One Knoxville SC
Full nameOne Knoxville Sporting Club
Founded2021
StadiumRegal Stadium
Capacity3,000
OwnerDrew McKenna
Head CoachMark McKeever
LeagueUSL League One
20238th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website

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

USL League Two

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

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 teams first ever professional goal.[15]

Stadium

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

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

Current roster

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
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.
11 MF Scotland SCO Frank Ross
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 MF United States USA Callum Johnson
13 DF Spain ESP Dani Fernandez
16 DF England ENG James Thomas
40 DF United States USA Sean O'Hearn
91 FW United States USA Gio Calixtro
— FW Ghana GHA Kingsford Adjei
— DF Norway NOR Sivert Haugli
— DF United States USA Devin Benton
— FW Rwanda RWA Innocent Nshuti
  1. ^
    USL Academy Contract
    2.

Club management

Front office
Chairman/President Drew McKenna
Coaching staff
Head Coach Mark McKeever
Goalkeeping Coach Nick Jaramillo

Record

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

References

  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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