US Open Cup Preview: How does Charlotte FC stack up in the Round of 16?

By Brian Maurer

Pep Biel carries the ball against the Chicago Fire (CJ Hellner/Topbin90)

The US Open Cup Round of 16 has kicked off this week with the Chicago Fire and the San Jose Earthquakes winning their Tuesday night fixtures and locking in their spots in the Quarterfinals for July. The remaining six games will take place tonight to finish out the round. Charlotte FC gets set to face off against DC United, and 11 of 12 of the teams in tonight's tournament games are MLS clubs, making the competition a lot more competitive for the Crown.

Here is a preview of the remaining teams in the US Open Cup and how they stack up against each other:

Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire nabbed a result on the road against a heavily rotated New England Revolution side. The Fire also had some rotation, but they still had key players like Hugo Cuypers starting and able to make an impact.

The Fire has won four straight in all competitions and is unbeaten in their last five since getting dropped 7-2 by Nashville SC. That's a solid response by Gregg Berhalter's squad, and it has landed them in the Quarterfinals. They are now just a couple of wins away from the opportunity to set the record for the most US Open Cups won in history (currently tied for the most with four).

San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes won their Round of 16 matchup with an extra-time goal against Portland, putting themselves safely into the Quarterfinals. They are now unbeaten in six straight games in all competitions and have kept clean sheets in three of their last four.

Cristian Espinoza is the key man to track for the Earthquakes as he is tied for the MLS lead in assists (6) and has the most chances created (48). If they stay in good form and add Espinoza's chance creation to the mix, San Jose should feel capable of competing against anyone in their Quarterfinal matchup.

Philadelphia Union

Based on their current MLS form, the Philadelphia Union looks to be one of the favorites to win the US Open Cup. It also helps that they are playing the only USL side left in the competition, giving them the best odds to advance to the Quarterfinals on the Wednesday slate.

The Union is unbeaten in seven straight games across all competitions, putting them in good form ahead of tonight's fixture against Pittsburgh. One to watch is their striker, Tai Baribo, who is currently leading the MLS Golden Boot race.

Minnesota United

Minnesota United will also see themselves as contenders for the Cup based on their place in the standings and some of the big scorelines they have put up in league play. Minnesota has won four of its last five games in all competitions and has put up 11 goals in that time.

Their forward, Tani Oluwaseyi, has had a great start to the season with 10 goal contributions (6g/4a). He will be one to watch against St. Louis City tonight after he put up a goal and an assist against St. Louis this past weekend.

Nashville SC

Nashville SC is another team coming into their Quarterfinal matchup in good form. They have only lost once in their past eight games in all competitions (5-3-1), and will be looking to upset Orlando City on the road in what looks to be one of the top matchups of the night.

Hany Mukhtar has six goal contributions (4g/2a) in his last five MLS starts and will look to keep that scoring form going if he gets the run out in Orlando.

Orlando City

Orlando City is playing host to in-form Nashville, but they will likely not be deterred as the Lions haven't been beaten in over two months (6-6-0, +17 GD in all competitions during this unbeaten stretch). Head Coach Oscar Pareja and many of the Orlando players also have the winning experience to go deep in this tournament after they lifted the trophy in 2022.

They have found plenty of goals recently as they have scored 14 in their past four matches in all competitions and nine goals in their past three home games. Martin Ojeda will be the player to watch as he has 11 goal contributions on the year (8g/3a), but it's also worth mentioning the form of Luis Muriel, who has scored in back-to-back games.

Charlotte FC

Now we are on to the teams who have been riding the struggle bus. Charlotte FC has lost five straight in MLS play, and their only win in a month has come against USL side North Carolina FC in the Round of 32 in the US Open Cup. The Crown has allowed 13 goals in their last four MLS games and will be circling their game tonight against DC United as an opportunity to try and right their ship.

Pep Biel started the season in great form but hasn't had any goal contributions since returning from injury (three starts). Still, he is the one to watch tonight as he has been Charlotte's primary creator.

New York Red Bulls

The New York Red Bulls have had an up-and-down start to their season. They lost their last two road games, but before that, they beat a hapless LA Galaxy side 7-0. The Red Bulls have the third-best odds to win their matchup tonight, so the club will still likely be going into this game confident, even on the back of two straight defeats.

The attacking combination of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (7g/1a) and Emil Forsberg (5g/3a) will be the key players to watch in New York.

Austin FC

Austin is another team that has had a strange start to the season. They haven't won at home in over a month, but they were able to stop the bleeding a bit with two back-to-back home draws. They will face off in a Texas Derby against their rivals, the Houston Dynamo. Austin is a big betting favorite right now, but Houston has started to stand a bit taller as they have only lost twice in the past two months.

USMNT striker Brandon Vazquez, currently leads Austin FC in goals with six in all competitions, and he will be aiming to keep his Open Cup form going as he had two goals and an assist in their Round of 32 win.

Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo has only lost twice in their last nine games in all competitions. They look to be hitting their stride after a slow start, which is to be expected with the amount of turnover they had at key positions this past winter.

Jack McGlynn has flourished in his role with Houston since joining the club from Philadelphia at the beginning of the season. He leads the team in goal contributions in all competitions with six (3g/3a) and will likely be a key tempo setter if the Dynamo wants to make a deep cup run.

FC Dallas

FC Dallas has had a rough patch after starting the season with some decent results. They have only won one MLS game in their last seven and are giving up a bunch of goals. Dallas does have some star power on the roster, so they could make a run if they can keep composure in their match tonight versus the New York Red Bulls.

Lucho Acosta is definitely the man to watch for in Dallas and even though he hasn't been getting the assists, he does have the xA (3.96) to back up his ability to contribute for his new club.

DC United

DC United hasn't scored in three straight MLS games. They are also withot Christian Benteke who is off the roster due to an injury he suffered recently. No one in DC can bring the same level of aerial threat and final third production that Benteke has been able to over the last couple years. They will have to provide an answer as to where the goals will come from if they want to find a way past Charlotte FC and into the conference finals.

DC can at least take solace that their Round of 16 matchup is against a struggling Charlotte side, which does open the door for them to make it to the Quarterfinals, and a lot can change by those matchups in July.

St. Louis City

St. Louis City has been struggling this year, and they have to travel to Minnesota United to try and scrape a draw from nowhere. They are going up against Minnesota, who has been firing on all cylinders. St. Louis has the worst odds to advance out of any MLS club left in the competition and it's due to the fact they have gone winless in 10 straight MLS games and they just lost to Minnesota 3-0 this past Saturday.

Marcel Hartel has started off the 2025 season slowly, which is at least somewhat expected when you see how the team as a whole has played. But of all of St. Louis' roster Hartel is the team leader in chances created and no one else is remotely close. Making him the most important piece in a difficult team situation.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are the Cinderella story of the 2025 US Open Cup. They are the last remaining non-MLS side in the competition, and they go up against the current Supporters' Shield leaders in their Round of 16 matchup. They have showed fight and an ability to keep games tight in their first two Open Cup matches and they will look to do the same again on the road in a difficult spot against the Philadelphia Union.

Their goalkeeper Eric Dick was able to keep a clean sheet against NYCFC in the Round of 32. He will likely need to stand on his head again tonight for the Riverhounds to find a way through.