The 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup reached the Third Round next Tuesday and Wednesday night as the last 16 teams from the USL Championship enter the tournament, paired off with the clubs that have survived the opening two rounds.

Every game will be available on CBS Sports Golazo Network or Paramount+ after the broadcast agreement reached last month, with the winning sides advancing to face opponents from Major League Soccer in the Round of 32.

If you’re a neutral fan, though, which are the games you should make sure you’re tuned in for? We’ve gone through the matchups and produced a list based on the level of intrigue each match could hold based on the teams and their current seasons, the venue and potential atmosphere, and the histories between the clubs.

Here’s what we’ve come up with. Let us know which game you’re going to be tuned in for on our social media channels.

16. Columbus Crew 2 vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

For more than a year between 2023 and 2024, the answer to the trivia question “Which club was the last team to defeat the Columbus Crew in a knockout game?” was Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, when it eliminated the Crew in the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup in 2023 before Columbus went on to win MLS Cup and reach the Final of the Concacaf Champions Cup before falling to Pachuca.

This is not that matchup.

15. Tacoma Defiance vs. Oakland Roots SC

Oakland Roots hasn’t made a promising start to this season, which makes its trip to face Tacoma Defiance an opportunity to try and find the right combination and get a win. This might be more fun if it was actually in Tacoma, instead of Starfire Stadium – which is half-an-hour away in Tukwila – but the small field might be to Roots’ benefit.

14. Indy Eleven vs. Miami FC

Remarkably, in all four of the all-USL Championship matchups we get this round, it’s a game we’ve already seen in the opening five weeks of the regular season. Indy took a comfortable 3-1 win when it visited Pitbull Stadium in Week 2, moving to 5-1-1 in the series between the sides in the USL Championship regular season.

13. Louisville City FC vs. Loudoun United FC

Another rematch, this one from Week 3 when Louisville City took a pretty definitive 2-0 win to hand Loudoun United its only defeat so far this season. Loudoun’s start to the season adds a little bit of intrigue to this, but then you’re reminded LouCity’s won all six prior home meetings between the teams, and last lost in the series overall in 2019.

12. FC Tulsa vs. Phoenix Rising FC

Of the non-rivalry rematches, this feels like the most interesting. FC Tulsa went to Phoenix to start the season and came away with a 1-0 win as Rising was unable to hit back after going behind before the break. Tulsa’s maintained decent momentum since then, while Rising has picked up its first win in San Antonio. This should be pretty tight, again, and both clubs will be eager for a shot at an MLS opponent.

11. Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

As a first-time matchup, you could argue this could be higher up the list, but the fact is neither side is really setting the league alight yet with its play. The Lights have two wins but are averaging 0.84 Expected Goals per game, while the Red Wolves haven’t officially won a game yet this season, advancing through the past two rounds by penalty shootout. That might be the draw here, actually. Some #OpenCupAfterDark potential never hurts.

10. Charleston Battery vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC

This is the third time the Battery and Tormenta have met in the past four Open Cups, but the way those games have played out offer a certain level of heat to a Lowcountry derby. During Charleston’s annus horribilis in 2022, Tormenta grabbed a 1-0 win thanks to former Battery player Arthur Bosua, while last year MD Myers needed to post a hat trick to give Charleston a 3-2 win after extra time. Hopefully there’s something like that in store here as well.

9. Detroit City FC vs. Westchester SC

One of the subplots to the USL Championship vs. League One matchups is the rematches we’re going to see in the USL Jagermeister Cup group stage that starts at the end of this month. Detroit City’s first meeting with Westchester SC is one of those, and despite the lack of proximity should be pretty fun. WSC has built a solid inaugural roster and come through the opening two rounds well. Detroit is a clear favorite at Keyworth, but not a sure thing.

8. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. One Knoxville SC

What we have here is nothing fancy in terms of storylines, just the defending USL Championship title holder facing a League One side that so far this season has looked really solid under new Head Coach Ian Fuller. Given the Switchbacks’ recent uneven history in the Open Cup, there’s also the potential for One Knox to grab a big win on the road and face an MLS opponent for the first time.

