The Black-and-Red return to Audi Field to open their 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign as they host the Charleston Battery on Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. ET for a Round of 32 midweek match. To purchase tickets for D.C. United’s Round of 32 U.S. Open Cup match on May 6 , click HERE.
After a hard-fought 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, Head Coach Troy Lesesne and company will look to get another victory, this time against his former club. Lesesne played two seasons with the Battery from 2005-2007, helping them to the 2006 United Soccer League Championship semifinals. He later returned as an assistant coach in 2014 where he helped the Battery make the USL Championship playoffs. Assistant coach Zach Prince also has a lengthy history with the Charleston Battery after playing for the club from 2010 to 2016. Prince scored 11 goals and recorded seven assists in 153 appearances for the club across all competitions. A victory in front of the D.C. United faithful on Tuesday will secure a spot in the Round of 16 where they will face the winners of the North Carolina FC and Charlotte FC match.
D.C. United last competed in the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. After beating the Richmond Kickers of USL League One 1-0 in the Third Round of the tournament on April 26, 2023, the Black-and-Red lost to the New York Red Bulls 1-0 in the Fourth Round on May 9, 2023. This year, the campaign starts at Audi Field against the Charleston Battery who are familiar foes, having played them in preseason earlier this year resulting in a 2-1 D.C. United win. The Black-and-Red has faced the Battery three times in U.S. Open Cup history with a 2-1-0 record. The most notable win being the 2-1 victory in the 2008 Final at RFK Stadium with goals from former Golden Boot winner Luciano Emilio and Fred. This secured D.C. United’s second U.S. Open Cup title.
This matchup also includes multiple player storylines with many players facing their former clubs. D.C. United defender Derek Dodson played for the Battery in 2023, where he scored three goals and recorded five assists over 39 matches, helping them reach the USL Championship Final. Midfielder Fidel Barajas played two seasons with the Battery from 2022-2023 where he appeared in 37 matches across all competitions, scoring five goals and recording 13 assists while winning the USL Championship Young Player of the Year award and USL Players Association USLC Young Player of the Year award in 2023. Former Black-and-Red goalkeeper Luis Zamudio also returns to Audi Field, this time in Black-and-Yellow. Zamudio has 15 saves and one clean sheet in seven appearances for the Battery this season.
D.C. United forward Christian Benteke will look to score his seventh goal of the 2025 season after scoring the equalizing goal against Colorado on May 3. The Black-and-Red backline will need to thwart Battery forward MD Myers who has been in stellar form after scoring a hattrick in the 4-0 win over South Georgia Tormenta FC in Charleston’s previous Open Cup match. Currently, D.C. United have a 3-5-3 record sitting in 12th place in the MLS Eastern Conference while the Charleston Battery are 5-2-0 sitting in third in the USL Championship.
Troy Lesesne and company will be looking to honor D.C. United’s Open Cup legacy by securing a home victory against the Charleston Battery and continuing their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign in the next stage of the tournament.
How To Watch
The entire Round of 32 slate – and every match onward to the tournament Final – will stream live on Paramount+. Six of those Third Round contests will also be simulcast via additional platforms; fans can watch three matches for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network, while three more contests will air on CBS Sports Network. The full broadcast schedule for the Round of 32 can be found below.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup History
D.C. United has won the longest running tournament in US soccer history three times since first competing in 1996. The Black-and-Red won the tournament in 1996, 2008, and 2013.
In their inaugural MLS season, D.C. United quickly established themselves as a powerhouse by winning both the MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1996. Entering the Open Cup in the quarterfinals, they defeated the Carolina Dynamo 2-0 behind a brace from Steve Rammel. In the semifinals, Jaime Moreno’s double secured another 2-0 win over the Dallas Burn. Just three days later, D.C. United capped off their historic run with a 3-0 victory over the Rochester Rhinos in the final at RFK Stadium, earning their second trophy in just 10 days.
Twelve years after its first U.S. Open Cup title, D.C. United recaptured the trophy in 2008. They began with a 2-0 win over the Rochester Rhinos, then edged Chicago Fire in extra time thanks to goals from Francis Doe and Bryan Namoff. A 3-1 semifinal win over New England, led by Luciano Emilio, set up a final against the Charleston Battery. Goals from Emilio and Fred secured a 2-1 victory and D.C. United’s second Open Cup title.
D.C. United’s path to the 2013 U.S. Open Cup title was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult season, where they struggled in league play with a 3-24-7 record. But under head coach Ben Olsen, the team threw its full focus into the tournament—and it paid off.
The run began in the Third Round with a tense match against the Richmond Kickers that ended scoreless after extra time, before United advanced 4-2 on penalties. In the Fourth Round, Dwayne De Rosario delivered a standout performance, scoring a hat trick to lift the Black-and-Red to a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. That momentum carried into the Quarterfinals, where goals from Chris Pontius, De Rosario, and Lionard Pajoy powered United to another 3-1 victory, this time over the New England Revolution.
In the Semifinals, United traveled to face the Chicago Fire and turned in a composed performance, earning a 2-0 win behind goals from De Rosario and Nick DeLeon. The cup run culminated on October 1, 2013, in the Final against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium, where Lewis Neal’s goal just before halftime proved to be the difference. The 1-0 victory secured D.C. United’s third U.S. Open Cup title and a silver lining in a challenging year.
