Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Charlotte Football Club

2025 US Open Cup Round 4: Charlotte FC offense erupts in OT with 4-1 win over North Carolina FC

by

Liel Abada of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against North Carolina FC in the Fourth Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Taylor Banner
Liel Abada of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against North Carolina FC in the Fourth Round of the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Taylor Banner

The first official meeting between MLS’ Charlotte FC and USL Championship side North Carolina FC provided plenty of drama for North Carolinian fans of either team, but everyone needed to wait until extra time for the scoreline to move.

A goal by Charlotte FC’s Liel Abada in the 97th minute was equalized in the 99th by Rafa Mentzingen of NCFC, leading towards more of stalemate before Charlotte FC score three more by the final whistle, with goals by Patrick Agyemang in the 104th, Nikola Petkovic in the 119th, and Kerwin Vargas ending the game with a goal at 120’+3 for a 4-1 Charlotte win in Round 4 of the 2025 US Open Cup on Tuesday night.

The five total goals in extra is just one shy of the Modern Era record of six, which was set back in the Third Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. That year, the Harrisburg City Islanders and New England Revolution scored three extra time goals each and went to penalty kicks where Harrisburg prevailed 4-3.

Chances for both teams began early, with Charlotte FC’s duo of Tyger Smalls and Idan Toklomati almost scoring in the third and North Carolina FC’s corner in the seventh that led to a skillful Conor Donovan header. Tempers flared early, leading to several on-field confrontations from both sides. The chances continued, but no goals were to be found during the first half. Most notable was a run by NCFC’s Oalex Anderson in the 22nd that was deemed offside, and another chance by Idan Toklomati of CLTFC in the 33rd, going just wide of the goal.

Coming into the second half, both teams knew they had missed earlier chances and were seeking to end this game in regulation. Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith even admits that things needed to change coming out of the locker room.

“I just felt the first half was a little bit too slow,” Smith said. “I thought the tempo of the game wasn’t good enough. I thought we were a lot slicker in the second half.”

Both teams were giving it their all, with North Carolina FC dominating both possession and chances created, but nothing was able to come through. With 15 minutes left in regulation, NCFC brought in fresh legs, giving the chance for Oalex Anderson to create more opportunities in the 80th and 89th. Charlotte FC started to slowly bring in their regular starting players, with their most effective chances both in stoppage time by Agyemang. The whistle blew, and extra time was nigh.

As players got ready for the additional time, fanbases on each side of the stadium revved up, anxious to see what their teams would bring as play started once again. Jack Neeley, a staple in Charlotte FC’s Next Pro team Crown Legacy FC — and earning his Charlotte FC debut — was in awe of the atmosphere.

“Playing with Legacy, it’s quiet on the road a lot, so having this is really cool,” he said.

Halfway through the first period of extra time, scoring finally opened up. In the 97th, Abada’s goal was quickly answered from North Carolina’s Mentzingen. A header in the 104th by Charlotte’s Agyemang created the lead for the MLS side. NCFC needed to get back into this if they were intent on making it through to the Round of 16, but was unable to find another equalizer in the last 15 minutes of the match. Charlotte scored twice in the dying moments of the game, with Petkovic scoring in the 119th, and Vargas scoring three minutes into stoppage time.

NCFC will play again at home May 9 against Orange County SC. Charlotte FC’s season continues May 10 as it travels to Nashville SC.

Charlotte will travel to play DC United as it continues its Cup journey either May 20 or 21.

 

2023 US Open Cup Round of 16: Birmingham Legion upsets 10-man Charlotte FC in front of record crowd

by

Prosper Kasim of Birmingham Legion controls the ball against Charlotte FC in the Round of 16 of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Birmingham Legion FC
Prosper Kasim of Birmingham Legion controls the ball against Charlotte FC in the Round of 16 of the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Birmingham Legion FC

On a historic night in their club’s history, Birmingham Legion FC defeated Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC to advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. A solo goal from Prosper Kasim was the difference as Birmingham became the first Alabama club to reach the Quarterfinals after 107 tournaments in the competition’s history.

Along with their first appearance in the Round of 16, Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham hosted an announced crowd of 12,722. This was the largest crowd to witness a Legion game in the club’s relatively brief history (est. 2019).


