Club enters playoffs as top seed, hosts quarterfinal Nov. 2
One Knoxville SC is the 2025 regular-season champion of USL League One.
The campaign began March 16 in Spokane, Washington, and culminated Oct. 25 with the squad holding aloft its first piece of hardware on home turf inside a stadium that wasn’t fully constructed when the 30-game slate kicked off 34 weeks prior. Saturday evening’s 1-0 victory – the club’s fourth in five matches – over Greenville Triumph SC at Covenant Health Park saw it clinch the championship outright with 57 points, two more than its closest competitor, in-state rival Chattanooga Red Wolves SC.
Celebrations were initially muted, as respectful handshakes were exchanged amongst the players. They picked up considerably, though, when the One Knox squad congregated in the north end of the park, which was festooned with blue smoke emanating from multiple flares and a shower of glittering confetti. Conjurers of the majestic spectacle were the Scruffs, the die-hard supporters’ group that chanted, drummed, danced and cheered the team on to the title.
By the time the proceedings migrated to the west side of the stadium for the official trophy presentation, the party was well underway, and it barely hesitated for City of Knoxville mayor Indya Kincannon’s brief congratulatory speech delivered to what was a good portion of the 3,101 reported attendees that had remained for the ceremony.
As Jordan Skelton crouched with the Players’ Shield in front of the press pool and a semicircle of Scruffs on the pitch and scores more fans in the stands, several of his teammates were at the ready behind him with bottles of bubbly and cans of Peaceful Side Club Light lager. Grinning back at them at the conclusion of the local dignitary’s address, the captain teased the raise before suddenly hoisting the polished plate over his head with gusto, eliciting gleeful pandemonium all around the grounds. Players bounced, suds flew, more confetti fell and everyone in attendance expressed individual outpourings of joy while collectively observing One Knox’s outstanding achievement.
Although the championship chase was seven months in the making and came down to the final day, the game that pushed the team over the line wasn’t exactly a barnburner.
Greenville entered the tilt disappointed at having been eliminated from the postseason for the first time in its seven-year history. As such, the Triumph was playing for pride, hoping to deny the team it had ousted in a 2024 quarterfinal the satisfaction of lifting a trophy in front of its home supporters and to prevent it from securing home-field advantage for the duration of this year’s playoffs.
Knoxville manager Ian Fuller put out a balanced squad organized into his favored 4-2-3-1 formation featuring mainly regular starters. The only real surprise was that Babacar Diene was selected to lead the forward line – but not because the the team’s top goalscorer hadn’t consistently been a standout performer throughout the season.
Having been shown a red card in the last match against Texoma FC, which should have disqualified him from this contest, it was a shock for most in attendance to discover that the striker was included in the starting lineup when the teams took the pitch. A club source later confirmed that the postgame report submitted by the head referee had been rather lacking; consequently, the decision was successfully appealed, and the suspension was overturned.
With the three points at stake really mattering only to the home side and a point from a draw enough to secure it the top seed even in the event of a modest Chattanooga win, the pace of the game was often tepid, reflecting Greenville’s understandable insouciance and a conservative, careful approach by One Knox. Though play was largely ponderous, it wasn’t without its bright spots, particularly during the opening stages of the match.
Two minutes in, Stavros Zarokostas was fouled along the right touchline. Kempes Tekiela looped the resulting free kick into the penalty area, where it was headed out to the arc. Zarokostas, who had taken up residence at the edge of the 18, followed the flight of the ball, took a couple of stutter steps backward and crushed a low volley that somehow avoided all the bodies in the box and appeared to take a flick off the fingers of goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg before rebounding sharply off the base of the left stick.
In the 9th minute, center back Sivert Haugli played a pass through the heart of the midfield to Nico Rosamilia, who had tucked into a central pocket after drifting in from his position on the left wing. Swiveling tightly, he brushed off a mild challenge and distributed the ball into the space he had vacated to fullback Stuart Ritchie, who skipped a low cross behind Diene to Tekiela.
