North & South Carolina's Pro Teams Survive and Advance in the Open Cup; Independence Host Carolina Core in Round Two
An exciting three days of Open Cup soccer conclude with the Carolina Core's statement win in High Point, and an overtime scare for the Charlotte Independence on Long Island.
The first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup demonstrated why it’s only a matter of time until “Cup Chaos” joins “March Madness” as an American past time.
Across the country, numerous professional teams fell to amateur sides this week. While some “amateur” sides stacked their roster with MLS veterans (looking at you, Sacha Kljestan and the Des Moines Menace), others gave spirited challenges to professional teams on short notice - or in the case of Asheville City SC and Appalachian FC, just a couple days of practice time together.
Before we look back on the first round of the Cup, some breaking news: MLS NEXT Pro’s Carolina Core FC will travel to take on the USL League One Charlotte Independence on Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30 PM EDT at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews - the former home of the Independence - in the Second Round of the Cup.
Meanwhile, the Greenville Triumph will host One Knoxville SC on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00 PM EDT at Paladin Stadium at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
Asheville City SC Almost Pulls off the Cupset
Soccer Sheet’s Sam Spencer was on the ground in Asheville on Tuesday, March 18 as a packed Greenwood Soccer Field cheered on an incredible performance from USL League Two’s reigning Organization of the Year as they took on USL League One side Greenville Triumph SC.
Last year, The Blues amassed a dominant 10-0-2 record, going undefeated in the regular season and advancing to the National USL2 Semifinal against Seacoast United Phantoms. Asheville City SC men’s head coach Scott Wells - who also coaches Gardner-Webb University’s men’s team - won USL2 Coach of the Year honors for his work with the squad.
Asheville City SC v. Greenville Triumph SC
March 18, 2025
Greenwood Soccer Field
Asheville, North Carolina
Final Score: 0-0, 0-0, (3-4)
Asheville City SC PK Goals
Clay Obara
Robert Lyons
Hakeem Morgan
Greenville Triumph SC PK Goals
Connor Evans
Tyler Polak
Brandon Fricke
Sebastian Velasquez
Soccer Sheet’s Man of the Match
Asheville City SC Goalkeeper François Djiba
Asheville’s official attendance of 1,075 looked and sounded like twice that number, with Asheville City SC supporters groups like the South Slope Blues out in force. A Summit Coffee food truck stayed open past 10 PM to keep attendees caffeinated and awake for the match, which concluded around 10:20 PM ET after a 7:00
Both sides were evenly matched for the scoreless regulation and overtime periods. The home side’s performance was especially impressive since Greenville is a professional side with an entire preseason of practice under their belt.
Coach Wells, however, believed in his team all along.
“It wasn't a surprising performance for me,” Wells told Soccer Sheet after the match. “We've had them in since Thursday, so we knew what they were capable of. The talent level is very, very good in the team.”
The clear standout for Asheville on the night was goalkeeper François Djiba, who kept a clean sheet and came up with a massive save during penalty kicks. While both Djiba and Greenville goalkeeper Seth Torman left the field with clean sheets, strong performances, and a penalty kick save each, Djiba had to handle the greater number of shots, shots on target, and corner kicks created by Greenville.
“[François Djiba is] from Senegal, he just came over last season,” said Wells. “I think it was pretty clear quite quickly in my network that he's going to be a very, very special player.”
Greenville eventually prevailed when Asheville’s Johnny Fenwick hit the crossbar during Asheville’s final shootout kick, giving Greenville’s Sebastian Velasquez the opportunity to win the match with a goal. Nevertheless, Greenville had nothing but respect for Asheville after the match.
“The environment here in Asheville was awesome, this is one of the things we love about the Open Cup,” Greenville Triumph vice chairman Doug Erwin told Soccer Sheet after the match. “You get an atmosphere like this, where it's packed in, you get something that we don't always get in League One, which is a close driving distance to bring a lot of away fans. I think that's one of the great things about the Cup.”
“I think this is a good Asheville team, I think that we’ve got a used to playing in cup games, so this is a good test for us,” said Torman.
Both Asheville and Greenville were impressed with the challenge that The Blues gave the professional side.
“When you play a one of these pre-pro teams that has to get their roster last second, you never know what kind of team you're gonna gonna have to face, but you know they're gonna be fighting,” said Erwin. “There's nothing to scout. So you really just got to feel the game and it's a contentious atmosphere uh, with great fan support.”
