The Charlotte Eagles remained perfect in U.S. Open Cup qualifying, notching a 2-0 victory over the Western Mass Pioneers on Friday night. Jacob Coggins opened the scoring for Charlotte eight minutes from kickoff, and Ben Johnson added the insurance goal ten minutes after the restart for the 2005 USL Second Division champions. The Eagles are looking to make their fourth straight appearance in the U.S. Open Cup. Match Report: Charlotte Eagles

The Eagles next qualifying match is away to the Harrisburg City Islanders, who opened their 2007 season Friday night with a 1-0 road win over USL-2 debutants Bermuda Hogges. Chad Severs, on loan from the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the USL First Division, scored with eighteen minutes remaining, and the City Islanders held on to move their points percentage to 66%. Bermuda, like defending USL-2 champion Richmond Kickers, do not figure in the qualifying standings. However, the Hogges could play a crucial role in shaping the qualifying table, as the results do count for their opponents.  Match report - PennLive.com

Also announced on Friday was the addition of an extra spot for the USL Second Division in the U.S. Open Cup. With the pre-season demise of the USL-1 Virginia Beach Mariners, the USL Second Division will now see six teams qualify for the U.S. Open Cup tournament, in addition to defending USL-2 champion Richmond Kickers, who have received an automatic bid. This will mean only two of the eight teams eligible from the USL-2 will miss out on this years competition.

Saturday features three matches on the the Second Division docket. The New Hampshire Phantoms make their 2007 debut at Richmond, Western Mass look to gain their first points for the season at Wilmington, and Cincinnati hosts expansion club Cleveland City Stars, in what could develop into a heated inter-state rivalry (Listen Live, 7:30 p.m.). The weekend slate concludes on Sunday with Harrisburg meeting the Hogges once again to finish up their trip to Bermuda.