CARY, N.C. (April 18, 2024) — North Carolina FC has been drawn to host Phoenix Rising FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday. The derby of 2023 USL champions will take place on Wednesday, May 8, with a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at WakeMed Soccer Park.
North Carolina FC faces fellow USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC for the first time in club history. NCFC is host in the bottom half of the Le Toux bracket, with the winner of this derby between 2023 USL Championship winners Phoenix and USL League One champions NCFC set to travel to face the winner of Seattle Sounders FC and Louisville City FC in the Round of 16.
The matchup with Phoenix will mark NCFC’s first trip to the fourth round since 2019 and ninth trip to the fourth round in club history. NCFC looks to advance beyond the fourth round for the first time since 2014, a cup run that included the third straight win over the LA Galaxy.
NCFC advanced to the Round of 32 via a 1-0 win over Carolina Core FC in the Third Round on Wednesday, April 17. Julian Placias’ first goal in an NCFC jersey proved to be the difference in the clean sheet win. The full match recap can be found here.
Broadcasts of all matches will continue to be streamed live on usopencup.com, mlssoccer.com, and uslsoccer.com during the Rounds of 32 and 16. This unparalleled access to the tournament ensures soccer fans across the country will have access to every action-packed match – including the entrance of USL Championship and Major League Soccer sides – in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious soccer competition. Additional broadcast details for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final will be announced in the near future.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA FC
North Carolina FC is in its 18th season of competition in 2024, having returned to the United Soccer League (USL) Championship (USSF Division II) this year. The team has played in several professional leagues under the names North Carolina FC and Carolina RailHawks across nearly two decades of competition. The team won the NASL (USSF Division II) regular season championship in 2011 and 2013 and won the USL League One (USSF Division III) Championship in 2023. Steve Malik purchased the team in 2015 and has been the majority owner ever since. Follow North Carolina FC on the web at www.northcarolinafc.com and on social media @NorthCarolinaFC.