SMITHFIELD, RI— Rhode Island FC (0-2-1, 2 pts.) have drawn Charlotte Independence (1-1-0, 4 pts. in USL League One) in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup.
This is Rhode Island FC’s first ever appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
U.S. Open Cup Logo. Image Courtesy of Concacaf
Rhode Island FC joins 16 other USL Championship clubs entering the competition in the Third Round. The Ocean State club drew Charlotte Independence Thursday afternoon from the Northeast regional pool.
The match will be RIFC’s first appearance in the historic competition, and its first-ever competitive matchup against a non-USL Championship opponent.
USL League One club Charlotte Independence advanced to the Third Round after a dramatic penalty-shootout win over semi-professional side South Carolina United Heat of the United Premier Soccer League on Tuesday, April 2. After nothing could separate the two sides through 120 minutes in a scoreless draw, Charlotte goalkeeper Austin Pack made two saves in the shootout to keep his team’s Open Cup dreams alive.
Khano Smith’s squad will balance the tournament with regular season action in the coming weeks as the club continues to search for its first-ever win.
Rhode Island FC Logo. Image Courtesy of USL Championship.
For USL Championship play, Rhode Island FC (0-2-1, 2pts.) are back to Rhode Island, this time in Smithfield, RI to Charleston Battery (2-2-0, 8 pts.) at Bulldog Stadium. The match kicks off Saturday, April 6th at 7:30p.m. on usopencup.com, mlssoccer.com, and uslsoccer.com.
For U.S. Open Cup play, Rhode Island FC (0-2-1, 2pts.) are off to Charlotte, North Carolina to face Charlotte Independence (1-1-0, 4 pts. in USL League One) in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup. The match kicks off at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00p.m. on ESPN+