“We’ve been here five short years and I feel like the game continues to grow and then the city continues to back us up and it was hard not to enjoy that,” said Legion head coach Tom Soehn, who won three US Open Cup titles as a player (1997 Dallas Burn, 1998, 2000 Chicago Fire) and one as a head coach (2008 D.C. United). “I think understood what the game meant. We talked a lot about what it took to come out with the results tonight and then I think they executed quite well.”

The match began with Charlotte FC controlling the majority of the possession, leaving Birmingham unable to retain any of the ball and create any chances. 15 minutes into the game Charlotte controlled 67% of the ball and looked the stronger side. It nearly paid off after Brandon Cambridge scored for Charlotte but it was ruled offside.

The first half continued to go in Charlotte’s favor as they were relentless in their chances. Birmingham were saved however by their goalkeeper, Trevor Spangenberg, who made many crucial stops to keep the score at 0-0.

The second half saw Birmingham Legion come out on the front foot with quick passes that repeatedly caught out the Charlotte players. The Legion made the visitors uncomfortable and the momentum that they had in the first half dissipated even more after Adilson Malanda was sent off after picking up a second yellow card in the 51st minute.

With Charlotte playing with ten men, Birmingham completely took the match over. Their give-and-go’s caught out the Charlotte back line, along with their quick feet and darting runs this made Charlotte sloppy in their defending.

In the 60th minute of the match, Kasim received a ball from Juan Agudelo and darted at the back line of Charlotte before cutting onto his left foot and unleashing a shot that nestled into the bottom left corner. The 12,000 plus fans erupted as a “cupset” was brewing in Birmingham.

The match continued with no response from any of the Charlotte players and Birmingham kept knocking for a second to secure their path into the next round. Charlotte failed to spring any true attacks together in order to get back into the match. With Birmingham’s strong possession and their constant attacking threat, this made it near impossible for a comeback for the away side.

In added time, Charlotte had one last opportunity from a free kick to equalize. It was headed away by Birmingham and the full time whistle was blown. The crowd erupted as it capped off a magical night in the Magic City.

 

2023 US Open Cup Round 4: Charlotte FC makes Orlando City a rare one-and-done defending champ

by

 

Kamil Jozwiak of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against Orlando City SC. Photo: Charlotte FC
Kamil Jozwiak of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against Orlando City SC. Photo: Charlotte FC

On a beautiful evening in the Queen City, Charlotte FC welcomed the defending US Open Cup Champions, Orlando City to town. The second-year MLS franchise used a second half goal from Kamil Jozwiak to eliminate Orlando, 1-0.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

It marked just the third time in the tournament’s Modern Era (1995-present) that the defending champion didn’t advance in its opening game. 

Both teams tried to find the momentum early and set the tone of the match. Things would get heated from the beginning as each squad would see a yellow card handed to them.

Charlotte and Orlando would create opportunities, however neither team would find the back of the net in the first half.

The breakthrough wouldn’t arrive until the 70th minute, when substitute Kamil Jozwiak would put the ball in the bottom corner of the goal for the Crown.

Some confusion would surround the goal however, as it appeared the referee was about to blow his whistle for a foul. But Jozwiak kept going to find his second goal in as many US Open Cup matches.

“In these types of games, we have to be focused from the beginning, and score the first goal,” said Jozwiak in the post-game press conference.

Charlotte head coach Christian Lattanzio also spoke of Jozwiak being “hangry in training, and wanting more”.

One more yellow card would be handed out to Charlotte FC and two more to Orlando City before the referee would blow his whistle to signal full time.

Orlando joins the 2003 Columbus Crew and the 2007 Chicago Fire as the only defending champs to be “one-and-done.”

Charlotte FC will now await their next US Open Cup opponent on Thursday. 

2023 US Open Cup Round 3: Charlotte FC avoid “trap”, cruise to win over South Georgia Tormenta

by

Charlotte FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Alana McCallion
Charlotte FC players celebrate after scoring a goal against South Georgia Tormenta in the 2023 US Open Cup. Photo: Alana McCallion

A very focused, full-strength Charlotte FC (MLS) side pushed past the visiting South Georgia Tormenta (USL-1) 4-1 in their first-ever home game in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. More than 3,500 fans crowded into the Matthews Sports Plex on the outskirts of Charlotte on Tuesday night to see the home team use four different goal scorers in their convincing win.

