One Knoxville SC

One Knoxville SC
Full nameOne Knoxville Sporting Club
Founded2021
StadiumRegal Stadium
Capacity3,000
OwnerDrew McKenna
Head CoachIlija Ilić (interim)
LeagueUSL League One
20245th of 12
Playoffs: Qualified
Websitehttps://oneknoxsc.com/

One Knoxville Sporting Club is an American soccer team based in Knoxville, Tennessee that competes in USL League One, the third tier of the United States soccer league system.

History

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USL League Two

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The club was initially unveiled as Knox Pro Soccer starting as a semi-professional USL League Two club with the goal to eventually move to the professional USL League One in the future.[1] The official name for the team, One Knoxville Sporting Club, was announced on July 15, 2021.[2] The official crest for the team, designed by artist Matthew Wolff, was unveiled on August 19, 2021.[3] Mark McKeever was appointed as the club's first ever head coach on January 13, 2021.[4]

The team made their USL2 debut on May 14, 2022 hosting Asheville City SC,[5] where they were defeated by a score of 2–1 in front of 2200 spectators.[6] They recorded their first victory in their next match on May 17, defeating the Tri-Cities Otters by a score of 1–0.[7] In their inaugural season, they won the South Central Division, with an 11–1–2 record, advancing to the playoffs.[8][9] After winning their first two playoff rounds, the club was defeated by North Carolina Fusion U23 in the South Conference Finals (league quarterfinals).[10]

One Knoxville SC and Lexington SC compete at Regal Stadium in Knoxville.
One Knoxville SC home game versus Central Valley Fuego FC

USL League One

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On October 20, 2022, it was announced that the club would move up to the fully professional level, joining USL League One.[11] The club also announced that all of the team's 15 home games would by played at Regal Stadium, home of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers.[12]

The club announced their first professional signing on December 12, 2022, forward Ilija Ilić, who will also serve as assistant coach.[13]

The club scored its first ever professional win with a 2–1 victory over Lexington SC.[14] Midfielder Jimmie Villalobos scored the team's first ever professional goal.[15]

Stadium

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In Fall 2021, the team signed a tentative agreement with Boyd Sports that would move One Knoxville SC's home games to a new stadium in the Old City near downtown Knoxville, TN. The stadium would be shared with the Tennessee Smokies minor league baseball team. [16] The new facility is planned to be open in Spring 2025.

Supporters

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The Scruffs are an independent supporters group for One Knoxville. The group's name is a reference to Scruffy City, a commonly used nickname for Knoxville from the 1982 World's Fair.[17]

According to their website, "The Scruffs are a community-first supporters group of One Knoxville Sporting Club. We believe that sport has the potential to create a positive culture of unity and energy, and we strive to embrace that philosophy both in the environment we create on match day and in the ways we interact with Knoxville and the surrounding area."[18]

Players and staff

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Current roster

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Sean Lewis
3 DF Norway NOR Sivert Haugli
4 DF England ENG Jordan Skelton
5 DF United States USA Jalen Crisler
6 MF Netherlands NED Yesin van der Pluijm
8 MF Honduras HON Angelo Kelly-Rosales
9 FW United States USA Rodolfo Castro Jr.
10 FW Germany GER Kempes Tekiela
11 MF Scotland SCO Frank Ross
12 MF United States USA Callum Johnson
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 DF Spain ESP Dani Fernandez
15 FW United States USA Leo Santos^
16 DF England ENG James Thomas
17 MF United States USA Richard Ballard
18 DF United States USA Devin Benton
19 FW Rwanda RWA Innocent Nshuti
22 DF United States USA Stuart Ritchie
25 GK United States USA Johan Garibay
40 DF United States USA Sean O'Hearn
45 FW Ghana GHA Kingsford Adjei
91 FW United States USA Gio Calixtro
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract
    2.

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW United States USA Jake Keegan (on loan to Northern Colorado Hailstorm)
— MF United States USA Jimmie Villalobos (on loan to Forward Madison)
— MF England ENG Charlie Machell (on loan to Al Qabila)

Club management

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Front office
Chairman/President United States Drew McKenna
Coaching staff
Head Coach Serbia Ilija Ilić (interim)
Assistant/Goalkeeping Coach United States Nick Jaramillo

Record

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Year League Record Rank Playoffs Open Cup
2022 USL League Two 11–1–2 1st, South Central Division Conference Finals not eligible
2023 USL League One 9-12-11 8th Did not qualify Lost in Second Round
2024 USL League One 9-8-5 5th Qualified Lost in Second Round

References

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  1. ^ "New Knoxville pro soccer team focusing on community". WATE-TV. February 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Raucoules, Gregory (July 15, 2021). "One Knoxville Sporting Club: pro soccer team reveals name". WATE-TV.
  3. ^ Smith, Shannon (August 19, 2021). "Knoxville professional soccer team unveils new logo". WBIR-TV.
  4. ^ Venkataraman, Karthik (January 13, 2022). "One Knoxville SC announces Mark McKeever as first ever head coach". WBIR-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Wilusz, Ryan (May 11, 2022). "Knoxville's new pro soccer team debuts Saturday. Here's why its first game is so special". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  6. ^ Raucoules, Gregory (May 16, 2022). "Inaugural One Knoxville SC match draws 2,200 fans". WATE-TV.
  7. ^ Smith, Savannah (May 17, 2022). "One Knox SC clinches first ever win against Tri-Cities". WVLT-TV.
  8. ^ Canever, Brian Gabriel (July 10, 2022). "One Knoxville SC claims division championship in blowout win". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  9. ^ Camargo, Alberto (July 21, 2022). "Four things to know about One Knoxville SC ahead of USL League Two playoffs". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  10. ^ Russo, Rick (July 30, 2022). "Remarkable first season comes to an end for One Knox SC". WVLT-TV.
  11. ^ Wilusz, Ryan. "That didn't take long! Knoxville's soccer team goes pro after just one season". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  12. ^ "One Knoxville SC to join USL League One in 2023". USL League One. October 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Signed: Ilija Ilic". oneknox.com. 12 December 2022.
  14. ^ "One Knox SC Schedule". www.uslleagueone.com.
  15. ^ USLLeagueOne com Staff (March 20, 2023). "USL League One Fans' Choice Goal of the Week – Week 1". USL League One.
  16. ^ "One Knoxville to play in Old City stadium if approved". WATE 6 On Your Side. 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  17. ^ "From giant toys to chili, these Knoxville staples exist thanks to the 1982 World's Fair".
  18. ^ "Welcome".
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