Phoenix Rising to Face Orange County SC in Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
USL Phoenix Rising FC

Phoenix Rising to Face Orange County SC in Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Published on March 20, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


PHOENIX - Phoenix Rising will travel to Southern California to face Orange County SC in the Second Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer announced today. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, April 1, at Championship Soccer Stadium. The match will air on CBS Sports Golazo Network and be streamed live on Paramount+.

Rising advanced to the Second Round of the Open Cup on the back of a 4-0 win over San Ramon FC on March 17, marking a fifth straight season the club has won its first match of the competiton.

"I call them the trap games," Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said following the San Ramon match. "For me, these are the games I want to see real professionals that understand the job."

The Open Cup match will be the second meeting of the season between Rising and Orange County SC, with both sides playing to a 1-1 draw on March 14 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. While both teams have faced off 35 times in regular season play, the Wednesday match will be the first time they play in North America's oldest soccer tournament.

Notably, Rising is looking to win consecutive matches in an Open Cup campaign since 2022, when it took down Valley United FC and rivals New Mexico United before exiting in the Round of 32.

Falling between away matches against FC Tulsa (March 28) and Sacramento Republic FC (April 4), the match in Irvine, California, creates an early season three-match road trip. 9-8-3 all-time in the Open Cup since making its tournament debut in 2014, Rising will look to advance to the Round of 32 a third straight time to kick off April.

2026 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE

First Round: vs. San Ramon FC | 7:00 p.m. MST, March 17 (Phoenix Rising Stadium)

Second Round: at Orange County SC | 7:00 p.m. PT, April 1 (Championship Soccer Stadium)

Round of 32: Tuesday, April 14 - Wednesday, April 15

Round of 16: Tuesday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 29

Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 19 - Wednesday, May 20

Semifinals: Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Wednesday, Sept. 16

Final: Wednesday, October 21

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