TAMPA, Fla. – April was a busy month for One Knoxville SC. Between the competing in the USL League One regular season, the Prinx Tires USL Cup and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the club stepped on the pitch six different times over the past month.
But despite the congested schedule, One Knox always seemed to put its best foot forward with just a lone defeat in that stretch, which includes two wins and a draw in its three league matches. At the helm for it all was Ian Fuller and, on Wednesday, USL1 named the One Knox Head Coach its April Coach of the Month.
“I’m very grateful to be named Coach of the Month,” Fuller said. “But truly all of the credit goes to the players and staff for their incredibly work and dedication during a tough stretch of matches for us.”
It marks the third time that the second-year coach has received the honor, having also been awarded it in April and October of the 2025 season en route to One Knox winning its first USL1 Players’ Shield and league title.
With a mix of new faces and old from last year’s squad, Fuller once again has the team looking like a legitimate contender. One Knoxville SC currently sits at the top of the USL1 standings at 17 points with a 5-1-2 record, having not suffered a defeat in its last five league outings.
What may be most impressive about the club’s run in April is that the results have come despite playing five matches on the road, including a signature penalty kick victory over Major League Soccer’s DC United in the US Open Cup Round of 32, along with another win in penalties over USL Championship’s FC Tulsa in the opening match of the USL Cup.
With Fuller pulling the strings on the lineup card, One Knox utilized 22 players across April, having twice in the month had to play three matches across a 10-day stretch.
“I’m proud of the guys for how we came together,” explained Fuller. “It’s always nice to get recognition, but for us, the job is to continue to work and get better every day.”
Fuller, who was also recently named the USL1 Week 8/9 Coach of the Week, and One Knox will look to bring that April momentum into May. Already with a victory in the new month, the squad finally returns to Covenant Health Park on Wednesday, May 13 to face Union Omaha (tickets) in a clash featuring the two top teams in the USL1 standings. It’s the beginning of a two-match homestand, followed by a USL Cup meeting with San Antonio FC (tickets) on Saturday, May 16.
