Charlotte Independence vs Charleston Battery: 3–2
Charlotte Independence beat Charleston Battery 3–2 in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews, Matthews, North Carolina, USA.
- Competition: U.S. Open Cup (2026 U.S. Open Cup, Second Round)
- Kick-off time: Tue, 31 Mar 2026, 23:30 UTC
- Status: Final Score - After Extra Time
- Venue: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews, Matthews, North Carolina, USA
- Attendance: 400
- Teams: Charlotte Independence (home), Charleston Battery (away)
Goals
- 37' — Souaibou Marou (Charlotte Independence), assist Luis Alvarez
- 58' — Luis Alvarez (Charlotte Independence), assist Enzo Martinez
- 70' — Houssou Landry (Charleston Battery), assist Jeremy Kelly
- 77' — Maalique Foster (Charleston Battery)
- 118' — Viggo Ortiz (Charlotte Independence), assist Javen Romero
Red cards
- 90'+7' — Jeremy Kelly (Charleston Battery)
Match statistics
| Statistic | Charlotte Independence | Charleston Battery |
|---|---|---|
| Possession (%) | 37.3 | 62.7 |
| Shots | 6 | 18 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 6 |
| Corners | 3 | 12 |
| Fouls | 17 | 19 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 3 |
Starting line-ups
Charlotte Independence (4-2-3-1): Giorgos Tasouris (G), Javen Romero (CD-L), Kevin Riascos (CD-R), Thabo Nare (LB), Clay Dimick (RB), Enzo Martinez (AM), Luis Alvarez (LM), Jefferson Amaya (RM), Souaibou Marou (F), Mathis Guffroy (AM-L), Christopher Jaime (AM-R).
Charleston Battery (4-4-2): John Berner (G), Joey Akpunonu (CD-L), Sean Suber (CD-R), Nathan Messer (LB), Langston Blackstock (RB), Kirill Pakhomov (CM-L), Houssou Landry (CM-R), Jeremy Kelly (LM), Wilmer Cabrera (RM), Miguel Berry (CF-L), Laurent Kissiedou (CF-R).
Recent form
Charlotte Independence: lost 2–0 away to FC Naples (25 Oct); lost 2–1 away to One Knoxville (2 Nov); drew 1–1 away to Westchester SC (14 Mar); won 4–1 vs Ristozi FC (19 Mar); won 4–0 vs Spokane Velocity FC (27 Mar).
Charleston Battery: lost 0–0 vs Rhode Island FC (2 Nov); won 2–1 vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds (7 Mar); won 2–1 vs Florida Badgers FC (18 Mar); won 3–2 vs Birmingham Legion FC (21 Mar); lost 1–0 away to Detroit City FC (28 Mar).