On the Pitch
On the Pitch
On the Pitch
Open Cup
UPSL, USL League Two Sides Post Key Victories as Open Cup First Round Nears Conclusion
Virginia Dream FC, Flint City Bucks, Tennessee Tempo FC Pull Off Upsets; First Round Concludes with All-Pittsburgh Affair Next Wednesday
The third night of First Round U.S. Open Cup action delivered a trio of upset victories, as a pair of UPSL sides—Virginia Dream FC and Tennessee Tempo FC—and one USL League Two side—Flint City Bucks—doubled the total number of upsets recorded over the previous two days. Elsewhere, USL Championship side Lexington SC matched Louisville City FC’s modern era record for margin of victory with its 9-0 thrashing of Flower City Union.
The First Round will conclude with one match next Wednesday, an all-Pittsburgh affair at Highmark Stadium between defending USL Championship title-winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and USL League Two’s Steel City FC. The contest marks the first matchup between a pair of Pittsburgh-based sides in the Open Cup since 1957. The matchup will be carried live on U.S. Soccer's YouTube channel.
Carolina Core FC 1 – 2 Virginia Dream FC
Chic UPSL side Virginia Dream FC has done it again, upsetting professional opposition in the First Round of the Open Cup for the second consecutive season. This year, the 4-year-old club defeated MLS NEXT Pro’s Carolina Core FC on the road to advance to the Second Round. Core newcomer Tim Zeegers opened the scoring in the 52nd minute with his first professional goal, but the Dream responded in a big way, as Zoumana Diarra and Michael Akinkoye each scored later in the second half to help the UPSL side advance.
Flint City Bucks 2 – 0 Forward Madison FC
Fabled giant-slayers Flint City Bucks made a splash in their first Open Cup match since 2018, earning an improbable 11thvictory against a professional opponent in the competition. The USL League Two side bested USL League One professionals Forward Madison FC in the pair’s first meeting thanks to a Madison own goal early on and a second-half strike from Jordy Lopez off the bench. The Bucks have now advanced to at least the Second Round of the tournament for the 11th time since 1996.
The Charlotte Independence have matched their largest margin of victory in an Open Cup match—a 4-1 Second Round win against Upward Stars in 2015—by defeating UPSL’s Ristozi FC in the latter’s first Open Cup contest. The Jacks are now through to the Second Round for the 10th consecutive tournament thanks to goals from Clay Dimick, Christopher Jaime and Fabrice Ngah, and a winner from all-time leading scorer Enzo Martinez—his first goal with the club since returning over the offseason.
USL Championship side Lexington SC has matched the record for margin of victory in the modern era, dismantling NPSL’s Flower City Union by nine goals. The only other team to win an Open Cup game by nine goals is Lexington’s Commonwealth Cup rival, Louisville (2015). LSC absolutely dominated from start to finish, maintaining advantages in shots (38-3), shots on target (18-0), possession (77%-23%) and passing accuracy (90%-58%). Lexington bagged three goals in the first half before piling on six in the second half; Nick Firmino, Philip Goodrum and Xavier Zengue all posted multiple goal contributions on the night.
Second-year USL League One side Westchester SC has picked up its third Open Cup victory and first win across all competitions this season, defeating UPSL side and local foe NY Renegades FC by a pair of goals. Though the contest was largely even—the Renegades out-shot WSC—the professional side was able to outlast their amateur opposition, as 23-year-old Daniel Burko lifted his club to victory with his first professional goals—a 49-minute brace.
The USL Championship’s El Paso Locomotive FC is back in the Second Round for the second successive season after advancing to the Round of 32 a year ago, this time earning its first victory of the tournament on the road over USL League Two’s Laredo Heat. While the total number of shots and shots on target were nearly identical for both sides, the professionals out of El Paso capitalized on their opportunities, as former Mexico youth international Diego Abitia scored his first goal for the club in match-winning fashion in the 51st minute and Guatemala international Rubio Rubín bagged his fourth goal of the season in the 89th minute.
Tennessee Tempo FC 1 – 0 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
The UPSL’s Tennessee Tempo FC stunned 2025 Round of 32 participant and USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC in Murfreesboro, dispatching the professionals thanks to Geofrey Oyirwoth’s 34th-minute winner. The contest was Tempo FC’s first appearance in the tournament proper since 2023, when the club was known as Beaman United FC, and the victory marks the club’s first in the Open Cup.
