By Daniel Feuerstein | Matthews, NC | April 28th, 2026
Two Eastern Conference rivals in the Southern end of the country have met up for their fourth round clash in the 2026 U.S. Open Cup as Charlotte FC hosts Atlanta United. The match was played at the Mecklenburg Sportsplex, just 30 minutes outside of Charlotte, and it was a battle for the full 90 minutes. Still, the 2019 Open Cup Champions found ways to take down the Queen City side as the Five Stripes earned a big win in an upset, as Atlanta United got the two goals to nil victory and advanced to the Quarterfinals.
The opening goal came from Atlanta United, as they controlled the ball in the midfield and started to attack the net. When the ball was given to Alexey Miranchuk just inside the top of the Charlotte Area off of a two-on-one, Miranchuk was able to take his left foot and curl the ball towards the far post, nestling it just inside the far post for the opening goal of the match in the 22nd minute.
The final goal of the match came from an awkward moment for Charlotte FC. They were trying to defend the run of Cooper Sanchez when he received the ball along the far side. A defender was staying with him and forced a turn toward the Charlotte area. When both men were reaching the net, Charlotte goalkeeper Tyler Deric came off his line to make the stop, but there was a slight miscommunication that allowed the ball to get free, allowing Sanchez to have a free shot on net, and he scored the empty net goal in the 71st minute.
Atlanta United‘s backup goalkeeper, Jayden Hibbert, started the match and was solid from start to finish. He was very active and came off his line several times to keep the ball out of the net. He made a great save early in the second half as he punched out a dangerous cross towards his area. After the final whistle blew, Atlanta United is heading for the Quarterfinal draw on Thursday morning on CBS Sports Golazo’s Morning Footy show, and Charlotte FC will continue in their league season, but will not continue in the U.S. Open Cup.
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