The opening round of the 2025 USL Jägermeister Cup lived up to the pre-tournament expectations. We got some notable results – including four USL League One side getting the better of their USL Championship opponents, about in line with the success rate we’ve seen historically in the U.S. Open Cup – and some thrilling late goals and penalty shootout drama.

Here are nine storylines we took away from the weekend’s games, and where it might lead next.

1. One Knoxville, Spokane Velocity’s results shouldn’t be a surprise

If you were looking for two prime League One candidates to succeed this weekend, One Knoxville and Spokane Velocity’s performances this season should have put them near the top of your list. Each at home, the two sides delivered stellar displays to down their respective USL Championship opponents.

One Knox was buoyed by a sellout crowd of 6,378 at its inaugural game at Covenant Health Park, but it was comfortably the better team throughout its penalty shootout win against FC Tulsa on Saturday night. A pair of key lapses early and late that led to Tulsa’s two goals in a 2-2 draw cost the hosts a point in the Group 3 standings, proving a blemish on the night, but Mikkel Gøling’s first-half goal was beautifully executed, and Kempes Tekiela’s second-half penalty kick came off pressure that saw One Knox outshoot its USL Championship visitor 11-3 and log a 2.28xG mark after the break. New Knoxville Head Coach Ian Fuller has his side clicking.

Velocity, meanwhile, were simply more incisive in the first half than Oakland Roots at ONE Spokane Stadium and solid enough defensively after the break as they claimed a 2-1 victory. Clinical finishes by Luis Gil and Anuar Peláez gave Spokane a two-goal lead at the halftime break, continuing the form that’s put the second-year side among the contenders in League One this season. You should keep a close eye on both sides as they get crucial games at the end of May, with Knoxville hosting Indy Eleven and Spokane visiting Monterey Bay FC. 

2. This was the Rhode Island FC side we’ve been waiting to see this year

USL Championship’s defending Eastern Conference title-winner Rhode Island FC had gotten off to a slow start this season – it took a run of quick-fire goals to earn the side its lone win in the league and advancement in the U.S. Open Cup previously this season – but on the road at Westchester SC on Sunday afternoon the side looked like the side that ran through the East last year.

Yes, there was another flurry of goals here – three in 12 minutes, to be precise – but it came via a dominant display that saw the side record 23 touches in WSC’s penalty area on 27 final-third entries, resulting in 11 shots before the break. Ahead of the club’s inaugural game at Centreville Bank Stadium next Saturday afternoon, it should provide a boost in confidence for Head Coach Khano Smith’s talented squad.

3. Jack Panayotou showed how he can help Hartford Athletic immediately

The absence of Samuel Careaga from Hartford Athletic’s lineup – and the creativity the side missed in a dismal start in front of goal this season – made it necessary for the side to get some outside help. In Jack Panayotou’s debut for the club after arriving on loan from the New England Revolution, the 20-year-old showed why he can be a great fit for what Head Coach Brendan Burke is looking to do. Panayotou slipped into the central role of Hartford’s attacking midfield trio and hardly put a foot wrong, completing 19 of 19 passes and scoring twice while showing instant chemistry with his teammates.

Careaga was in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game but set up in a creative No. 8 role that saw him drop deeper with Beverly Makangila playing as the stopper at the base of the midfield. Panayotou’s second yellow card for not leaving the field of play in a timely fashion was regrettable, but his performance showed a real ray of hope for Athletic’s season.

4. Detroit City and Loudoun United’s late winners may come in handy later

While penalty shootouts will ensure there’s a winner in every game of the group stage of the USL Jägermeister Cup, the importance of taking regulation wins in the short format – especially with the Wild Cards now being determined by points in the group stage instead of goals – was on show on Saturday night. With their stoppage-time winners, Detroit City and Loudoun United aren’t on top of their groups at the end of the opening round of games, but they’re well set to challenge instead of hoping one of their rivals drops points down the line. Loudoun’s goal by Joshua Erlandson – the recently signed younger brother of regular starter Jacob – for his first professional tally was a great moment, too, as they set up for a key showdown with Louisville City FC at the end of May.

