U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, Atlanta United at Charlotte FC: Match Thread and How to Watch

They did it. They actually, truly did it.

Atlanta United enters the week off of a *win* in Toronto, and it couldn’t come at a better time as the Five Stripes go headfirst into a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 tie with MLS rivals Charlotte FC tonight. With a spot in the quarterfinals within reach, Atlanta will look to keep the momentum going on a short turnaround and get as close to a piece of (valuable) hardware as they’ve been in a long time.

The past week has been full of lineup rotation from Atlanta United, with nearly half of the starting eleven players switching out after each of Atlanta’s two matches. The kids have played a huge part, too- five Homegrowns appeared in Saturday’s 2-1 victory, the Five Stripes’ first road win since August, which was their only away win in the entire 2025 season.

Part of that has been due to recent injuries in the squad, but Atlanta is set to welcome back the services of Tomás Jacob after a nearly 10 day absence. Cayman Togashi will unfortunately replace him on the injury list, out with an ankle injury sustained after scoring what looked to be the opening goal in Toronto only to be ruled offside. Almiron, Alzate, and Santos all remain sidelined as well, but if the Alexey Miranchuk-led army of kids can pull off a similar result as Saturday, Atlanta might be in a good place to book their spot in the next round.

It won’t come easy up in North Carolina, though. In the Round of 32, a red card issued to Charlotte Independence goalkeeper Giorgos Tasouris early on became the catalyst for a 6-0 shellacking in favor of the Crown in a cross town matchup. In more recent MLS play, however, Charlotte FC has been on the other end of some heavy results, giving up eight goals across their last two matches against Orlando and Nashville, both heavy defeats. Charlotte will have the likes of Tim Ream and Wilfried Zaha back in action for this one, a boost for the team on both ends of the pitch.

Atlanta have suffered through some poor league performances as well before Saturday, but managed to advance in the last round of the Open Cup despite conceding early to Chattanooga FC. The Five Stripes scored three goals at Finley Stadium to avoid the Cupset and progress.

Both sides have a little added emphasis to advance in a rivalry knockout matchup, and each look to add on what would be a massive momentum building result as they return to MLS action on the weekend. The two have only ever met in MLS play, where Charlotte holds a two win advantage in the all-time record.

As we gear up for Open Cup action this evening, get prepared for what’s to come with our 3 Questions series, this time featuring Jorge Gonzalez from TopBin90.

3 Questions about Charlotte FC ahead of the Open Cup Round of 16 with TopBin90

Taking a look at what to expect from Charlotte FC on Tuesday.

by Sydney Hunte April 27, 2026April 27, 2026

It’ll be a 7:00 PM ET kickoff from the Sportsplex at Matthews, a smaller venue in the Charlotte metro area but full of American soccer lore for Charlotte’s pro and semi-pro sides. The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network as well as Paramount+.

No matter where you are or how things look on the pitch, feel free to chime in on the match down below in our match thread for tonight as the Five Stripes seek to survive and advance into the quarterfinals.

Atlanta United’s Lineup:

Charlotte FC’s Lineup:

How to Watch:

Venue: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex, Matthews, North Carolina

Kickoff Time: Tuesday, April 28th; 7:00 PM ET

Available TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

Available Radio: TBA

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