The draw for the Round of 32 in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was made on Thursday morning as the 16 representatives from Major League Soccer entered the tournament to meet the clubs that had advanced from the Third Round over Tuesday and Wednesday night.

As with every round of the Open Cup, there are some juicy storylines to dig into across each contest. Here’s one you should know for each of the 12 USL Championship clubs who can now take aim at springing a surprise in the first week of May.

1. Rhode Island’s new stadium get early national spotlight vs. Revolution

We already knew Rhode Island FC’s brand-new 10,500-seat venue, recently named Centerville Bank Stadium, was going to get the national spotlight this season when the USL on CBS visits in July. Being drawn at home against the New England Revolution for the club’s first official game against an opponent from MLS, however, is a dream scenario for the defending Eastern Conference title-holders.

RIFC’s rise in the USL Championship has coincided with the Revolution putting together one of the poorest seasons in their history, winning only nine games in the league last season. This season hasn’t started a lot better for New England, giving Rhode Island a chance at an upset at home. Add to that RIFC Head Coach Khano Smith facing the club he made more than 100 appearances for before beginning his coaching path in the Revolution Academy, this should be one of the must-see games of the round.

2. Battery head to D.C. for the most historic match of the round

You’ve heard of the Coffee Pot Cup, right?

In 1999, the Battery hosted D.C. United in the Round of 16 and pulled off a dramatic 4-3 victory in extra time behind Ivailo Ilarionov’s second goal of the night. That led to some postgame rambunctiousness from the visitors in their locker room at Blackbaud Stadium, where United's players were reported to have broken a pair of coffee pots and shower heads in the visiting locker room. 

That inspired D.C. and Charleston fans to create the Coffee Pot Cup, which was played for both in official competition – United came out on top when the teams met in the 2008 Open Cup Final – and in preseason contests, most regularly at the Carolina Challenge Cup. This meeting at Audi Field will continue that tradition, one of the best in the Open Cup’s history.

3. Republic FC get Quakes again, but this time head to San Jose

It’s a tradition as old as Sacramento Republic FC itself – getting drawn against the San Jose Earthquakes in the Open Cup. From their first meeting in Republic FC’s inaugural season in 2014 when the Quakes took a 2-1 win at Kezar Stadium to their more recent tussles at Heart Health Park, the two NorCal sides have engaged regularly in the tournament.

What’s been notable is how the tide has turned, however. On home turf in their past two meetings in 2022 and last year, Republic FC has claimed victory. What Sacramento has yet to achieve, however, is a win on San Jose’s home turf. Republic FC has come close – in 2015 its fell 6-5 in a penalty shootout after holding a two-goal lead in the second half and lost 4-3 in 2019 – but achieving that would be a massive accomplishment and a first for either club as they meet for the sixth time in the competition overall.

4. Rowdies get their first official meeting against Orlando City on home turf

Due to the proximity between the clubs in Central Florida, it might come as a surprise that the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Orlando City SC haven’t been regular combatants in the U.S. Open Cup over the years. In fact, the teams only met once when Orlando was part of the USL Championship between 2011-14 while the Rowdies were in the North American Soccer League, when OCSC took a 4-1 win in 2014.

The years since then that pattern has remained in place, in part due to the Rowdies’ missing opportunities to advance to face MLS opponents. When they met in 2022 at Inter&Co Stadium, it was the first meeting between the clubs in the Open Cup since Orlando’s move up in 2015. This contest, then, will mark the first in which the Rowdies get homefield advantage against their in-state foe, a game that both sets of supporters will be keen to claim for bragging rights as well as advancement to the next round.

5. El Paso Locomotive gets Texas showdown for first matchup with MLS squad

Prior to this year, El Paso Locomotive FC’s Open Cup history was nothing to write home about. In fact, the side had yet to win in the tournament, being eliminated in its first game each year going back to its inaugural season in 2019.

This year, thankfully, the page has been turned, no more emphatically than on Wednesday night when the side claimed victory against Derby Del Camino Real rival New Mexico United in a penalty shootout after Andy Cabrera’s stoppage-time equalizer at the end of regulation. The reward? A first official meeting with a club from Major League Soccer and a trip to Austin FC, which has been victim to a Cupset in the past by San Antonio FC. El Paso’s run is already historic in terms of its history, and its visit to Q2 Stadium should be one to treasure.

6. LouCity hosts Minnesota United in match of early-season high-flyers

Louisville City’s outstanding record in the USL Championship over its first decade has regularly put it in the frame as one of the lower-division clubs that is tipped to make a run in the Open Cup. Since 2018 when the side reached the Quarterfinals – upsetting the New England Revolution along the way – LouCity hasn’t quite put it all together.