“A game like this could very well be a trap, especially for the younger players,” said Charlotte FC Head Coach Christian Lattanzio. “They need to understand the intensity is so important. We need to go and press every ball and it doesn’t matter the result, they have to play with this kind of mentality. 

“(Tormenta) have some quality players. They can play, they can run, they’re young, some of them are quite talented and it can easily go differently than the way it started.” 

Charlotte FC forward Chris Hegardt echoed his head coach’s ideas about avoiding the Tormenta “trap.”

“I think Cup matches are good, it gives a lot of people that haven’t played much some opportunity, and obviously it’s fun to play teams that aren’t in your league and it’s very competitive,” he said. “ You saw Tormenta, they’re a really good team and they have a lot of good individual players.  So these games aren’t easy, some say it is like a trap game because they (Tormenta) go in and play so hard, so we had to match that intensity today and I though we played really well. So we’re happy about it.”

When asked about the strong lineup Lattanzio added “To us, first and foremost, we want to respect the opposition, you have to play strong and go with your strong team. 

Charlotte FC we want the cup shirt
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

“We are building here.”

Tormenta began the game on the front foot, forcing two Kristijan Kahlina saves in the first few minutes. After this initial action, Charlotte FC began to control the midfield spaces and possess the ball, working around the perimeter of the Tormenta defense. For the first 20 minutes, Tormenta was able to deal with any ball played into their concentrated defensive block then counterattack to find some relief from the Charlotte pressure.

In the 24th minute, a lofted cross into the box from the left flank was kept alive by a Hegardt header to find Kamil Józwwiak, who took a clever touch from a sharp angle as he looped a shot up and over the outstretched Tormenta keeper. Despite some tough tackles and some close calls the teams went into the half at 1-0 Charlotte.

The cloudy skies of the day had turned into a slight drizzle in the evening with the natural surface became very fast and greasy. The half opened with a quick red card to Tormenta’s Davey Mason on his second caution in the 48th minute which totally tilted the pitch in favor of the host. Charlotte FC used this man advantage to increase pressure on Tormenta, forcing the game deeper in the visitor’s defensive third and the second goal for Charlotte came off a turnover and driven Brandon Cambridge cross that was tapped into the open net in the 55th minute by forward Enzo Copetti.

Charlotte FC didn’t hold back after the second goal and wave after wave of attacks pinned Tormenta deeper and deeper in their end until a Derrick Jones worm-burner in 65th minute from the top of the box skimmed on the greasy surface, deflecting through a crowded penalty area, and into the Tormenta goal for a 3-0 home advantage

Tormenta did pull a goal back in the 83rd minute off the foot of Mathaus Cassini who hit a blistering shot from outside the area that rocketed passed a diving Kristijan Kahlina. Charlotte FC immediately answered the Tormenta goal just a minute later to end any hopes of a comeback and put the game on ice as Karol Świderski calmly took a page from Jones’ shooting school and produced his own worm-burner that skimmed through the box and tucked neatly into the near post for the final 4-1 advantage to the Crown.

2022 US Open Cup Round 5: New York Red Bulls pull away in second half to oust Charlotte FC

by

Luquinhas of the New York Red Bulls battles for the ball against Charlotte FC in the Fifth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: New York Red Bulls
Luquinhas of the New York Red Bulls battles for the ball against Charlotte FC in the Fifth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: New York Red Bulls

The New York Red Bulls advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 victory over Charlotte FC at Montclair State University Soccer Park on Wednesday night. 

Patryk Klimala, Dylan Nealis, and Tom Barlow all found the scoresheet to ensure New York won the first-ever meeting between the two teams, while Daniel Ríos bagged an impressive goal for Charlotte. 

The Red Bulls, an MLS original who are still seeking the club’s first US Open Cup title, advance to the Quarterfinals for the 10th time, and the first time since 2017 (the year they finished runner-up).

Both teams entered the Round of 16 on the back of impressive road victories. New York triumphed over DC United 3-0 at Audi Field, while Charlotte disposed of the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium 5-1.

The Red Bulls got off to a lightning fast start through Klimala in just the 2nd minute. A corner from Tom Edwards ricocheted off the foot of Aaron Long right into the path of Klimala, who rifled the ball into the top left corner from point-blank range to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead.

The ball hit the back of the net 63 seconds into the match, which, according to the club, is the fastest US Open Cup goal ever scored by a Red Bulls player.

