Key MLS Derbies, Lower-Division Underdogs Featured in U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16
All eight matches to be streamed on Paramount+, select matches to be carried on CBS Sports platforms
The Round of 16 of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup—U.S. Soccer’s national club championship—is back! The matchups and hosts were determined by the draw that took place prior to the Round of 32. The Round of 16, which will take place April 28-29, features 13 clubs from Major League Soccer (MLS) that dispatched lower-division opponents. They’ll be joined by three lower-division teams—two from the Div. II USL Championship (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Louisville City FC) and one from Div. III USL League One (One Knoxville SC)—that earned upset victories over MLS sides.
Every match from the Round of 16 will stream live on Paramount+ with two matches also co-airing and one match on CBS Sports Network or CBS Sports Golazo Network. CBS Sports will host “The Golazo Show” whip-around program highlighting every goal from six April 29 matchups, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network. The Final Draw, setting the matchups and hosts for the quarterfinals through the final, will be aired live on CBS Sports Golazo Network’s “Morning Footy” at 9:30 a.m. ET. on April 30.
Tuesday, April 28
Charlotte FC (Div. I, MLS) vs. Atlanta United FC (Div. I, MLS)
7 p.m. ET; Mecklenburg County Sportsplex; Matthews, N.C.; Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network
The Battle for the South takes the Open Cup stage for the first time, as Charlotte FC and Atlanta United FC meet for the ninth time—the first outside of the MLS regular season. The MLS rivals advanced to the Round of 16 with victories against a pair of third-division opponents; Charlotte FC picked up its largest win in club history via a 6-0 thrashing of crosstown foe Charlotte Independence, while Atlanta United overcame an early road deficit against Chattanooga FC.
Each side has picked up just two wins in their last five matches across all competitions, though a win on Tuesday would help steady the ship. On the line is Charlotte’s first trip beyond the Round of 16 in club history and Atlanta’s third trip to at least the Quarterfinals. While the Crown has controlled the series recently—winning four of its last five encounters with Atlanta—the Five Stripes have won two of the last three matchups in North Carolina.
- MORE: CHARLOTTE FC’S TIM REAM: 2025 U.S. OPEN CUP A ‘CHANCE TO PUT A TROPHY IN THE CABINET’
- MORE: ATLANTA UNITED & THE MAKING OF HISTORY
- MORE: RECORD CROWD SEES TEN-MAN ATLANTA UNITED CLAIM FIRST U.S. OPEN CUP TITLE WITH 2-1 WIN VS. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
San Jose Earthquakes (Div. I, MLS) vs. Minnesota United FC (Div. I, MLS)
10 p.m. ET; PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.; Paramount+ / CBS Sports Golazo Network
The San Jose Earthquakes—MLS’s hottest team and current Supporters’ Shield leaders—will host 2025 semifinalists Minnesota United FC in an unpredictably high-profile match at PayPal Park. Second-year Quakes head coach Bruce Arena has revitalized the historic club, leading his side to a 10-1-0 record across all competitions to open the 2026 season. The matchup also features a pair of global stars facing off for the first time in nearly a decade, as former Germany great and San Jose forward Timo Werner will meet Colombia international and MNUFC midfielder James Rodríguez for the first time since the 2017-18 German Bundesliga season.
Under first-year head coach Cameron Knowles, the Loons are 6-3-2 across all competitions, fifth in the Western Conference and pushing to return to the Quarterfinals for the third time in club history. On the other hand, the Quakes are seeking their 11th appearance in the Quarterfinals as they push to conquer the tournament for the first time. Both San Jose and Minnesota escaped strong efforts from a pair of USL Championship sides in the Round of 32 in Phoenix Rising FC and Sacramento Republic FC, respectively. Additionally, the Quakes will be eager to snap a six-match winless streak against the Loons while simultaneously earning just their second win against MNUFC across their last 15 encounters.
