Portland Hearts of Pine teammates Jacob Keegan, left, and Evan Southern form a heart shape for fans after they defeated Hartford Athletic in penalty kicks on April 2 to advance to the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

The Portland Hearts of Pine will try to keep rolling in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday when they host a third-round match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Rhode Island FC at Lewiston High. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $17 either through the Hearts of Pine website or at the gate. The game will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

The Hearts of Pine advanced in the Open Cup with a dramatic come-from-behind victory against USL Championship team Hartford Athletic at Lewiston on April 2. Trailing by a goal and down a man because of a red card, Portland tied the game 1-1 on a Jake Keegan goal late in the second extra time period and won 4-2 in penalty kicks. In the first round of the Open Cup, Portland easily beat amateur squad CD Faialense of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 4-0, in the franchise’s debut game.

Since beating Hartford, Portland has played two USL League One road games. The Hearts tied Spokane Velocity, 0-0, on April 5, and on Saturday suffered the franchise’s first loss, 2-1, at South Georgia Tormenta FC in Statesboro, Georgia, giving up a goal just two minutes after Patrick Langlois had tied the game in the 81st minute while South Georgia was playing a man down.

Rhode Island (1-2-1 in USL Championship) has not played since April 5, when it beat host Oakland Roots, 3-0.

In Georgia, the Hearts of Pine altered their lineup with goalie Kash Oladapo, defender Samuel Mahlamäki Camacho, midfielder Mickey Reilly and Keegan making their first starts of the season. For Oladapo, it was his first professional experience.

This year’s 96-team Open Cup featured 64 pro teams from across all levels and 32 amateur teams. So far 17 pro teams and 31 of the amateur squads have been eliminated.

In the third round, the top 16 teams from USL Championship (based on 2024 standings), including Rhode Island, enter the tournament to take on the 16 second-round winners. USL Championship is the country’s lone second-division pro league. In the fourth round 16 teams from MLS, the only first-division league in the U.S., join the fray.

NOTE: Portland’s roster received another boost last week when Nathaniel James from Trinidad and Tobago arrived in Maine. James’ first training session was last Wednesday. The 20-year-old midfielder, who led his country’s professional league in goals in 2023, had been with the Trinidadian national team. James was not on the active 18-man roster for the South Georgia game.