittsburgh account with a 59th-minute goal from the spot. The victory—Pittsburgh’s third home win in less than a week—ensures the Hounds will participate in the Round of 32 for the fourth consecutive year.
Second-year USL League One side FC Naples is through to the Round of 32 for the first time in club history after dispatching UPSL side FC America CFL Spurs at Paradise Coast Sports Complex. The hosts matched their second-largest margin of victory in club history thanks to a dominant performance on both sides of the pitch, namely a first-half Spurs ejection and goals from Andrés Ferrín, Julian Cisneros and Dominick Bachstein. Despite an 11-save performance from FC America goalkeeper João Kastrup, Naples cruised to victory and maintained lopsided advantages in possession (69% – 31%), shots (31 – 3), shots on target (14 – 0) and completed passes (447 – 160).
Down a man for nearly the entire second half and down two players for all 30 minutes of extra time, defending USL League One champions One Knoxville SC survived a valiant upset bid from Smoky Mountain Series rival Asheville City SC, advancing to the Round of 32 for the first time. Lexington SC loanee Braudílio Rodrigues opened the scoring half an hour into the contest for Knoxville, but Asheville answered in the second half, as Simon Carlson slotted home a goal from the spot just over 30 minutes later. One Knox goalkeeper Jon Burke played a huge role in leading nine-man Knoxville to the Round of 32, as the 28-year-old made 11 saves in regular and extra time and three big saves in the penalty kick shootout.
In the first clash between Southern Derby foes Charlotte Independence and Charleston Battery since 2023, the Independence of USL League One bested the Battery of the USL Championship for the first time since 2021 in an exciting end-to-end contest in Matthews, N.C. The Independence jumped out to a two-goal lead courtesy of goals from Souaibou Marou and longtime Jack and Tampa Bay Rowdies loanee Luis Álvarez before the Battery hit back with a pair of second-half goals from Houssou Landry and Maalique Foster in the span of seven minutes. As a penalty kick shootout loomed, former Charleston midfielder and 17-year-old Viggo Ortiz wove his way through the Battery backline before slicing the winner to the far post deep in extra time.
USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC punched its ticket to the Round of 32 for the eighth consecutive tournament, defeating UPSL side Valley 559 FC on the road. The contest—a bit more even than the scoreline would indicate—was settled by an early barrage of Sacramento goals. Captain Lee Desmond opened the scoring in the 11th minute, before Dominik Wanner and Kyle Edwards scored within minutes of each other later in the first half. Edwards rounded things out with a second goal early in the second half—the St. Vincent and the Grenadines international’s first brace for the Quails.