Wells thought that his side played the better match, despite the heartbreaking loss.
“Seeing them being able to to outplay a USL1 team is very, very impressive,” said Wells. “So I was very proud to be honest, very calm. Of course I would have liked to win, but ultimately overall, it's another massive statement from Asheville City.”
Appalachian FC Puts Up a Good Fight, and Fans Still Believe
Luke Beadle made it up to Boone on Wednesday, March 19 to watch the National Premier Soccer League’s Appalachian FC host USL1 side One Knoxville SC at one of the most beautiful venues in all of American soccer, Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.
Luke walked the path through the woods from Boonshine Brewery to make it out to the stadium, followed by “The Squatch Guard” supporters group - who remained loud the entire match despite the scoreline.
One Knox was one of the best defensive teams in USL1 last year, leading the league with the fewest goals allowed (only 16 in 22 matches), so it was no surprise they kept a clean sheet against the amateur side, but it only took them 16 minutes to open up the scoring as Leo Santos scored off of an assist from center back Dani Fernández.
It was the 18-year-old One Knox academy product’s first full match with the first team, so Soccer Sheet spoke with Santos after the match.
“We just worked hard … it was amazing,” said Santos, who was thankful to have the opportunity to play in the Cup, and wants to use his time with One Knox to keep working on his game. “I’m just going to work as hard as I can and leave the rest to God.”
Appalachian FC v. One Knoxville SC
March 19, 2025
Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex
Boone, North Carolina
Final Score: 0-3
One Knoxville SC Goals
Leo Santos 16’
Babacar Diene 63’
Scott Jared McLeod 74'
Soccer Sheet’s Man of the Match
Babacar Diene
Appalachian fought valiantly and kept the scoreline to 0-1 at the half, but their prospects changed when Knoxville’s Babacar Diene came off the bench at halftime. Diene would give a Man of the Match performance with two goal contributions, scoring the second goal for One Knox unassisted, then assisting Scott Jared McLeod with the third in the 74th minute.
Appalachian FC Video - Courtesy Luke Beadle
Appalachian was proud of the work they put into the match, including left back Andre Applewhaite, who serves as captain for the Barbados national team.
“A little bit disappointed with the result, but that’s how the game goes. Boys showed a good fight against a professional team,” Applewhaite told Soccer Sheet.
Fog Heightens the Uncertainty on Long Island as the Rough Riders Take the Charlotte Independence to Overtime
Alyssa Harper was on the ground in New York for Soccer Sheet as the Long Island Rough Riders - an accomplished USL League Two side - took on the USL1 Charlotte Independence in a dense fog that came and went over the course of the match. Charlotte’s Rafael Jauregui got his first two goals in competitive play for the Independence, and Christian Chaney came off the bench to provide two goal contributions in a game-changing performance.
The Independence were coming off at 1-0 win in their home opener against the Richmond kickers, and had every reason to believe they could prevail - but for the first half, the Jacks were on the back foot as the Rough Riders - led by Jacob Woznicki - gave Charlotte’s back line a lot of trouble.
Long Island Rough Riders v. Charlotte Independence
March 20, 2025
Mitchel Athletic Complex
Uniondale, New York
Final Score: 2-3
Long Island Rough Riders Goals
Jacob Woznicki 49'
Elias Khodri 105+1'
Charlotte Independence Goals
Rafael Jauregui 79', 107'
Christian Chaney 104’
Soccer Sheet’s Man of the Match
Christian Chaney
Like many USL1 teams, Charlotte started their secondary goalkeeper - in this case, Drew Romig over Matt Levy. Romig probably got more than he bargained for as the Rough Riders challenged him with 15 shots, and four on target. Woznicki was a constant presence in the first half, and finally broke through early in the second half with the second of two successive shots going in.
LIRR defender Gabriel Pacheco threw the ball in to Woznicki on the left side of the penalty box. An outfield Charlotte player was able to block the shot, which rebounded back to Woznicki at the top of the box, beating Romig with a brilliant strike that put the Rough Riders ahead.
Luckily for the Independence, it only took one opposition goal to flip the switch and raise their quality. Charlotte would dominate the rest of the match, ending up with 15 shots and 5 on target, as well as 65% possession.
“These teams are always difficult,” said Charlotte coach Mike Jeffries after the match. “Credit to Long Island, they played well. I thought our guys showed a lot of character to come back from the goal down … We right away pulled the third goal back in extra tine and I thought we managed the game pretty well, so credit to our guys.”
