The Third Round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kicks off on Tuesday night with five USL Championship clubs in action, including three who will be hoping to deliver an upset against top-flight opposition as teams from Major League Soccer enter the tournament for the first time.

Here’s a look ahead to all of the action, which includes some familiar faces going up against clubs they served with distinction in the past.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Maryland Bobcats FC

Venue: Highmark Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Stream: B/R Football

The Lowdown: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Maryland Bobcats FC will square off for a second consecutive year in the Open Cup as the Hounds look to maintain their undefeated home record this campaign. Pittsburgh took a 2-0 victory against the Bobcats in last year’s Second Round as former player Toby Sims scored both goals at Highmark Stadium, and the Hounds will be aiming for a repeat performance this time around as they try to advance to the Fourth Round for the second time in the last three tournaments. The hosts are coming off a 2-0 setback to El Paso Locomotive FC in the Championship, however, while the Bobcats romped to a 5-1 win against Club de Lyon for its second win in as many games to start the NISA season on Saturday night as Darwin Espinal and Iker Bustamante each scored twice. Hounds Head Coach Bob Lilley has never had a side suffer defeat in the Open Cup to a lower-division opponent, however, a record his current squad will be keen to defend.

Spotlight Players
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – Albert Dikwa: The Cameroonian forward has four goals in seven games this season for the Hounds and could take aim at his first goal in the Open Cup for his career on Tuesday night.

Maryland Bobcats FC – Darwin Espinal: The former Honduras U-23 brings plenty of lower-division professional experience to his current club and scored twice in the side’s win against USL League Two club Ocean City Nor’easters in the Second Round.

Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence

Venue: Patriots Point
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET

The Lowdown: Southern Derby rivals the Charleston Battery and the Charlotte Independence will meet for the first time in official competition since the Independence’s move to League One for the 2022 season as the Battery look to maintain their undefeated start to the current campaign. The Battery remained on top of the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference on Saturday night as they played to a 0-0 draw with second-place Louisville City FC on home turf, keeping a two-point gap between the sides at the top of the standings. Charleston had won five in a row in all competitions prior to that outing, including a 4-1 victory against the Savannah Clovers in the Open Cup Second Round that saw four different players find the net. The Independence head south as the current leaders of USL League One after Nick Spielman scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Central Valley Fuego FC on Saturday afternoon at the club’s home of Memorial Stadium, and the visitors will bring a familiar face with them to Charleston with former Battery standout Dane Kelly now back in the fold for his second stint in Charlotte.

Spotlight Players
Charleston Battery – AJ Paterson: The Grenada international has been a consistent presence on the back line and will be key to keeping a solid Independence attacking group in check.

Charlotte Independence – Dane Kelly: The Championship’s all-time goalscoring leader will return to face the club he first broke into the league with having notched a goal and two assists for the Independence this season.

New England Revolution vs. Hartford Athletic

Venue: Gillette Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Stream: YouTube

The Lowdown: Hartford Athletic will make the trip east to take on the New England Revolution in the Open Cup in the first official meeting between the clubs as the Athletic square off with MLS opposition for the second time in the competition. The Athletic fell 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls in last year’s Third Round as Conor McGlynn found the net, but enters its trip to New England having claimed its first league win of the season last time out after a 2-1 victory against Oakland Roots SC on April 15. First-half goals by Prince Saydee and Jeciel Cedeno lifted Hartford to victory in California as the side continued to build positive momentum. The Revolution have been on a strong run of form themselves in recent weeks with the side’s 2-1 victory on Saturday night against Sporting Kansas City moving the side into first place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. New England is undefeated in its last six league outings (4-0-2) and reached the Round of 16 last year before being eliminated by New York City FC. The Revolution were last eliminated in the Open Cup by lower-division opposition in 2018 when it fell 3-2 on the road to Louisville City FC, however, a feat Hartford will be hoping to emulate.

Spotlight Players
New England Revolution – Noel Buck: The 18-year-old midfielder has scored his first goal in MLS this season and could get another opportunity after making seven starts in nine appearances so far this campaign.

Hartford Athletic – Elvis Amoh: The Ghanaian center forward scored a hat trick to send Hartford through against Lansdowne Yonkers in the Second Round and could need another big game to give the visitors a chance at victory.

Detroit City FC vs. Minnesota United FC

Venue: Keyworth Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Stream: B/R Football

The Lowdown: Detroit City FC will try to create more Open Cup magic at Keyworth Stadium as it plays host to a Minnesota United FC side that has lost its last three league outings and fell to lower-division opposition in the tournament a season ago. Le Rouge scored their first win against MLS opposition at this stage a season ago as Maxi Rodriguez scored both goals in a 2-1 victory against Columbus Crew SC, causing wild scenes at Keyworth. This season has proven more of a struggle for DCFC, which has only found the net three times in seven games and is currently on a 462-minute scoreless streak in league play. Yazeed Matthews provided the goal that sent Detroit into the Third Round with a 1-0 victory against Detroit Gold Star in the prior round, and the hosts will be hoping to summon the same sort of performance as USL League One club Union Omaha did a year ago when it eliminated then Loons from the Open Cup with a 2-1 victory in the Round of 16. MNUFC suffered its third consecutive defeat in league play this past Saturday on the road against Seattle Sounders FC and will be hoping to find a change in form after failing to score more than one goal in each of its past five outings.

Spotlight Players
Detroit City FC – Maxi Rodriguez: Le Rouge’s midfield talisman has been in this situation before having led the side to a famous victory last year and will need to be at his best against the top-flight opponents coming to town.

Minnesota United FC – Hassani Dotson: The central midfielder could get the start for the Loons and will aim to put in a solid two-way performance after notching one assist and four chances created this campaign in eight appearances.

Monterey Bay F.C. vs. San Jose Earthquakes

Venue: Cardinale Stadium
Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET
Stream: B/R Football

The Lowdown: Monterey Bay F.C. and Head Coach Frank Yallop will square off with the San Jose Earthquakes, where Yallop won a pair of MLS Cups during his coaching career, as the USL Championship squad gets to face MLS opposition for the first time in the historic competition. MBFC enters on a positive run of form, with its 3-2 victory against Indy Eleven on Saturday night in its most recent league outing extending its undefeated streak in all competitions to four games. The side has been led by a strong attacking group that features current Championship league-leader Alex Dixon, who has recorded six goals in league play, while Christian Volesky has two goals and two assists in the past three games. The Quakes, meanwhile, are coming off a defeat to Real Salt Lake last time out but have overall made a solid start to their new era under Head Coach Luchi Gonzalez. Sitting in fifth place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, the side has seen Cristian Epinoza record six goals and Jeremy Ebobisse add four tallies as the side looks for a return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020. San Jose’s greatest successes came with Yallop at the helm, however, and last year he was inducted into the Quakes Hall of Fame. On Tuesday night, the veteran manager will be hoping to turn over his former club as it heads to Cardinale Stadium for one of the intriguing games of the round.

Spotlight Players
Monterey Bay F.C. – Hugh Roberts: The veteran center back could be a key player as the hosts try to limit the Quakes chances for a chance to pull off an upset and has recorded 47 clearances and eight interceptions this season.

San Jose Earthquakes – Benji Kikanovic: The 23-year-old forward has yet to find the net this season playing primarily as a substitute but has logged an Expected Goals mark of 1.82xG and could get the opportunity here to lead the line from the start.