U.S. Open Cup round of 32: How to watch on CBS Sports and Paramount+ as MLS teams face off against USL sides

The US Open Cup returns on Tuesday and Wednesday with a round of 32 action, as a result of which MLS teams first enter the fight to compete against their lower competitions.

This week’s action includes 16 ml teams, including four-time winners Chicago Fire and two of the last three champions, the Houston Dynamo and Orlando City. Each of them will compete against teams in lower divisions, a group that consists of 12 USL championship teams, three US League One parties and an MLS Next Pro team. Many of these will be regional matchups, including a handful of intrastate collisions, including the match of North Carolina FC against Charlotte FC and the face-off of Austin FC with El Paso locomotive.

CBS Sports will broadcast all 16 games in the round of 32, with coverage spread over CBS Sports Network” Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network. Both days will be coverage in the studio, while the Golazo show, a Whiparound show that will show every goal and all top height points, will be available on Wednesday with 11 games on the schedule.

This is what you need to know before you set up.

US Open Cup Round from 32 TV scheme

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Story lines for the round of 32

1. San Jose Earthquakes, Sacramento Republic is confronted

If there is one competition to keep an eye on this round, this is perhaps the very last – the journey of Sacramento Republic to the earthquakes of San Jose. The MLS side, led by former American men’s head coach Bruce Arena, will undoubtedly be preferred, but the Republic is not slow in this competition. They made a memorable run to the final only three years ago before they lost in Orlando City, defeating the earthquakes, the La Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City along the way. They were the first team outside MLS that the final reached since 2008 and would perhaps focus on such a run this year, how unlikely it will be.

2. Lopsided matchups around

Although most of the matches between MLS and USL Championship will be sides, a few teams in the third division also made the round for the 32 – USL League One’s AV Alta FC, Chattanooga Red Wolves and Union Omaha and MLS Next Pros Tacoma Defiance. The Defiance organizes a version of a Pacific Northwest Rivalry match on Wednesday, when the Portland Timbers make the journey, while the Red Wolves will play against colleague Tennessee-based silk Nashville SC. Even more than the rest of the competitions, the MLS will strongly prefer these competitions, but in one-off cup competitions the Lower League teams will undoubtedly try to make an upset.