CHICAGO – The 16 remaining USL Championship clubs to enter the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup joined the four USL Championship clubs that advanced from the Second Round to learn their opponents for the Third Round which was drawn on Thursday. 

The eight hosts and eight away teams were predetermined by seeding only impacting the Third Round draw. The draw was conducted live on the CBS Sports Golazo Network following last month’s announcement that U.S. Soccer and CBS Sports have reached a multi-year, multimedia rights agreement that will make CBS Sports the exclusive English-language home of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through 2026. 

Group A will feature a North Carolina derby between the Charlotte Independence and North Carolina FC in a rematch of the 2023 USL League One Final which NCFC won in penalties before the side’s move back to the USL Championship. 

In Group B, a new rivalry could take shape as USL League One expansion side Portland Hearts of Pine will host defending USL Championship Eastern Conference title-holders Rhode Island FC following the Hearts’ dramatic penalty shootout win over fellow New England rival Hartford Athletic in the Second Round.  

Sacramento Republic FC, which made a historic run to the 2022 Final, will have to avoid the pitfall of Open Cup darlings El Farolito which is the last team remaining from the Open Division of the tournament after they knocked out Monterey Bay FC in the Second Round. 

Elsewhere, a first SoCal derby between AV ALTA FC and Orange County SC highlights Group F, while it’s an all-USL Championship affair in Group G with New Mexico United hosting El Paso Locomotive FC and FC Tulsa playing host to Phoenix Rising FC. 

CBS Sports will provide live match coverage of the Open Cup across its linear and digital platforms, with every match in the Third Round and beyond streaming live on Paramount+. The pairings for the Round of 32 will be a new draw conducted on April 17 which will determine matches for both the Round of 32 and Round of 16.  

2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup 

Third Round 

Tuesday, April 15 

Columbus Crew 2 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, 6:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

Louisville City FC vs. Loudoun United FC, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network 

Charlotte Independence vs. North Carolina FC, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

Portland Hearts of Pine vs. Rhode Island FC, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network 

Charleston Battery vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

Union Omaha vs. San Antonio FC, 8:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

AV ALTA FC vs. Orange County SC, 10:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network 

Tacoma Defiance vs. Oakland Roots SC, 10:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 
 

Wednesday, April 16 

Detroit City FC vs. Westchester SC, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

FC Naples vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, 7:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network 

Indy Eleven vs. Miami FC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

FC Tulsa vs. Phoenix Rising FC, 8:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. One Knoxville SC, 9:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ 

New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, 9:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network 

Sacramento Republic FC vs. El Farolito, 10:00 p.m. ET, Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network 

Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, 10:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+