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2025 US Open Cup Round 5 Review: First all-MLS Quarterfinal field since 2015 complete

May 22, 2025 by TheCup.us Staff

Graphic: Phil Naegely | Photo: Matt Ralph - Philadelphia Soccer Now
Graphic: Phil Naegely | Photo: Matt Ralph – Philadelphia Soccer Now

For the first time in a decade all eight of the teams left in the Quarterfinals will be from Major League Soccer.

The Philadelphia Union dispatched the USL Championship’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds by the score of 4-1. The Riverhounds were the last remaining lower division club in the competition.

Aside from convincing 3-1 wins by Austin FC (over the Houston Dynamo) and the Chicago Fire FC (over the New England Revolution), the rest of the Round of 16 was full of drama. Two games went to penalty kicks and the other three were one-goal games. 

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The draw for the Quarterfinals will take place on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET and broadcast live on CBS Sports Golazo. The Round of Eight is scheduled to take place the week of July 8-9.

Below you will find a brief recap of all eight games with links to the full match report.

TUESDAY, MAY 20

Graphic: Frank Lanham

New England Revolution (MLS)
1:3
Chicago Fire FC (MLS)

By Alex Campbell

The Chicago Fire took another step toward what they hope will be an MLS-record fifth US Open Cup title on Tuesday night in Providence, Rhode Island at the home of the Providence College Friars with a 3-1 win over the New England Revolution. An own goal by New England’s Eric Klein, volley from a rebound off the crossbar by Hugo Cuypers, a spectacular solo effort by substitute Philip Zinckernagel, and a consolation own goal via the Fire’s Justin Reynolds provided the scoring in what went from a slog to a comfortable win.

Chicago made only one lineup change from their 4-0 Round of 32 victory of Detroit City of the USL Championship, while the Revolution XI included just one player who had started an MLS match this season. That quality discrepancy eventually played out on the pitch, and the winningest team in USOC history are into Thursday’s quarterfinal draw.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
1:0
Portland Timbers FC (MLS)
After Extra Time

By Favian Renkel

Jack Skahan delivered a dramatic late winner to lift the San Jose Earthquakes past their Round of 16 opponent in the U.S. Open Cup, securing a 1-0 victory and a place in the Quarterfinals. Skahan found the back of the net in the dying minutes, capitalizing on a rare chance in an otherwise tight and physical match. His goal not only sealed the win but also marked one of the most important moments of the Earthquakes’ season so far.

The Quakes came into the match leading MLS with goal scored with 29 on the season. Even without Chicho Arango and Josef Martínez available for the match, the Quakes still found a way to get the job done. San Jose will now await the draw for their Quarterfinal opponent. The Quakes have never lifted the U.S. Open Cup but are now just one win away from matching their best runs in the tournament, having reached the Semifinals in both 2004 and 2017.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

Graphic: Frank Lanham

New York Red Bulls (MLS)
2:2
FC Dallas (MLS)
New York advances, 4-3 on penalty kicks

By Adam Uthe

It wasn’t pretty, but the New York Red Bulls won the penalty shootout to advance past FC Dallas and into the 2025 US Open Cup Quarterfinals. The home side fell behind not once, but twice in the first 90 minutes before Emil Forsberg tied it up in stoppage time and then went on to score the winner in penalties.

The Red Bulls dominated possession early on, but it was Dallas who got on the scoreboard first. Bernard Kamungo scored via an assist from Petar Musa in the 28th minute on Dallas’ first (and only) real chance up to that point. New York continued to generate touches inside of Dallas’ penalty area but they couldn’t convert said chances into a single shot on target and the visitors took their lead into halftime. 

The second half played out mostly the same way, with New York applying more pressure and eventually they were rewarded for their effort. In the 63rd minute, Mohammed Sofo pounced on a loose ball in the box and converted his shot to level the score at 1-1. Dallas fought their way back into the match and in the 77th minute, Lucho Acosta (after receiving a pass from Kamungo) split two defenders in the box with a brilliant heel flick before burying his shot to make it 2-1 Dallas. It looked like Dallas was headed for a victory, but then Emil Forbserg’s free kick in stoppage time took a kind deflection off the Dallas wall and the two sides were forced to play an additional 30 minutes.

There was some brief controversy in extra time as the referee gave a free kick just on the edge of the box that, after at least three minutes of time elapsed, eventually resulted in a red card for Dallas midfielder Ramiro. This time, Forsberg’s free kick was saved and eventually penalties were needed to decide everything. New York converted four out of five while Dallas could only get three and the hosts progressed to their 10th Open Cup quarterfinal appearance in club history.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

D.C. United (MLS)
3:3
Charlotte FC (MLS)
D.C. United advances, 2-1 on penalty kicks

By Becca Mitchum

A dramatic penalty shootout cleared the way for D.C. United’s next step in the Open Cup after 120 minutes of play resulted in three goals for each team.  David Schnegg opened up the scoring in the 17th minute, but two quick goals by Charlotte FC’s Patrick Agyemang and Bill Tuiloma,  in the 58th and 61st minute respectively, kept the game competitive.  A tying goal by DCU’s Garrison Tubbs ensured extra time. Then each team scored another, with Tyger Smalls scoring for the Crown in the 95th, and DCU drawing level once again in the 104th minute with a goal from Jackson Hopkins.