Two substitutions would change the course of the game in the second half. In addition to Chaney replacing Miles Rice at striker at halftime, Long Island made the curious decision to bring on Elias Khodri for Woznicki in the 62nd minute. While Khodri would go on to score an equalizer for Long Island in stoppage time during the first overtime period, Woznicki was by far the biggest challenge for Charlotte all night - and would have been the clear man of the match had the game ended when he left the pitch.
Luckily for Charlotte, there were 28 minutes left to play, and after trapping a long pass in the center of the field, Chaney would find Jauregui on the run through traffic in the 79th minute to assist the equalizer.
The clubs traded goals in the overtime periods. Near the end of the first overtime, captain Clay Dimick sent a cutting cross to Chaney that the latter double-backed to and volleyed from the penalty spot to slot in the goal. Seconds later, Khodri equalized for LIRR with a banger from the top of the box after a chaotic corner kick for Long Island.
A minute after the match went into the second overtime, Long Island made a mistake they couldn’t recover from. A poor clearance in the area went straight to the boot of Jauregui, who easily completed his brace and sealed the victory for Charlotte.
“It means a lot for me to score my first two goals for the club,” said Jauregui. “But most importantly, [I helped] the team secure a win after a hard 120 minutes.”
Jeffries was very impressed with the two-goal performance.
“We scouted him and thought we saw a guy who is clever with good feet, but has some different ideas in and around the box, and then tonight, it showed with two great finishes,” said Jeffries. “Even just his movement off Chaney and some of his chances and passes he slipped inside the box were really clever … He is the type of player that you feel can develop into a higher-level player and hopefully have success here.”
Dimick came away from the match with a goal contribution, but played an even more important role as the veteran who could help guide the team through adversity. Soccer Sheet spoke with him in an exclusive interview after the match that you can watch below.
Clay Dimick Interview - Alyssa Harper for Soccer Sheet
Carolina Core Leaves No Questions Unanswered in 4-2 Statement Win
Carolina Core FC Head Coach Donovan Ricketts Interview - Sam Spencer for Soccer Sheet
In front of 2,511 fans at Truist Point Stadium in High Point, the second year Carolina Core FC squad had an easier time on Thursday night than in any of their 2024 U.S. Open Cup matches. The home side put up four unanswered goals against Soda City FC of Columbia, South Carolina, before the visitors clawed a couple back in the closing minutes of the match.
The Foxes advance to the second round of the U.S. Open Cup due in no small part to a man of the match performance from forward Joshua Rodriguez, who registered two goals and one assist for the Core.
Carolina Core FC v. Soda City FC
March 20, 2025
Truist Point Stadium
High Point, NC
Final Score: 4-2
Carolina Core FC Goals
Joshua Rodriguez 18' (P), 58'
Facundo Canete 69'
Jacob Evans 72'
Soda City FC Goals
Lamar Thompson 79'
Rauf Salifu 83’
Soccer Sheet’s Man of the Match
Joshua Rodriguez
Soda City was able to keep up in the first half, as a Joshua Rodriguez penalty was the only goal scored for the home side in the first 45 minutes. The Foxes looked like the superior team throughout the match, but Soda City was able to limit the damage.
That all changed in a chaotic second half that saw five goals.
First, after a dangerous cross run from midfielder Facundo Canete, the ball was served across the mouth of the goal, where Rodriguez was there to tap the ball into the net and complete his brace.
Then it was Canete’s turn. Following a threatening run by Jathan Juarez and a flick from Rodriguez, Canete laced the ball into the top right corner of the net.
Finally, the Core’s Englishman had his opportunity from a set piece. After a foul from Soda City FC just outside the 18-yard box, Jacob Evans lifted a shot above the five-man wall and into the upper left-hand corner of the goal.
Soccer Sheet spoke with Evans after the match:
Jacob Evans Interview - Sam Spencer for Soccer Sheet
Soda City would claw back two goals from the home side in a four minute stretch around the 80th minute, but the result was rarely in doubt. The Foxes held 71% of the possession throughout the match, in large part due to the midfield press. Canete won eight ground duels for The Foxes, and Carolina Core’s defensive line was led by Daniel Chica, who was successful in four ground duels and registered eight ball recoveries.
The Core will travel to Matthews to play the Charlotte Independence on April Fool’s Day for the first ever Division III Derby between the I-85 corridor teams.
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