ATLANTA (May 21, 2025) – No less than four goals were scored in all six contests that brought the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16 to a rousing conclusion on Wednesday night. In all, 29 goals hit the back of the net – and that’s not counting the pair of penalty kick shootouts that kept fans on the edge of their seats in Washington, D.C. and the Jersey suburbs of New York City.
In our nation’s capital, D.C. United and Charlotte FC first dueled to a 2-2 draw through 90 minutes, and then both tacked on another during added extra time to send the proceedings to penalties. That’s where a veteran goalkeeper made his MLS debut, and Jordan Farr proved he was up for the moment by stepping onto the pitch just minutes before making four saves during a roller-coaster 2-1 shootout triumph for United. New York Red Bulls also emerged from PKs via a 4-3 shootout win over FC Dallas in Harrison, N.J., the home side earning that opportunity after coming back twice from deficits, including via Emil Forsberg’s equalizer three minutes deep into second-half stoppage time.
Speaking of comebacks, Minnesota United FC was five minutes from falling at home to St. Louis CITY SC before Andrew Markanich goals in the 85th and 88th minutes lifted the Loons to a 3-2 victory in the Midwestern melee. A similar scoreline saw Nashville SC through on the road at Orlando City SC, with Wyatt Meyer’s 79th-minute tally making the ultimate difference in Central Florida.
The night was not without some surer things, starting with Philadelphia Union’s 4-1 result over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. That ended the upset bid by the last USL Championship club left in the competition; however, Pittsburgh will not go home empty-handed after earning the $50,000 prize as the last Division II team in the tournament. The last match of the night got a little hairy towards the end, but Austin FC’s three-goal lead proved insurmountable in a 3-1 final over Houston Dynamo.
The Quarterfinal field is now set – and the eight participants will not have to wait long to learn their path to a tournament crown. CBS Sports Golazo Network’s flagship program, Morning Footy, will host the Draw that will lock in the bracket – including hosting scenarios – for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final tomorrow, Thursday, May 22, at 9:30 a.m. ET. Fans can watch the draw for free and live via the CBS Sports Golazo Network’s online home.
New York Red Bulls 2-2, 2-2 (aet), 4-3 (PKs) FC Dallas
D.C. United 2-2, 3-3 (aet), 2-1 (PKs) Charlotte FC
Minnesota United FC 3-2 St. Louis CITY SC
Orlando City SC 2-3 Nashville SC
Philadelphia Union 4-1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Austin FC 3-1 Houston Dynamo
New England Revolution 1-3 Chicago Fire FC
San Jose Earthquakes 0-0, 1-0 (aet) Portland Timbers
In a wild game in the rain with plenty of dramatic moments, Red Bulls goalkeeper A.J. Marcucci and team captain Emil Forsberg turned out to be the heroes at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Marcucci saved Pedrinho's penalty kick in the final round of the shootout to lift the hosts past 10-man FC Dallas. He dove to his left to deny Pedrinho, after Forsberg converted his game-winning attempt against keeper Maarten Paes. Forsberg, a second-half substitute, forced extra time as his 19-yard free kick deflected off Ramiro and into the net three minutes into stoppage time. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Noah Eile and Daniel Edelman also put their PK tries away for the winners, as did Shaq Moore, Logan Farrington and Marco Farfan for Dallas. Lucho Acosta's attempt in the first round deflected off the crossbar. The visitors played the final minutes of extra time a man down after Ramiro received a red card for fouling Forsberg just outside the box. Regulation was a see-saw affair. Dallas drew first blood in the 28th minute when Bernard Kamungo scored from 10 yards on the left side of the box. The Red Bulls, however, struck back for the equalizer as Mohammed Sofo, the team's two-goal hero in the Round of 32 win over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, found the net after Edelman's shot was blocked in the 63rd minute. After receiving a short pass from Kamungo in the area, Acosta split center backs Sean Nealis and Eile and roofed the ball into the net for a 2-1 Dallas lead in the 77th minute.
Every time it seemed like one team had control in the thriller at Audi Field in our nation’s capital, the unthinkable happened. United scored first as David Schnegg found the back of the net in the 17th minute, and his nifty left-footed strike marked the only goal of the first half. Charlotte came storming back near the hour mark with two goals in just three minutes through Patrick Agyemang (58’) and Bill Tuiloma (61’). It looked like Charlotte would come away with it until Garrison Tubbs scored with four minutes left in regulation to force extra time. The MLS squads went back-and-forth again in the first 15 minutes of overtime with a goal each – first, Tyger Smalls for Charlotte in the 95th minute, then Jackson Hopkins for D.C. in the 104th minute. United made a rare goalkeeper substitution before the end of extra time, and it paid off for head coach Troy Lesesne — who had seen Jordan Farr’s heroics several times when their teams crossed paths in USL Championship play over the years. Farr carried the poise of a seasoned MLS veteran despite playing his first minutes at the level, making four penalty saves in a wild shootout. D.C. needed every single stop to advance from the session, 2-1, and secure a hard-earned Quarterfinal berth.
