Several of Major League Soccer’s top performers so far in 2023 will need to be on red alert this week to avoid an early exit in the U.S. Open Cup third round.
A total of 19 MLS clubs enter the competition at this stage with plenty of them still trying to find their footing in league play. The Seattle Sounders, St. Louis CITY SC, Portland Timbers, and FC Cincinnati are four key MLS sides to watch this week with intriguing opposition awaiting them in the third round.
Seattle, St. Louis, and Cincinnati have all impressed during the opening months of MLS play while Portland could use a bit of a spark after an up-and-down start.
Here is a closer look at this week’s U.S. Open Cup schedule:
Sounders vs. San Diego Loyal
10:00 p.m. ET
The Seattle Sounders will welcome San Diego Loyal to Starfire Sports Complex with hopes of continuing their impressive season.
Brian Schmetzer’s squad sit second in the Western Conference, with only two losses suffered through nine matches. A high-flying attack led by U.S. men’s national team winger Jordan Morris has been key for the Sounders strong start, but overall the team’s depth has been important. Look for younger players such as Dylan Teves and Reed Baker-Whiting to earn an opportunity in this showdown.
San Diego Loyal are unbeaten in five-consecutive matches across all competitions, which included a 2-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over ALBION San Diego in early-April. Joe Corona is one of the key veteran leaders in Nate Miller’s squad, which also features 23-year-old attacker Ronaldo Damus and 25-year-old Evan Conway. Conway and Damus have five goals between them in 2023.
FC Cincinnati vs. Louisville City FC
7:00 p.m. ET
FC Cincinnati and Louisville City will square off on Wednesday in their first head-to-head meeting since 2019.
Pat Noonan’s squad rebounded in MLS play with a 2-1 triumph over the Portland Timbers, keeping them in touching distance of first place in the Eastern Conference. While Brandon Vazquez, Brenner, and Luciano Acosta seek a return to their traditional goalscoring ways, Sergio Santos has stepped up big time with four goals. 19-year-old Arquimides Ordonez is a player to watch after excelling at MLS NEXT Pro level for FC Cincinnati 2.
Louisville City FC heads to TQL Stadium unbeaten in four-straight after a goal-less draw with Eastern Conference leaders Charleston Battery on Saturday. Head coach Danny Cruz has plenty of experienced players to call on for Wednesday’s match including forward Wilson Harris, who has two goals scored in his last three appearances. Brian Ownby and Cameron Lancaster have also chipped in goals in 2023 for Louisville.
St. Louis CITY SC vs. Union Omaha
Tuesday – 8 p.m., ET
St. Louis CITY SC has impressed in its early MLS days, but the expansion side will make its U.S. Open Cup debut on Tuesday against one of last season’s quarterfinalists.
Bradley Carnell’s squad head into Open Cup play sitting top of the Western Conference with six victories earned through nine league matches. A 1-1 road draw with the Colorado Rapids saw St. Louis concede a 92nd minute equalizer and fail to make it back-to-back wins after two-consecutive losses prior. CITY2 represented the franchise in last season’s U.S. Open Cup and several of those players could get the nod this time around. Josh Yaro, Akil Watts, and Celio Pompeu are among the returnees from 2022.
Union Omaha impressed many during its U.S. Open Cup run in 2022, reaching the quarterfinal round before suffering a 6-0 loss to Sporting KC. The USL League One side currently has five points through four matches in league play coming into Tuesday’s trip to CITYPARK. Four different players have celebrated goals this season including Noe Meza and Joe Gallardo.
Portland Timbers vs. Orange County SC
Wednesday – 10:30 p.m. ET
The Portland Timbers haven’t reached their expectations so far in 2023 and Gio Savarese’s squad will need to be focused to avoid an upset on Wednesday night.
Portland only has two wins to its name this MLS season, recently defeating Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders 4-1 before falling 2-1 at FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Eryk Williamson’s season-ending injury certainly hurts the Timbers, but other players will need to be ready to go. Dairon Asprilla and Juan Mosquera have two goals apiece while Santiago Moreno has two assists.
Orange County SC has only earned one league victory in 2023 and are also looking for stability in their squad. Losses in recent weeks to El Paso Locomotive FC and Birmingham Legions FC has Richard Chaplow’s squad sitting in the bottom-four of the Western Conference in the USL Championship. Milan Iloski has been Orange County’s best player so far in 2023, totaling five goals and one assist in all competitions.
Here is a full schedule of this week’s U.S. Open Cup action.
Tuesday
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Maryland Bobcats FC – 7 p.m. ET
Charleston Battery vs. Charlotte Independence – 7 p.m. ET
New England Revolution vs. Hartford Athletic – 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit City FC vs. Minnesota United – 7:30 p.m. ET
Charlotte FC vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC – 7:30 p.m. ET
St. Louis CITY SC vs. Union Omaha – 8 p.m. ET
Sporting KC vs. Tulsa Athletic – 8:30 p.m. ET
Monterey Bay FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes – 10 p.m.
Wednesday
Loudoun United vs. Flower City Union – 7 p.m. ET
FC Cincinnati vs. Louisville City FC – 7 p.m. ET
D.C. United vs. Richmond Kickers – 7:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta United vs. Memphis 901 FC – 7:30 p.m. ET
Columbus Crew vs. Indy Eleven – 7:30 p.m. ET
Miami FC vs. Inter Miami – 7:30 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Houston Dynamo – 7:30 p.m. ET
Birmingham Legion FC vs. Chattanooga FC – 8 p.m. ET
Chicago Fire vs. Chicago House – 8 p.m. ET
Nashville SC vs. San Antonio FC – 8:30 p.m. ET
New Mexico United vs. Phoenix Rising – 9 p.m. ET
Colorado Rapids vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC – 9 p.m. ET
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Oakland Roots SC – 10 p.m. ET
Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Real Salt Lake – 10 p.m. ET
Seattle Sounders vs. San Diego Loyal – 10 p.m. ET
Potland Timbers vs. Orange County SC – 10:30 p.m. ET