The playmaker with a penchant for netting important goals nearly had another but mishit his far-post effort down into the lush grass, which took some sting off of it and made it easier for Rankenburg to parry away to safety. Tekiela got a firmer foot on his shot from the ensuing corner, but the keeper did well to hang on to it.
Three minutes later, Haugli lifted a long ball to the left flank that curled into the path of Ritchie. The fullback cut a first-time ball to the top of the key to Rosamilia. Tiptoeing around a challenge, he fed Zarokostas on the right. Attempting to emulate his game-winning goal versus Portland Hearts of Pine in Matchweek 32, the winger aimed between the netminder’s wickets, but Rankenburg was able to squeeze his legs shut in just enough time to repel the snapshot.
The narrow angle didn’t allow for much else, but the wide player did have both Tekiela and Diene lurking as options in the center of the area.
A period of sustained pressure from Greenville led to a half-chance in the 19th minute. A long throw-in – one of several taken by Devin Benton on the evening – from the right touchline was headed on twice to the back post to Michael Gonzalez, who squibbed a whirling try at a volley off the outside of his left boot and over the endline.
In the 27th, David Castro controlled an entry pass at the top of the arc, flipping it and striking a powerful volley with substantial topspin that took an awkward short hop before being corralled by Knoxville keeper Sean Lewis. Then, in the 32nd minute, Gonzalez whipped a ball in from the corner of the 18 that skittered off the top of Skelton’s head and out of play – although it definitely looked from my perspective on the concourse above the Bush’s section like it was going to dip into the open net for an own goal.
The action flowed from end to end for the next few minutes but began to settle down a bit past the half-hour mark. With Greenville prioritizing a mid-block and occasionally pressing high, Knoxville found it difficult to find seams through which to attack and resorted to seeking a direct route over the top. A long punt from Lewis a minute before the 45 were up was worked from right to left, where Rosamilia bent a promising inswinger into the goal box to Diene, who wasn’t able to rise early enough to direct it on frame.
Two half-chances, one for each team, flavored the lone minute of added time. A silky passing move by Greenville incorporated two deft give-and-gos but failed to produce a finish to equal the elegance of the buildup. On the other end, Zarokostas, who was locked in a heavyweight bout with veteran Tyler Polak all evening, sliced between the left back and Gonzalez and clipped the ball over a sliding challenge by Anthony Patti just outside of the area.
The defender seemed to catch quite a bit less of the ball than the man, leaving Zarokostas lying in a heap, but referee Rodrigo Albuquerque was unconvinced that an infringement had occurred and blew for halftime soon after. The game to that point felt like a toss-up, and the stats bore that out. The scoreless match featured six shots from each side, and possession was shared almost evenly.
Callum Johnson nearly got the second half off to a spicy start with a stylish sidewinder of a volley from 20 yards out that tested Rankenburg in the 47th minute. Finally finding some space down the right channel, One Knox continued to focus on attacking from the starboard side for the first 10 minutes after the restart, with Zarokostas going on a couple mazing runs through the Triumph defense and the team winning a series of corners and free kicks. Ultimately, though, none of these raids proved fruitful.
Greenville then retained possession for a spell, creating a trio of distinct opportunities that produced necessary and timely clearances from the Knoxville backline. Smooth on the dribble and possessing a lethal right peg, Gonzalez was a constant terror down the left flank. A defender by trade, Connor Evans made a nuisance of himself at different intervals during the second half, as well, popping up in unexpected locations, lashing dangerous crosses and even flashing into the area in the 64th minute to direct a header just wide of the target.
The half-back pairing of Haugli and Skelton – who together cut an imposing figure all night slicing away through balls, timing tackles to perfection and blocking multiple shots – were crucial during this stretch. Having weathered the storm, Knoxville set its sights on turning the tide and forcing its will upon the away side with 25 minutes to go. Largely invisible for much of the match, it was the reinstated Diene who fired a warning shot in the 69th minute.