An uncommon goalkeeper substitute in the 119th minute proved to be the right choice as Jordan Farr managed to save four out of Charlotte’s five shots, and D.C. United converting two shots against Charlotte’s goalkeeper David Bingham. This is the first 2-1 PK result in the Modern Era of the US Open Cup, and D.C. United advances past the Round of 16 for the first time since their Open Cup run in 2013.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

Minnesota United FC (MLS)
3:2
St. Louis CITY SC (MLS)

By Tim Thomas

A chaotic back and forth match in the rain saw Minnesota United defeat St. Louis CITY SC by a score of 3-2.

Minnesota got out to a quick start with a 10th minute goal by Kelvin Yeboah. Marcel Hartel would even it up for CITY in the 55th minute and João Klauss would give them the lead with a 65th minute header. In a cruel twist of fate for CITY, the hero of the game for Minnesota would be former St. Louis player Anthony Markanich who scored a pair of goals in the span of three minutes.

The victory marks the second time Minnesota has advanced to the Round of Eight, with the last time coming in 2019 when they reached the Open Cup Final.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

Orlando City SC (MLS)
2:3
Nashville SC (MLS)

By Connor Bunnell

It was an absolute roller coaster ride in the theme park capital of the world, as Nashville SC beat Orlando City 3-2 in the Lions’ house.

The scoring started in the 17th minute when Alexander Freeman supplied a ball that Marco Pašalić launched from distance, putting Orlando in front. However, they would only enjoy that lead for six minutes, as Teal Bunbury went for his ninth career Open Cup goal, but made Rodrigo Schlegel own-goal it instead. That was fine by the Coyotes, who completed the comeback in the 40th thanks to an incisive Matt Corcoran pass and a roller to the far post from Ahmed Qasem.

That left the Lions down by halftime, but certainly not out. Once again, Pašalić got involved, this time providing the assist as Ramiro Enrique scored for the second time in as many rounds. That put things back level at the 58-minute mark, and from there, anything was possible. However, not long after a crucial non-call for what City believed was a handball in Nashville’s penalty box, Patrick Yazbek passed the ball back with street soccer flair to rookie defender Wyatt Meyer, who unleashed a wicked curler to score his first professional goal and retake the lead for the boys in gold. Orlando fought furiously for the rest of the match to try and send it to extra time and created several good chances along the way, but it was all for naught. Nashville withstood the final storm, avenging their loss to Orlando in 2022’s Open Cup to make a grand return to the Quarterfinals.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

Philadelphia Union (MLS)
4:1
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL-C)

By Zoe Schaedle

And then there were none. The Philadelphia Union eliminated the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the last of the USL Championship teams remaining in the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The Union coached by Bradley Carnell, advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over the Riverhounds. 

Union’s Bruno Damiani, the 23-year-old transfer from Nacional, opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a penalty kick from a hand ball in the box. The Uruguayan forward slotted a left-footed finish down the middle over the outstretched arms of Riverhounds keeper Eric Dick. 

The Union enjoyed possession in the midfield against Pittsburgh’s defense-heavy lineup. Brothers Quinn Sullivan and Cavan Sullivan led the Union in quick counter attacks resulting in the Union’s second goal by Indiana Vassilev in the 46th minute to conclude the first half.

Philadelphia came out sharp to start the second half with Danley Jean Jacques finding the back of the net in the 54th minute from a Damiani assist, making it a 3-0 game. However, Riverhounds substitute Jorge Garcia gave Pittsburgh some hope with a right footed shot from outside the box only one minute after entering the match for teammate Bertin Jacquesson.

The Union quelled any hope of a comeback with a solo goal by substitute Jovan Lukic in the 86th minute. The 23-year-old midfielder who joined the Union in February demonstrated composure, weaving through Riverhounds defenders to slot the ball in the bottom left corner.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT


Graphic: Frank Lanham

Austin FC (MLS)
3:1
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS)

By Zach Stein

Austin FC clinched their first-ever quarterfinal appearance in a heated 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo that included 22 total fouls. The first half was back-and-forth and relatively drama-free, with the lone goal coming from Brandon Vazquez as he opened the scoring for Austin with a near-post shot in the 29th minute. 

In the 52nd minute, a penalty kick was awarded as Houston’s Franco Escobar was called for handball on a slide tackle. Copa Tejas tempers began to flare up quickly, and Osman Bukari dispatched the penalty to give Austin a 2-0 lead. Eight minutes later, a Bukari pass found Ilie Sanchez on the other end of the five-yard box, who scored his first Austin FC goal. Fouls became frequent as Escobar was shown the first yellow card of the match in the 67th minute, but he made up for it and his earlier handball by assisting Ezequiel Ponce as Houston clawed one back to make it 3-1.

Despite both teams earning plenty of set-piece opportunities, no more goals were scored. Yet the drama didn’t stop there as Dynamos midfielder Brooklyn Raines was shown his second yellow in the first minute of stoppage time, shortly followed by a straight red to Austin’s Julio Cascante in the game’s final minutes.

[+] FULL MATCH REPORT

 

 

Filed Under: 2025 US Open Cup, Feature - Main, Featured Post - Main, US Open Cup, US Open Cup Central Tagged With: 2025 US Open Cup

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