7. Union Omaha vs. San Antonio FC

This is where things really start to get fun. Union Omaha’s been the top team in USL League One for a little while, winning the Players’ Shield and league title double last season. It’s got longer-term aspirations for upward mobility as it plots a course to its new venue, so who better to challenge than one of the Championship’s best clubs this decade. Add in that these sides are also slated for a USL Jägermeister Cup contest on June 28 in San Antonio, the result here could have a lasting impact. 

6. New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive FC

We’re faced with a little bit of a quandary here. Yes, these teams have already played in Week 3 this season, so we’re not likely to see a ton new. But it’s also the Derby Del Camino Real, one of the biggest rivalries in the Championship. Seeing that in the Open Cup for the first time is potentially going to be special. When these teams last met in an elimination game, it went to a penalty shootout in the 2020 USL Championship Playoffs – El Paso advanced. New Mexico will be aiming to turn the tables this time.

5. Charlotte Independence vs. North Carolina FC

The last time the Charlotte Independence and North Carolina FC squared off in an official contest, NCFC took victory in a penalty shootout in the USL League One Final, claiming the first title in club history. As we all know, North Carolina returned to the USL Championship for 2024, meaning the Dogwood Derby is now the domain of potentially being drawn against each other in the Open Cup and the group stage of the USL Jägermeister Cup. This should be a good reintroduction before the teams meet again at First Horizon Stadium 10 days later.

4. AV ALTA FC vs. Orange County SC

One of the things we can’t get enough of so far this season is the atmosphere at AV ALTA FC’s Lancaster Municipal Stadium. The reconfigured venue has a serious buzz about it – led by the steeply-banked supporters section – and it’s shown out for both of Antelope Valley’s Open Cup victories as well as a sold-out home opener. Getting Orange County SC – based about 100 miles south – at home for the first official meeting between the clubs should get the fans out in force again and the hope they can spring an upset. Orange County has proven reasonably solid in the last couple of years against lower-division opponents, advancing to face MLS sides twice in the past three years, but this could be a bit of a test.

3. Sacramento Republic FC vs. El Farolito FC

This is the David vs. Goliath matchup of the round – who doesn’t love the story of El Farolito, the Burrito Boys who’ve proven with four upsets of professional-division clubs in the past two season have shown their credentials on the field? Going to 2022 Finalist Sacramento Republic FC will mark their biggest test yet, but it’s also a challenge for Sacramento to make sure it steps to the mark as well. After all, we’ve seen a well-heeled pre-professional side come into Heart Health Park and spring a surprise before. In 2016, USL League Two’s Kitsap Pumas won 3-1 against Republic FC, the last time Sacramento failed to advance further than the Third Round in the tournament.

2. Portland Hearts of Pine vs. Rhode Island FC

We’ve seen it on and off the field – there’s something really special getting built at Portland Hearts of Pine, and the Open Cup has been at the center of the on-field story so far. Bringing in big crowds for its opening two games in the tournament – and scoring an upset of Hartford Athletic in the last round after a penalty shootout – has set things up for the hosts. Rhode Island is going to be eager to end Portland’s run and start one of its own after going out early last year to the Charlotte Independence. The Championship’s defending Eastern Conference title-holders will head to Lewiston looking for victory before these sides meet again in the USL Jägermeister Cup at Centreville Bank Stadium in June.

1. FC Naples vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies

First off, it was a really hard call between this and No. 2 in the list, but we’re going to give this first meeting between the Sunshine State clubs the nod for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, FC Naples looks like the real deal. They’re undefeated at the top of League One’s standings through five games and have a Expected Goal Differential of +3.33 – only One Knoxville’s is better. Add in the atmosphere we’ve seen at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex – and the number of Rowdies fans that will likely make the trip down the gulf coast, this should be a really great environment and a showcase of what the Open Cup should be.