The Long Island Rough Riders hosted the USL League One’s Charlotte Independence on a foggy evening in Uniondale, New York. Mitchel Field was the venue for the First Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup fixture where there were goals galore, especially late in the game. The final goal was scored by Rafael Jauregui who bagged a brace before being subbed off in extra time. The match ended 3-2 in favor of the visitors who were tested and nearly brought to the brink of elimination.
The Rough Riders had their first berth in the United States’ oldest soccer tournament since 2008. The Independence, conversely, were in the US Open Cup in 2024. The Rough Riders came into the match having lost four of their last five competitive matches. Charlotte entered the fixture in considerably better form having only lost two of their last five and keeping clean sheets in their two victories.
Charlotte are lucky to have the guidance and leadership of someone with over 70 Premier League appearances, assistant coach Gaberial Obertan. Obertan faced some of the best players in the world during his 15+ year career but gave respect to the minnows and American soccer in general after the match.
“We have kind of the same experience in Europe, small clubs playing against bigger clubs,” said Obertan, who spent time with Manchester United and Newcastle United as a player. “You know what to expect, it was a tough game. They made our lives really tough. College players are getting better and better. So, I was not surprised that the level was good.”
The level of the match was indeed good. Goal number one was a cracking strike in the 49th minute from Jacob Woznicki, who was recently drafted by the LA Galaxy. Woznicki sliced through the ball causing it to swerve dramatically into the roof of the net. The Nassau County-based side took the lead deservingly through him before momentum shifted toward the end of the second half.
There were chances galore throughout the match but it became skewed toward the visitors after a triple substitution from the Rough Riders about midway through the second half.
Jauregui, a 20-year-old for Charlotte, showed his promise tonight, leading the lines and finishing clinically when called upon. Undoubtedly man of the match.
The Rough Riders were resilient in the face of stacked odd and adversity. Fourteen minutes into extra time, the ball was whipped into the box from the right hand side about waist high for Charlotte’s Christian Chaney. Chaney contorted his body to execute a delicious scissor kick resulting in the net piercing for Charlotte’s second.
Almost immediately after the Chaney front flip, back hand spring celebration, two more goals came, with one of them icing the game.
Less than a minute after Chaney’s goal the Rough Riders were back into the game. Elia Khodri met a poor clearance off a set piece with a thunderous first time volley from about 15 yards from goal to tie the game back up at 2-2.
After some stoppage time for the goals, the first half of extra time ended and the opening minutes of the second half belonged to the Independence. They controlled possession and in the 107th minute a low cross was fired in from the left wing near the end line and a Long Island defender attempted to clear it to safety. The defender played the ball up the field but it fell right to the foot of Jauregui who volleyed it past the helpless goalkeeper to give them a lead that they would not relinquish.
“Our staff did a good job of not downplaying them,” said Charlotte captain and right back Clay Dimick about the importance of sealing the game after taking the lead in the 107th minute. “Our mentality is brilliant and I think that’s one thing that is going to carry us throughout the season.”
The Jacks defense would hold strong for the last 13 minutes as the club would win their opening game for the third year in a row. It also marked the first time in club history that they won a game that ended after extra time and didn’t go to penalty kicks.
Charlotte will play again in seven days versus the Chattanooga Red Wolves who narrowly avoided defeat in penalties in Newark on Tuesday night.