PORTLAND, ME, April 3, 2025 – Portland Hearts of Pine will host USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer announced today.
The match will be played at Lewiston High School, and will kick off at 7:00 p.m. on April 15. CBS Sports will provide coverage, with the match streaming live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Hearts’ first match as a professional side came in the Open Cup’s first round on March 20, when Portland defeated C.D. Faialense 4-0. Walter Varela scored the first goal in club history–on his 28th birthday, no less–before winger Azaad Liadi added two and left back Nathan Messer scored one.
Portland’s second-round match, against USL Championship team Hartford Athletic on April 2, saw 10-man Hearts come from behind to tie things up at 1-1 through a perfectly weighted Jake Keegan chip shot with three minutes left in extra time; Portland then won the penalty shootout 4-2.
Rhode Island FC, an expansion team in 2024, advanced all the way to the USL Championship final last year before losing 3-0 to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the title match. By qualifying for the playoffs they earned a bye through to the third round of this year’s Open Cup. Rhode Island is winless through three matches in the Championship in 2025, but in J.J. Williams, Albert Dikwa, and Noah Fuson they boast a trio of forwards capable of scoring at any time.
