The Charleston Battery will travel to face Charlotte Independence on Tues., March 31, at American Legion Memorial Stadium in the Second Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation confirmed Friday. Kickoff for the match is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Charleston punched their ticket to the Second Round after securing a 2-1 win over Florida Badgers FC in the First Round, lifted by Colton Swan’s game-winning brace.
It’s also set to be a rematch of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup Third Round between the Southern Derby rivals, which was a 1-0 Battery win after extra time, decided by Nick Markanich’s goal in the 112th minute. However, the last time Charleston visited Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium, the match ended in a 5-1 result in favor of the hosts.
For the Second Round, clubs were paired geographically, with additional pairings made via random selection. Hosts were determined by random selection.
Historically, Charleston and Charlotte have clashed 22 times since 2015 across all competitions, with the Battery holding an 11W-5L-6D record. The March 31 contest will mark just the second time they faced each other in the U.S. Open Cup.
At stake in the Second Round will be a trip to the Round of 32, where the 16 teams that advance will face one of the 16 teams from Major League Soccer entering the tournament. A draw for the Round of 32 will be held live on April 2, when the matchups and subsequent round pairings will be determined, and the games will take place on April 14-15.
Fans will be able to tune into the Charlotte-Charleston cup tie via Paramount+.