Rhode Island FC to Host Regional Rival Hartford Athletic in Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
USL Rhode Island FC

Rhode Island FC to Host Regional Rival Hartford Athletic in Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

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


PAWTUCKET, R.I. - U.S. Soccer announced today that Rhode Island FC will host regional rival Hartford Athletic in the Second Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. at Centreville Bank Stadium. The matchup, which will renew the rivalry between the two New England clubs for the first time in 2026, will mark the first time RIFC and Hartford face off in a single-game elimination setting.

The game will be streamed live on Paramount+. Ticket information for the game will be released soon.

Rhode Island FC opened up its 2026 U.S. Open Cup campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over amateur side CD Faialense, dispatching the Cambridge-based club through a trio of first-time goalscorers while keeping its first-ever clean sheet in the historic competition. In 2025, the Ocean State club made its farthest-ever run in the tournament, advancing to the Round of 32 before falling 2-1 to Major League Soccer club New England Revolution on May 7. A win vs. Hartford in the Second Round would see RIFC reach the Round of 32 for the second-straight year, setting up a matchup vs. Major League Soccer opposition for just the second time in club history.

Hartford Athletic is off to a 2W-0L-1T start to the season across all competitions with three clean sheets, out-scoring its opponents 5-0 through three games. The Connecticut club began its 2026 Open Cup with a trip to USL League Two side FC Motown, earning a hard-fought 2-0 win to punch its ticket to the Second Round. Last season, the club fell in the Second Round in a penalty-shootout loss at USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine. It travels to RIFC looking to win back-to-back U.S. Open Cup games, and advance to the Round of 32, for the first time in the club's eight-year history.

The U.S. Open Cup is the only competition in USA-based team sports where amateurs have the chance to play professionals in direct competition. It is the oldest active professional soccer tournament in the country and the third-longest continuously run national cup competition in the world. Conducted on a single-game, knockout basis, the tournament has crowned a champion every year since 1914, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The first-ever Final of the tournament took place at Coats Field in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1914, and RIFC's Round of 32 matchup in 2025 marked the first time in more than 80 years the tournament returned to the Ocean State.

The 2026 edition of the historic tournament, which began with an 80-team field of amateur and professional competition, kicked off with the First Round on March 17-19, and will conclude with the Final on Oct. 21. Rhode Island FC joined 16 other USL Championship teams participating in the tournament, which features a $1 million prize and a berth in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup for the winner.

For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, subscribe to RIFC's monthly newsletter, follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, X and LinkedIn, and download the official team app.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 20, 2026


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