In a wild finish, Minnesota United FC advanced to the 2025 Open Cup Quarterfinals over St. Louis CITY SC behind a second-half brace from substitute Anthony Markanich, who scored in the 85th and 88th minutes. It marked his first career brace as a professional. Minnesota United got on the board first in the 10th minute when forward Kelvin Yeboah collected a cross from Julian Gressel that he cleverly flicked in. In the 55th minute, St. Louis leveled the match on a header from Marcel Hartel that was assisted by Timo Baumgartl. In the 65th minute, St. Louis grabbed the lead on a Joao Klauss goal via a beautiful setup from Hartel. Just when it looked like St. Louis might steal a road win, Markanach made his presence felt on an unassisted goal in the 85th and a header on a corner kick three minutes later to will the Loons to a come-from-behind victory. With the win, Minnesota moves to 14-10-3 all-time in the Open Cup competition and will find out their Quarterfinal opponent this Thursday.
Nashville SC overcame an early deficit Tuesday evening on their way to a 3-2 win over the 2022 Open Cup Champions Orlando City SC. Orlando opened up the scoring in the 17th minute on a long-range banger by midfielder Marco Pasalic. The goal came off an impressive counterattack by the home side. In the 23rd minute, Nashville forward Teal Bunbury created some chaos inside the six yard-box, which led to an own goal off Orlando defender Rodrigo Schlegel. In the 40th minute, Nashville grabbed the lead on a goal from Ahmed Qasem, whose left-footed shot just outside the 18-yard box found the back of the net. On both goals, Nashville capitalized on Orlando providing too much time and space in dangerous areas on the field. Orlando leveled the match in the 58th minute on a goal from Ramiro Enrique(assisted by Pasalic). Substitute Wyatt Meyer gave the visitors the lead for good in the 79th minute via a powerful, curving shot just outside the box. Patrick Yazbek was credited with the crafty flick back that set it up, and for Meyer, it marked his first-ever goal across any competition. With the win, Nashville moved to 10-2-2 overall in Open Cup competition and punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2022, which marked their best finish ever.
The much-anticipated Keystone State showdown ended up being a parade for the MLS side, who went up early at Subaru Park in Chester, Penn., and never looked back against the USL Championship’s last men standing. Riverhounds SC looked up for the challenge in the first half, but an inadvertent handball inside the area led to Bruno Damiani’s sure-fire PK conversion that put the Union up at the quarter-hour mark. Riverhounds SC nearly got into the halftime break down just one, but brothers Cavan and Quinn Sullivan had other ideas. Their link-up play through midfield led to Quinn slipping Indiana Vassilev into the area for a first-time finish just seconds before the whistle, delivering Philadelphia a 2-0 lead and a gut punch to the visitors. Danley Jean Jacques’ clinical counter-attack finished off Damiani’s final dish in the 54th, putting the MLS outfit comfortably ahead, but the USL Championship’s last team standing did not go quietly. Jorge Garcia’s worldie from just outside the corner of the penalty area breathed some life back into the upset hopes of the Hounds in the 63rd minute, but 3-1 was as close as they would get, and Jovan Lukic put the nail in the coffin four minutes from time to assure Eastern Pennsylvania would get bragging rights from the Keystone State battle – as well as the all-important Quarterfinal berth.
After the dramatic finish Austin FC had in the Round of 32, a comeback victory from a 0-2 deficit, there was never a doubt for the Verde and Black in the Round of 16 against fellow-Texan foe Houston Dynamo. Brandon Vázquez scored in the 29th minute, tallying his third Open Cup goal of the 2025 competition after a brace in the Round of 16. Then Osman Bukari netted one from the penalty spot, scoring the first Open Cup goal of his career. Ilie Sánchez’s goal put the game away in the 60th minute; however, the second half wasn’t without drama. A red card was shown to both teams in stoppage time — Julio Cascante (Austin) and Brooklyn Raines (Houston) – leaving both to play with 10 down the stretch. Ultimately, despite the theatrics, Austin FC held on to the early lead, locking in a first Quarterfinal appearance in franchise history.
Now in its 110th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has crowned U.S. Soccer’s national champion since 1914. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and is open to professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the U.S. was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2025 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The 2025 tournament features a total purse worth $1 million that includes a $600,000 award for the champion.
Los Angeles Football Club of MLS is the defending Champion. The 109th edition of the tournament concluded on September 25, 2024, with LAFC beating four-time Champions Sporting Kansas City 3-1 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles to become Open Cup Champions for the first time.
The official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Fans can also follow the competition on X/Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.