Charlotte didn’t dwell on the Klimala tally and responded immediately. A long ball from Kristijan Kahlina in the Charlotte net was misjudged in the air by Sean Nealis, springing Andre Shinyashiki behind the Red Bulls defense. Shinyashiki found Daniel Ríos, who stayed composed and slid the ball through the legs of Nealis and past Carlos Coronel to level the score at one.

Klimala had a prime chance for a brace in the 41st minute, when he received a through ball from Luquinhas and cut back brilliantly on Guzmán Corujo. His left-footed empty curled just inches wide of the far post.

It was a chippy and testy affair that saw six total yellow cards brandished, four to New York and two to Charlotte. Speaking on the performance of referee Ernie Constantine, Red Bulls manager Gerhard Struber did not hold back. 

“This is crazy when you play this level of football and have referees that are not ready. From the tempo, the physical side … the confidence to make good decisions. Especially Luquinhas, we can be happy that he is not injured after a game like that,” Struber said. “I cannot say this was only in our direction, bad decisions in both directions. The referee was outstanding bad.”

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "We Want The Cup" shirt in your team's colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

In the second half, the Red Bulls found another gear. Klimala made his night a memorable one in the 63rd minute, when he blew past Guzmán Corujo and laid a perfect ball across the box to Dylan Nealis who tapped it in to put New York in front 2-1. This tally was a special one for Nealis, as it was his first professional goal.

New York put their finishing touches on the game in the 92nd minute. Luquinhas stole the ball from Christian Makoun deep in the Charlotte half and remained composed, slotting the ball across the six yard box for substitute Tom Barlow to finish off. That made the score 3-1 and sealed the victory for New York.

After their first home victory of the season, the Red Bulls advance to the quarterfinals where they will host NYCFC on June 22 in another rendition of the Hudson River Derby. In the immediate future, New York will welcome an old foe in D.C. United to Red Bull Arena on Saturday in MLS play.

Charlotte FC won’t bring home the US Open Cup in their inaugural MLS season, but there’s still plenty to play for on the MLS side of things. Currently 7th in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte will travel to Lumen Field for a matchup with the CONCACAF Champions League winners Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

2022 US Open Cup Round 4: Yordy Reyna ignites Charlotte FC offense in road win at Richmond Kickers

by

Yordy Reyna of Charlotte FC dribbles the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Richard Hayes | RVAHub.com
Yordy Reyna of Charlotte FC dribbles the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Richard Hayes | RVAHub.com

MLS expansion side Charlotte FC traveled to City Stadium to take on the Richmond Kickers and came away with a 5-1 win on Wednesday night. While the hosts from USL League One held their own for much of the game, it was a barrage of Charlotte goals early in the second half that dashed their hopes of an MLS upset.

After Charlotte went into the halfime break leading 1-0, the Kickers came out strong in the second half, scoring an equalizer in the 53rd minute. However, any momentum they gained in front of their home fans quickly faded as the MLS side scored a minute later. It was the first of three goals in a seven-minute span which cracked the game wide open.

Yordy Reyna was the player who turned the tide for Charlotte. The Peruvian forward scored a goal and added three assists to send the first-year club to the Round of 16.

The greater Richmond community is no stranger to MLS teams coming to town. The Kickers have hosted MLS teams 13 different times prior to Wednesday’s match. City Stadium had a buzz to it as the Kickers were hosting their first MLS opponent since 2015 when the Columbus Crew beat them 3-1 in the Third Round.

Wednesday’s game featured the oldest running soccer franchise in the United States against one of the newest. The Richmond Kickers, winners of the 1995 US Open Cup, were founded in 1993 and have won three USL championships that pre-date the current USL Championship and USL League One.

Charlotte FC have rallied the support of the greater Charlotte area in a very exciting way. Their home opener broke a record in the United States when they drew 74,479 fans to Bank of America Stadium, a stadium they share with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Members of the Charlotte FC supporter’s group, the Crown, made the five-hour trip to Richmond to support Charlotte FC and made their voices heard. 

https://youtu.be/XaZIhjXUHtQ

The first half of the game provided for a lot of excitement. Early on, Richmond had the better chances and created a lot of opportunities for their striker, reigning two-time USL League One MVP Emiliano Terzaghi. However, it would be Charlotte who would get on the scoreboard first with a goal from Daniel Rios.

