Matthews, North Carolina (April 1st, 2025) – Carolina Core FC fell to Charlotte Independence in a tightly contested game dominated by The Foxes statistically, which required a late goal in extra time to see The Jacks advance to the next round.
Goal-Scoring Plays
CI – Luis Alvarez, 2nd minute: Following a back pass to the goalkeeper, Alvarez pounced on the ball first and found the back of the net.
CCFC –Josuha Rodriguez, 10th minute: A cross from Jathan Juarez from the byline found the feet of Derek Cuevas, who flicked the ball to Josuha Rodriguez, where the striker hit a powerful shot into the back of the net.
CI – Souaibou Marou, 93rd minute: Jon Bakero played a ball through the defense, which found Marou, who lifted the ball over the top of the goalkeeper.
Postgame Notes
- Mr. Open Cup Strikes Again
- A Debut For Glory
- Target Practice
- CCFC vs. Charlotte Independence | U.S. Open Cup Box Score
Mr. Open Cup Strikes Again
In another stellar performance, forward Josuha Rodriguez scored in the U.S. Open Cup to take his tally to five goals in the competition across two seasons. The Honduran latched on to the end of a cross in the 10th minute and was able to find the back of the net to tie the game early on. The 20-year-old now has three goals in only two games played in the competition.
A Debut For Glory
New signing Glory Nzingo made his debut on Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup against Charlotte Independence. The Ireland U21 international had a solid display, showing his quality immediately upon entering the game. The midfielder registered two shots and one key pass while being fouled once.
Target Practice
Despite the game being a low-scoring affair, CCFC registered a game-high 19 shots on the night. This includes four shots on target, highlighted by a goal from Josuha Rodriguez. The Foxes dominance on the night was clear, as the team also managed 591 total passes, held 61% of the possession, and had eight corner kicks.
Lineups
Carolina Core FC — Andrew Pannenberg; Jathan Juarez, Daniel Chica (Aryeh Miller – 105’+3), Ibrahim Covi, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Zion Scarlett (Jonathan Bazaes – 86’); Facundo Canete, Derek Cuevas (Glory Nzingo – 65’), Alenga Charles (Santiago Cambindo – 105’+3) , Jacob Evans; Josuha Rodriuez (David “Pachi” Polanco – 90’+3).
Substitutes not used — Mateo Sarmiento, Alex Sutton.
Charlotte Independence — Matt Levy; Clay Dimick, Nick Spielman, Mike DeShields, Fabrice Ngah; Omar Ciss (Souaibou Marou – 68’), Bachir Ndiaye (Nathan Gray – 102’); Luis Alvarez, Rafael Jauregui (Pele Ousmanou – 98’), Christian Chaney; Anthony Sorenson (Jon Bakero – 68’).
Substitutes not used — Christopher Jaime, Drew Romig, Miles Rice.
Next Game
Carolina Core FC will return to MLS NEXT Pro action at home on Saturday as they host NYCFCII on Saturday, April 5th at 7:00 pm. Tickets to the match are available for purchase here: Carolina Core FC vs NYCFCII Tickets
2025 U.S. Open Cup
Carolina Core FC vs Charlotte Independence
April 1st, 2025 – Mecklenburg County Sportsplex (Matthews, NC)
Carolina Core FC record: 1-2-1 (5 points – All Competitions)
Charlotte Independence record: 3-0-1 (10 points – All Competitions)
Scoring Summary:
CI: Luis Alvarez – 2’
CCFC: Josuha Rodriguez (Derek Cuevas) – 10’
CI: Souaibou Marou (Jon Bakero) – 93’
Misconduct Summary:
CCFC : Derek Cuevas (caution) – 41’
CI: Mike DeShields (caution) – 66’
CCFC : Facundo Canete (caution) – 98’
CCFC : Jathan Juarez (caution) – 105’+4
CCFC : Jonathan Bazaes (caution) – 108’
CI: Christian Chaney (caution) – 120’+2
Referee: John Rush
Assistant Referees: Aaron Riley, Colin Ashley
Fourth Official: Nicholas Strednak
Weather: Sunny, 67 degrees.
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