- MORE: IAN HARKES INSPIRES MORE FAMILY LORE AND U.S. OPEN CUP MAGIC WITH SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
- MORE: MINNESOTA UNITED’S TROPHY WHISPERER JULIAN GRESSEL CHASES MORE ‘SPECIAL NIGHTS’ IN THE U.S. OPEN CUP
- MORE: U.S. OPEN CUP MOMENT (2025 QUARTERFINALS): MINNESOTA ‘SICKOS’ ROLL LIKE THUNDER
Wednesday, April 29
New York Red Bulls (Div. I, MLS) vs. New York City FC (Div. I, MLS)
7 p.m. ET; Sports Illustrated Stadium; Harrison, N.J.; Paramount+ / CBS Sports Network
The 33rd Hudson River Derby is set, as Red Bull New York and New York City FC battle for a chance to lift the Open Cup for the first time. Both sides cruised to the Round of 16; RBNY dispatched defending USL Championship title-winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, while NYCFC throttled USL League One side Westchester SC in Mount Vernon, N.Y. The series—favoring the Red Bulls at 16-12-4 across all competitions—has skewed NYCFC’s way in recent years. Notably, all five matchups outside of MLS regular season play—Open Cup, MLS Cup Playoffs and Leagues Cup—has resulted in a shutout victory for the Red Bulls. Both sides will hope to use the fixture to correct their form, as both sides’ only victory across their last five matches has come against lower-division opponents in the Open Cup.
- MORE: BIG APPLE RENAISSANCE: RED BULLS AIM TO REVIVE U.S. OPEN CUP LEGACY IN METRO NY
- MORE: U.S. OPEN CUP UP-AND-COMER AJ MARCUCCI: CONN COLLEGE CAMEL TO NY RED BULL
New England Revolution (Div. I, MLS) vs. Orlando City SC (Div. I, MLS)
7:30 p.m. ET; Centreville Bank Stadium; Pawtucket, R.I.; Paramount+
The New England Revolution will hope to snap their five-match winless streak against Orlando City SC, as the pair of former Open Cup champions face off at Rhode Island FC’s Centreville Bank Stadium. Both sides have bounced back nicely from slow starts to the season, utilizing narrow Round of 32 triumphs—New England on penalties against Rhode Island and Orlando by a goal against a threatening FC Naples side—to string together positive results in recent weeks. The Revs are on a six-match unbeaten streak across all competitions—their longest such streak since last May—and the Lions have lost only twice in their last five contests. New England is seeking a return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since 2017, while Orlando is pushing to return to the Quarterfinals for the first time since their trophy-lifting 2022 campaign.
- MORE: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION ICON ANDREW FARRELL ‘CUP UP’ FOR 2025 TROPHY CHASE
- MORE: EIGHT FINALS & ONE REVOLVER: RHODE ISLAND’S COATS FIELD, BIRTHPLACE OF THE OPEN CUP
- MORE: ORLANDO CITY CROWNED 2022 U.S. OPEN CUP CHAMPIONS
- MORE: THE GREAT EIGHT TOURNAMENT WRAP: OPEN CUP MAGIC REKINDLED WITH A FIRST CROWN FOR ORLANDO CITY
Columbus Crew (Div. I, MLS) vs. One Knoxville SC (Div. III, USL League One)
7:30 p.m. ET; ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Field; Columbus, Ohio; Paramount+
One Knoxville SC is aiming to become the first third-division side to advance to the Quarterfinals since fellow USL League One outfit Union Omaha (2022), as the defending League One champions face the Columbus Crew at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Both sides have enjoyed sustained success over the past few seasons; Knoxville has lost only once in its last 17 matches, while Columbus has lost just nine matches at home since the start of the 2023 season. One Knox—which has already claimed the $50,000 Division III prize as the furthest advancing third-division side—is in the Round of 16 for the first time in the club’s five-year existence thanks to a First Round win against SC Vistula Garfield and a pair of dramatic penalty kick shootout victories against Asheville City SC in the Second Round and D.C. United in the Round of 32.