Excellent shielding along the left touchline by the striker instructed the move, which then involved Ritchie and Rosamilia, whose triangular passing and intuitive off-the-ball movements freed a lane for Diene to face up one-on-one against Brandon Fricke. Taking the stalwart center back to the cleaners by faking a shot with his right, he cut the ball across his body and drove down the endline. Noticing a gap at Rankenburg’s near post, he attempted to slot it there with his left instep before the keeper could slide over to cover it, but he instead drew the outside of the iron.
After making a pair of substitutions, Greenville ceded possession immediately following the resulting goal kick, and Ritchie and Rosamilia were at it again. Advancing down the left channel with purpose, the left back played a through ball to the rookie winger, who cut it across Fricke. Keeping it from going over the endline, he swiftly slipped by Benton and lofted a searching cross to the back stick. The chip was too tall for Polak but just right for a leaping Diene, who easily outjumped his marker and nodded a header beyond Rankenburg’s grasp that gently kissed the right post before nestling into the side netting.
The go-ahead tally in the 71st minute put Diene in double figures for the year, and it tightened his club’s grip on the regular-season trophy.
Mikkel Gøling has seen his playing time dwindle in recent months as the gaffer has preferred to utilize Tekiela in a more progressive role behind the striker, but the midfielder replaced the No. 10 in the aftermath of the goal to shore up the middle of the park. His first calming touches helped to do just that, and his thrust at a slowly rolling ball froze Ivan Agyaakwah just long enough to allow Zarokostas to pounce and take off downfield with it.
Agyaakwah was booked for kicking out and tripping Zarokostas as he was beginning his run, and so, too, was Polak a few minutes later for a leg-sweeping tackle from behind on the winger. While the Greenville coaching staff decided Polak’s race had been run in the 82nd minute, Agyaakwah remained on in the center of the pitch.
Angelo Kelly came on for Abel Caputo after about an hour, and Gøling had accompanied him in marauding the middle third – pitting the sturdy German stopper against the Knoxville duo multiple times in the closing minutes. In the 87th, the former apparently had had enough of the latter two.
Clattering into Kelly with a shoulder-first attempt at a header that sent the One Knox man careening to the turf, Agyaakwah jumped to his feet and tore off after Gøling, lunging from behind at a 45-degree angle and slashing through his ankle with violent force. It was an awful challenge, the kind that had the potential to inflict serious damage and which absolutely should not be tolerated at any level of the sport.
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, with the Triumph player accepting his marching orders for a second caution without further incident and, more importantly, Gøling being able to continue after a lengthy pause to receive treatment.
James Thomas and Dani Fernandez came on for Player of the Year (as voted for by the Scruffs) Jaheim Brown and Diene, respectively, a minute shy of 90 before four additional minutes were announced. Given all the delays, that figure increased to more than five, but the Knoxville fans didn’t have to wait any longer to experience their professional soccer franchise being awarded its first major honor since its inception in late 2021.
It was an especially considerate and salient gesture to insert Thomas, the club’s first signing and its original captain when it joined the USL as a semiprofessional League Two side, into the match ahead of the final whistle, as he served as a beloved, tangible connection between One Knox’s humble roots and its current ambitions.
Odds are that, after presumably being permitted a night of nominal debauchery to commemorate their accomplishment, the finely tuned athletes that comprise this One Knox squad will have turned their attentions to the postseason posthaste. The playoff schedule has been finalized, after all, and a clash with the No. 8 seed Charlotte Independence imminently awaits.
If Knoxville were to emerge victorious from that matchup at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, it would face either No. 4 FC Naples or No. 5 Union Omaha in a semifinal at a time and date yet to be determined. (A University of Tennessee exhibition baseball game is set to take place at the stadium Nov. 9, so the soccer match would have to be the Friday or Saturday before it to allow the 12-hour transformation of the field to transpire.)
Charlotte is no pushover. Both Naples and Omaha constitute giant, highly variable obstacles in the pursuit of an overall championship. And the opposite side of the bracket is a whole other kettle of fish.
Nothing about playoff soccer is certain, but One Knox has the benefit of knowing for sure that, as long as it continues winning, it will host any future knockout matches at the Cove, where it is unbeaten since June 2024. For now at least, everyone associated with the club should take pride in having ushered in a hugely successful era.
