The Carolina RailHawks play in a lower-tier pro soccer series called the North American Soccer League, but don't tell that to the Galaxy.
For the third consecutive year the RailHawks eliminated the Galaxy -- a four-time champion in Major League Soccer -- in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament.
Carolina's latest win, a 1-0 victory, came in overtime Tuesday night when the RailHawks' Daniel Jackson scored in the 105th minute at Koka Booth Stadium in Cary, N.C.
"You have to give them a lot of credit," Galaxy forward Landon Donovan said of Carolina. "I think 99 times out of 100, we win that game. They had everything go their way tonight."
This is the 101st edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a single-elimination tournament featuring pro teams and amateur clubs from around the nation.
The Galaxy has entered the event each year since 1999 and won the event twice, in 2001 and 2005. It reached Tuesday night's fifth round by defeating USL Pro team Arizona United SC, 2-1, a week ago.
The Galaxy's next MLS game is Saturday night against the San Jose Earthquakes at Stanford Stadium. Carolina advances to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.