Charlotte FC wins first ever U.S. Open Cup match

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WBTV) - In a season of first for the expansion Charlotte FC, the team played and won their first ever U.S. Open Cup match tonight over the Greenville Triumph 2-1 down in Greenville, S.C.

Charlotte FC would get on the board first with a Ti Ti Ortiz goal in the 39th minute of the game.

Greenville is a USL League One team but went toe to toe with a MLS foe and almost won.

The Triumph dominated the opening stages of the second half and it eventually payed off with a goal off the foot of their best player Jake Keegan to tie the match at the 59th minute.

After 90 minutes, the game remained tied at 1 and they would need 30 more minutes of extra time before a winner was decided.

This is the first of 2 games in 4 days for Charlotte FC so a lot of different guys got to play on Wednesday as to not burn out the normal starters as they will need to be ready for their next MLS game on Saturday.

One of those getting extended playing time was Harrison Afful. Afful is not known for his scoring ability, but in the 106th minute, he found the back of the net in what turned out to be the game winning goal.

It’s now on to the round of 32 for Charlotte FC, but first, they will catch a flight out to Colorado to take on the Rapids Saturday night as they get back into MLS play.

Charlotte will find out who they will play in the 4th round of the U.S. Open Cup on Friday as they will hold a draw to determine their next opponent.