The Crew—who return to the Round of 16 for the second time in as many tries thanks to a 3-0 road victory against the Richmond Kickers—have enjoyed success outside of Open Cup play in recent years; Columbus has won a pair of MLS Cups, and both the Leagues Cup and Campeones Cup. However, since winning the Open Cup in 2002, the Crew have only advanced beyond the Round of 16 once (2010) and been eliminated by lower-division opposition six times. Of those six losses, two were against third-division clubs (Richmond Kickers in 2011, Dayton Dutch Lions in 2012).
Chicago Fire FC (Div. I, MLS) vs. St. Louis CITY SC (Div. I, MLS)
8 p.m. ET; SeatGeek Stadium; Bridgeview, Ill.; Paramount+
Representing a pair of cities with a wealth of Open Cup history, MLS sides Chicago Fire FC and St. Louis CITY SC will match up for the fifth time across all competitions, the second in Open Cup play. The pair’s first meeting came in the 2023 Open Cup, a Round of 32 contest which favored the Fire at SeatGeek Stadium. This year, the pair have started off on completely different pages; second-year Chicago head coach and former U.S. Men’s National Team boss Gregg Berhalter has the Fire on a six-match unbeaten run, while St. Louis’ two wins across all competitions through the first 10 matches of the season are tied for the fewest in the club’s young history. A win on Wednesday would see St. Louis book its spot in the Quarterfinals for the first time in its third participation in the tournament. For Chicago, a victory would confirm the four-time champions’ place in the Quarterfinals for the third time in as many tries.
- MORE: CHICAGO AND ST. LOUIS: TWO CLASSIC OPEN CUP CITIES REUNITED
- MORE: CHICAGO FIRE CHASES FIFTH CROWN AND PLACE AMONG THE U.S. OPEN CUP IMMORTALS
- MORE: ST LOUIS KUTIS & A FATHER-TO-SON CUP TRIUMPH
Houston Dynamo FC (Div. I, MLS) vs. Louisville City FC (Div. II, USL Championship)
8 p.m. ET; Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas; Paramount+
Houston Dynamo FC will have its hands full as the two-time Open Cup champions welcome back-to-back USL Championship Players’ Shield winners Louisville City FC to Shell Energy Stadium. LouCity is back in the Round of 16 for the first time since 2022 thanks to a trio of impressive victories, first against local amateurs Southern Indiana FC in the First Round, then Commonwealth Cup foe Lexington SC in the Second Round and later MLS side Austin FC in the Round of 32. Houston returns to the Round of 16 for the 16th time in club history as a result of a 4-1 victory against a 10-man El Paso Locomotive FC side. Houston has historically handled lower-division opposition well, only being bounced from the Open Cup by lower-division sides on four occasions (Charleston Battery in 2007 and 2008, San Antonio Scorpions in 2012, and Detroit City FC in 2024). The Dynamo have overcome a sluggish start to the season, winning three of their last four matches. For Louisville, the USL Championship side has been scorching hot to open the year, posting a 9-1-1 record across all competitions.
- MORE: HOUSTON DYNAMO’S BEN OLSEN ON U.S. OPEN CUP GLORIES & DEFYING THE ODDS
- MORE: THE HOUSTON DYNAMO RENAISSANCE
Colorado Rapids (Div. I, MLS) vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (Div. II, USL Championship)
9 p.m. ET; Dick's Sporting Goods Park; Commerce City, Colo.; Paramount+
The Colorado Rapids and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC will face off in the I-25 Derby for the third time. The pair of Centennial State sides have previously matched up at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park twice, resulting in a pair of Rapids victories in the Round of 32 of the Open Cup back in 2015 and 2016. The Rapids are seeking their first victory across all competitions since downing Union Omaha in the Round of 32 on April 14, while the Switchbacks are unbeaten in five consecutive matches across all competitions—their longest such streak since reeling off seven unbeaten en route to the 2024 USL Championship title. Coming off its first-ever victory against an MLS side—a 4-0 Round of 32 thrashing against Sporting Kansas City—Colorado Springs is in the Round of 16 for the first time in club history. For the MLS originals, Colorado is chasing its first Open Cup title and is back in the Round of 16 for the 15th time in club history. Notably, of Colorado’s 21 previous appearances in the Open Cup, 11 have been ended by lower-division opposition.