One Knoxville Sporting Club went into Audi Field on Wednesday as a USL League One side and walked out as the team that stunned Major League Soccer’s D.C. United, surviving a wild Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup clash to keep its dream run alive. After a 3-3 draw through extra time, the visitors held their nerve in a tense penalty shootout, winning 6-5 to advance. The result adds another line to the growing resume of a five-year-old club that already claimed its league title last season.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, One Knoxville’s upset unfolded in Washington, D.C., where the underdogs refused to go away across 120 chaotic minutes. The sides traded blows all night before finishing level at 3-3, which sent the tie to penalties. There, One Knoxville converted six kicks to D.C. United’s five to finish off the shock result and book a place in the Open Cup’s third round, where an MLS date with the Columbus Crew now awaits. The win continues a cup run that started with a 3-1 first-round victory over SC Vistula Garfield and a second-round penalty triumph over Asheville City, as listed on the club’s schedule.
Late Drama at Audi Field
The Round of 32 showdown was staged at Audi Field in Washington, where D.C. United had been set to host One Knoxville in Open Cup action, according to U.S. Soccer. The game swung back and forth, with neither side able to land the decisive blow in regulation or extra time. When it came down to the shootout, though, One Knoxville stayed composed enough to bury the clinching kick and silence the home crowd, turning the night into a signature moment for a club that is rapidly climbing the American soccer conversation.
A Small Club With Big Momentum
For a team that only came into existence in 2021, One Knoxville is piling up achievements in a hurry. The club entered this Cup campaign as the reigning USL League One champion, having lifted the trophy in the 2025 season. Wikipedia lists One Knoxville’s 2025 triumph as its first league crown, and the team’s current cup form builds on that breakthrough, matching the confidence that comes with recent silverware.
Stringing together a 3-1 opening-round win, a penalty win in the second round and now a shootout shocker against an MLS host, One Knoxville is checking every box in the classic underdog script while still looking like a side that expects to be here.
What’s Next
With this victory, One Knoxville moves on to the U.S. Open Cup’s third round and is slated to face the Columbus Crew, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. For D.C. United, the loss brings an abrupt end to this year’s Open Cup bid and shifts the club’s focus back to MLS play.
The upset is a fresh reminder of what the Open Cup does best: giving smaller clubs a real shot at national headlines, and occasionally sending a big-name team home early from its own stadium.