Each of the past three years, it’s been knocked out by an MLS opponent without scoring an upset, including last year’s dramatic penalty shootout on the road at Seattle Sounders FC. This time, LouCity gets to be home at Lynn Family Stadium, where it has won 20 of its past 22 games across all competitions. The challenge? Minnesota United is flying high in MLS to start the season and could be considered one of the favorites to win the tournament at the end of the season. In terms of on-field quality, this might be the best game of the round.

7. North Carolina FC can call on Open Cup heritage at home to Charlotte

The Open Cup hasn’t been particularly kind to North Carolina FC in recent editions – last year was the first time the side reached the Fourth Round since 2019, and then it was knocked off by fellow USL Championship club Phoenix Rising FC on home turf. But for a certain generation of fans, the history of bringing MLS clubs to First Horizon Stadium provides the inspiration for what could be as Charlotte FC heads northeast to Cary next month.

Because back in the day, NCFC – or as they were known then, the Carolina RailHawks – were Open Cup terrors. In both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the side defeated the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA on their home turf to reach the Quarterfinals having previously knocked out the Galaxy in 2012 as well. Charlotte FC won’t have as far to travel, of course, but they proved susceptible the last time they visited USL Championship opposition, eliminated by Birmingham Legion FC in 2023. As talented as North Carolina’s roster is, this should be pretty tasty.

8. Hounds look to summon Highmark magic against New York City FC

There are few places better to watch a game in the USL Championship than at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Highmark Stadium. The scenic views over the Monongahela River make it a must-visit for any fan, but when there’s a big game on the schedule it can create magic for the home side with a crackling atmosphere led by the Steel Army.

Just look at the last time the Hounds welcomed a top-flight opponent to their home. In 2023, the Columbus Crew were in the process of building toward winning MLS Cup under Head Coach Wilfried Nancy, but in Pittsburgh the hosts dominated by more than the 1-0 final score indicated before a packed house of 6,107 fans. Head Coach Bob Lilley’s side will be looking for similar magic – and a similar crowd – to bring the noise as New York City FC comes to town.

9. Detroit City gets ready to bring the noise on the road in Chicago

It would have been great to get another Open Cup night at Keyworth Stadium, but Detroit City’s trip to face the Chicago Fire in the Round of 32 conjures up the longstanding sporting rivalries between the cities. It’s not quite going to be Lions-Bears in the NFL, Pistons-Bulls in the NBA, or Red Wings-Blackhawks in the NHL when Le Rouge square off with the Fire for the first time in official competition, but that doesn’t matter at all.

What does is that Detroit and its supporters are going to bring the noise to the Windy City. After last year’s dramatic penalty shootout victory on the road at Houston Dynamo FC that saw Carlos Saldaña write his name into club folklore, DCFC will head in looking to spring another surprise against former United States Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter and his rejuvenated squad.

10. Welcome back to Phoenix, Juan Guerra

Almost 18 months ago, Juan Guerra and Phoenix Rising FC were the toast of the USL Championship, making a dramatic run through four road games to win the 2023 title for the first time in club history.

And then, just as suddenly, Guerra moved on as Houston Dynamo FC reached a financial agreement with Phoenix to add him to Ben Olsen’s coaching staff as first assistant. Since then, Phoenix has gone through ups and downs that have led them through three managers – permanent and interim – at the helm after Pa-Modou Kah’s appointment late last year. As the Dynamo head to Phoenix with Guerra in their ranks, the reunion could be emotional as Rising look to knock off the club of the man who brought them their biggest success to date.

11. Switchbacks play host to MLS club for first time as Red Bulls visit

There have been some big days in Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s history since opening Weidner Field in 2021, the most notable coming last November when the side claimed its first USL Championship title.

While the matchup might look incongruous to the Open Cup’s regional format – the New York Red Bulls were the odd team out as the groupings were set and pushed out West – this has the potential to be one of those nights for the club. The contest will mark the Switchbacks’ first game against an MLS side in the Open Cup since 2016 when they visited the Colorado Rapids, and their first home game against a top-flight club in the competition all-time. That should have the Trailheads and the rest of the local fans fired up for this meeting.

12. Indy’s Ben Ofeimu makes return to Philadelphia Union

There are personal stories across the Open Cup, and in a game like Indy Eleven’s trip to the Philadelphia Union – where there’s little in the way of regional rivalry to go on – the story of Ben Ofeimu stands out. The Michgan native came to the Union’s Academy as a teenager in 2015 and signed professionally with Bethlehem Steel FC – now the Philadelphia Union II – in 2019, going on to make 48 league appearances for the side over three seasons.

That mark still stands as the most Ofeimu has made for a single club in the USL Championship, but it’s on the verge of being surpassed soon as the 6-foot-3 center back has found a home at Indy Eleven since his transfer last year from Miami FC. The 24-year-old didn’t get the chance to move up to the First Team in Philadelphia five years ago, and you can imagine he’s going to be looking forward to heading back to Subaru Park for this contest.