5. Tampa Bay and Miami’s confidence levels are going in opposite directions

You could hardly have drawn up a better first half for the Tampa Bay Rowdies against Miami FC on Saturday night. The side bagged goals on its first three shots of the game, and could have added a fourth, as the hosts looked in complete control at the break. And then, over the course of the second half, Miami fought its way back to force a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw before Bill Hamid took over, saving Tampa Bay’s last three shots – including one opportunity for the Rowdies to claim the bonus point – to give the visitors a 4-3 win in the shootout.

What did we learn? As good as they looked, the Rowdies’ confidence still feels fragile, while as soon as Miami got a foothold in the game it looked like a team on the up. There’s a tough road ahead for the Rowdies, whose 50th anniversary season isn’t going as hoped.

6. The Charlotte Independence kept their cool, and their structure

The Charlotte Independence had shown they had a potential formula to get the better of their Dogwood Derby rival North Carolina FC when the sides met in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this month, but the side collapsed defensively in the final 20 minutes to a stellar performance by NCFC’s Rodrigo da Costa. What the Independence learned from that outing, however, helped them stand firm when North Carolina attempted another comeback on Friday night when the sides met at First Horizon Stadium, leaving Charlotte with a 2-1 victory behind a Player of the Game performance by Luis Álvarez.

The 22-year-old Colombian wasn’t the only star for the visitors, but the structure the side maintained defensively to restrict North Carolina to only one shot on target after the halftime break helped them see out the result this time around. It will be fascinating to see if they can build on that display, especially given they avoided the short straw in Group 2 and will not have to face Louisville City during the group stage.

7. Louisville City is probably going to be the team to beat again

Louisville City Head Coach Danny Cruz was clear in his pregame press conference that if there was a trophy up for grabs, his side was going to do what it took to win it. The reigning Championship Players’ Shield holders lived up to that ideal on Saturday with a 4-1 win against the Richmond Kickers that saw the hosts pull away at Lynn Family Stadium while showing off its depth. There might have been some rotation – rookie Josh Jones got his first start for the side – but there were also plenty of familiar faces in the lineup as Taylor Davila notched two assists and Manny Perez scored twice in a stellar performance.

Louisville is battling on three fronts with a home game against Minnesota United coming up in the U.S. Open Cup in early May, but this looks like a team that has the idea it can claim the treble of a Players’ Shield, USL Championship title and USL Jägermeister Cup. What’s more, it has the depth to do it.

8. The Las Vegas Lights ran exceptionally well in Orange County

Let’s start with the good stuff for Las Vegas Lights this weekend. The scored in the first half for the first time this season – and did so twice(!) – against Orange County SC. That paved the way to a 3-1 victory, putting the Lights on top of Group 1 at the end of the round. Now, onto the concerning bit. All three of the goals Las Vegas scored came on its only three shots inside the penalty area of the game at Championship Soccer Stadium, and if not for a great penalty kick save by Raiko Arozarena to deny OCSC’s Lyam MacKinnon in the second half we could have been in for a far more tense ending than we got.

Saturday’s performance was almost the ideal as to how you see the Lights at this point. Is your glass half-full – they remain very difficult to beat when they score first, and are sitting in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference – or half-empty, looking like a team whose underlying numbers say they’re going to get caught out at some point soon? We’re still not quite sure.

9. Birmingham Legion, Indy Eleven got what they needed

For the most part, the opening round lived up to the pre-tournament idea that USL League One clubs could comfortably hang with their Championship counterparts. Texoma FC might still be looking for its first win, but it gave an El Paso Locomotive side that’s having a good season so far plenty to handle before falling in a penalty shootout.

There were exceptions, though, and in Indy Eleven’s 4-0 win against Forward Madison FC and Birmingham Legion’s 3-1 result against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC it was exactly what the two Championship sides needed. Indy took a while to get going in Madison, but once it broke the deadlock through Aodhan Quinn it was full steam ahead, something we’ve not seen enough of from the Boys in Blue this season. Birmingham, meanwhile, produced a really good performance from start to finish against the Red Wolves with Danny Trejo getting on the scoresheet for the first time. Both sides need to carry that form into their upcoming league games.