By Daniel Feuerstein | Harrison, NJ | April 14th, 2026
On Wednesday night, April 15th, the Red Bulls New York will begin their U.S. Open Cup campaign with a home match against the USL Championship winners, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. This will be the first time these two sides meet in Open Cup play, and it will be a huge test for the Red Bulls’ young roster. The draw took place on Thursday, April 2nd, and was broadcast live at the Morning Footy show on the CBS Sports Golazo Network. The winner of this match-up will advance to the fourth round and face either NYCFC at Sports Illustrated Stadium or take a short trip to Mount Vernon, New York, to face Westchester SC of USL League One.
The Teams Cup Run
Last season, the Red Bulls began their Open Cup run in the fourth round, taking a cross-country trip to Colorado Springs to face the Switchbacks. They handled their hosts very well as Mohammed Sofo scored a brace in the first half, then got two more from Dennis Gjengaar and Sean Nealis in a four-to-one victory. Hosted FC Dallas in the fifth round and forced extra time from an amazing free kick by Emil Forsberg to level the match at two, pushed it through extra time, and won it during penalties. Had a great start in the quarterfinals with goals from Wiki Carmona and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, but the Union found ways to quickly level the match and lost it inside second-half stoppage time on the road at the Philadelphia Union.
But this club has a new identity and a new start to this season’s Open Cup. They are facing last season’s USL Championship winners, led by then-Interim Head Coach Rob Vincent, who was the assistant to legendary lower-league head coach Bob Lilly. After a shocking dismissal by Riverhounds ownership, Vincent was given the reins and powered the team through the playoffs, defeating hosts FC Tulsa on penalties after the match ended scoreless. Vincent, the former Riverhounds legend and now full-time head coach, has defeated Steel City FC of USL League 2 in the Pittsburgh Derby, earning a two-goal, clean-sheet victory over UPSL’s Virginia Dream FC.
Word From Red Bulls Coach
“Yeah, I’m excited, really excited. Obviously, he got his opportunity in Pittsburgh and, you know, has done a really good job. And so whenever you… Whenever you get an opportunity inside a club to follow somebody who has been there for so long and has been such an important part of the club, the balance of how you implement your ideas, how you combine that with the things that have been there and the things that have been going on, that have been positive. That’s always a delicate balance, and I think he’s done a really good job. And again, we see a very good team, and we’re really excited for the game tomorrow night.”
Michael Bradley Red Bulls New York Manager
There have been many players who have been part of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Championship, including Albert Dikwa, Steevan Dos Santos, Corey Hertzog, and others who have graced the Steel City club. Now, Danny Griffin, Roberto Ydrach, and Eliot Goldthorpe will be the dangermen for the Hounds, especially Griffin, who has been their top-scoring striker for the club. He will be very dangerous, and the Red Bulls must be aware of what he can do on the pitch.
“We’ve spent a lot of time with Pittsburgh over the last few days. It’s a really good team. Obviously, a big tradition of success. They won the USL Championship last year. It’s a team that, over the years, has a real track record of playing well and beating MLS teams in the Open Cup. So we give them full respect. We took the players through a good amount of video this morning to make sure that, again, we’re 100% ready for what’s coming. 100% ready to step on the field tomorrow night and play our football to do everything that we… Need to do so to make sure that we advance further, and so we’re excited to start a new competition.” – Red Bulls Manager Michael Bradley
With so many games being played this month and the beginning of May, there will be plenty of roster rotation as the regular season and Open Cup games are played around midweek. Will Bradley make any changes to the match-day roster when they face the Riverhounds on April 15th? Or will he continue moving forward with the same starting eleven he’s been going with since the start of the regular season?
“We’re going to put a really strong team on the field, so we’re not just resting. Or rotating guys for the sake of it. And so we create a really good environment every day. We create an environment that challenges the players to compete that challenges them to be sharp and to be into it, to take our ideas and to to really um you know bring them to life and obviously you know before every game you you evaluate and you you make decisions based on on what things look like every day and you make decisions based on who you think gives the group the best chance to step on the field and really go after things and be successful. So we will do the same tomorrow night and make sure that we have a team on the field that’s ready to really go after it.”– Bradley ( Red Bulls Manager)
Conclusion
The match on Wednesday, April 15th, will be streamed on Paramount+ at 7:30 PM Eastern. At the same time, you can watch the Golazo Show for your Open Cup Whiparound show on the CBS Sports Golazo Network
U.S. Open Cup Round 3 Schedule
Matchday One, Tuesday, April 14th
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION Vs. RHODE ISLAND FC 7 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
LOUISVILLE CITY FC Vs. AUSTIN FC 7 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS NETWORK/PARAMOUNT+
DETROIT CITY FC Vs. CHICAGO FIRE 7:30 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS GOLAZO/PARAMOUNT+
WESTCHESTER SC Vs. NEW YORK CITY FC 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC Vs. SPORTING KC 8 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
COLORADO RAPIDS Vs. UNION OMAHA 9:30 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS NETWORK/PARAMOUNT+
SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC Vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC 10 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS GOLAZO/PARAMOUNT+
Matchday Two, Wednesday, April 15th
FC NAPLES Vs. ORLANDO CITY 7 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS NETWORK/PARAMOUNT+
CHATTANOOGA FC Vs. ATLANTA UNITED FC 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
RICHMOND KICKERS Vs. COLUMBUS CREW 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
RED BULL NEW YORK Vs. PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
CHARLOTTE FC Vs. CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
D.C. UNITED Vs. ONE KNOXVILLE SC 7:30 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
ST. LOUIS CITY SC Vs. FC TULSA 8 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
HOUSTON DYNAMO Vs. EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE 8 PM EDT: PARAMOUNT+
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES Vs. PHOENIX RISING FC 10 PM EDT: CBS SPORTS GOLAZO/PARAMOUNT +
Red Bull New York is preparing for their first match in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup, when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds travel to Sports Illustrated Stadium in the third round proper match, hoping to earn a title.
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