Atlanta United will face a familiar opponent in the third round of the 2026 U.S. Open Cup.
Atlanta will make the trip up I-75 for an intriguing matchup with Chattanooga FC, with the match scheduled for either April 14 or 15 at Finley Stadium. The winner will face either Charlotte FC or USL League One’s Charlotte Independence on April 28 or 29 at a site to be determined.
Chattanooga, one of a handful of independent teams in MLS NEXT Pro, currently sit at 2-2-1 through five matches. In 2025, its third season in the league, it finished fourth in the Eastern Conference before going out in the conference quarterfinals against Huntsville City.
Chattanooga has seen Alex McGrath off to a good start in 2026: the CFC captain has three goals through four matches. Alex Krehl, formerly in Spain’s fourth division, has scored three goals so far. In goal, Chattanooga features the ageless Eldin Jakupović as the 41-year-old enters his second season with the club.
It should be an interesting battle between a pair of sides separated by just over 100 miles of highway. For Atlanta, it’s a first appearance in the Open Cup since 2024, when it fell to Memphis 901 in the Round of 32. Chattanooga FC went out in the second round in 2025, losing in penalties in a derby against the Chattanooga Red Wolves. In this year’s competition, they beat Metro Atlanta-based Kalonji Pro-Profile 2-1 in the first round despite conceding a wondergoal to 14-year-old Braiden Kalonji. In Round 2, they turned aside the Tennessee Tempo by a 1-0 scoreline.
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What about the game tomorrow? No game preview…wouldnt even know we had a game.
hopefully the team focuses a bit more in winning the US Open Cup this season.