Charlotte FC had the ball in the Kickers 18-yard box and maneuvered passes around until Rios could slot it home past the Kickers keeper, Akira Fitzgerald.

The chances continued for Richmond throughout the first half and at halftime the score was 1-0.

The announced crowd of 4,621 at City Stadium was buzzing with excitement for the second half and the home team delivered. Zaca Moran scored in the 53rd minute from the top of the 18-yard box after the ball took a deflection in front and ended up in the back of the net. The equalizer gave Richmond a sense of hope that they could upset the MLS side.

Daniel Rios of Charlotte FC battles for the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography
Daniel Rios of Charlotte FC battles for the ball against the Richmond Kickers in the Fourth Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Jessica Stone Hendricks Photography

“(After the first half) we were feeling great, we scored a great goal and got back in the game,” Richmond Kickers head coach Darren Sawatzky said after the game. “I think we had more of the ball then them at the start of the second half, goals change games and when you give one away it changes the momentum of the game.”

That would be the story for the rest of the game as Charlotte FC got one back only a couple of minutes after the Kickers equalizer. Yordy Reyna scored after a give-and-go in the 54th minute and it would eventually open things up for Charlotte FC to score three more goals before the night was over.

Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a "Champions" shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP
Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “Champions” shirt, honoring the five clubs from the pre-Modern Era (1914-1994) to win four or more US Open Cup titles. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

McKinze Gaines helped open up the floodgates when Reyna broke open on a counter attack down the left wing. With plenty of space and the Richmond defenders trying to get back to recover, Reyna played it across into the box for Gaines who slotted it home to make it 3-1.

Reyna would play a role in his fourth straight goal, picking the ball up near the midfield circle and playing a through ball up to Gaines on the right side. After a couple of touches, Gaines pulled the ball back to his right foot and beat Fitzgerald to the far post.

Andre Shinyashiki scored the fifth and final goal of the night for Charlotte FC in the 86th minute. On a corner kick, the ball fell to him right in front of goal and he roofed the ball from close range.

“This is the beauty of the Open Cup,” said Shinyashiki. “You get teams from different divisions playing each other. They were a very good team, they made it hard for us and they played really well in the first half.”

Charlotte will learn their Round of 16 opponent on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. ET when the USSF conducts the draw.

2022 US Open Cup Round 3: Charlotte FC avoids upset in debut, beats Greenville in OT

by

Christian Ortiz of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against Greenville Triumph in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Charlotte FC
Christian Ortiz of Charlotte FC celebrates after scoring a goal against Greenville Triumph in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Charlotte FC

A record home crowd of over 4,000 fans was not enough to lift USL League One’s Greenville Triumph to a cupset victory over Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC in the Third Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The capacity crowd, which featured a sizeable contingent of traveling Charlotte fans, were treated to a back-and-forth affair that ended after extra time sending the visitors home with a 2-1 victory. Charlotte FC’s Harrison Afful played the hero, scoring the game-winning goal in the 106th minute to give the expansion side a win in their US Open Cup debut.

The first half was a fairly balanced affair with each team finding plenty of chances to take the lead.

The deadlock was broken just before halftime when Charlotte’s Titi Ortiz defied the laws of physics by scoring with a ball that was nearly over the end line following a Paul Christensen save. That goal came in the 39th minute and sent the visitors into the locker room with a 1-0 halftime lead.


Coming out of the break, Greenville coach John Harkes made one substitution but shifted the formation adding an additional striker up top. That move paid quick dividends as the Triumph created plenty of big chances early in the second half. They would eventually get one in the back of the net when Jake Keegan scored in the 59th minute. Keegan received a pass near the top of the box and then ripped a shot past the goalkeeper to tie the game.

Going into the first extra time period, Greenville once again looked to be on the front foot creating chances to take the lead. But much to the dismay of the home fans, Charlotte’s Harrison Afful would find that breakthrough goal in stoppage time of the first extra period. He approached the penalty area and played a one-two with Kamil Jóźwiaka, received the ball back and fired a shot past Christensen to give them the expansion side the lead in the 106th minute.

The second period saw Greenville throwing everything they had at the visitors, but tired legs on both sides, and a strong defensive block for Charlotte, saw the team from North Carolina hold onto the 2-1 victory.


Charlotte advances to the Fourth Round where they will face the Richmond Kickers (USL-1) on May 11.

Copyright © 2025 • Built by Jacob Martella Web Development