| 2026 LAMAR HUNT US OPEN CUP | ROUND OF 16 | 1ST HALF | 2ND HALF | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| ONE KNOXVILLE SC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| COLUMBUS CREW | 2 | 2 | 4 |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A magical ride in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup came to a close for One Knoxville SC. Having already defeated one Major League Soccer club already in the competition, the squad was unable to duplicate the feat as it fell 4-1 to the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening at Scotts Miracle-Gro Field.
“There’s a disappointment for sure because we didn’t play at our best tonight,” said One Knox Head Coach Ian Fuller. “I have been very proud of this group and will continue to be very proud of this group. We’ll look back at (this tournament) in a few days and say what a great run it was. But we wanted more, no question.”
With its first defeat since March 14, One Knox sees its US Open Cup end in the Round of 16. It marks the furthest that a USL League One team has advanced in the tournament since 2022.
Forward Braudilio Rodrigues tallied the lone goal for the visiting side, evening things up in the 11th minute. The loanee from Lexington SC showed great composure with a header to the far post, following up a rebound off of a save from Columbus goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen via a close-range strike by Eli Conway.
It evened the scoreline a one goal apiece and was a quick and decisive answer to the Crew’s opening goal from Hugo Picard a minute prior.
“To get that goal was massive for us in that moment,” Fuller recalled. “I was hoping we’d be able to push on, but we never really got our footing and when that happens against a really good team, not only do your legs go, but your mind goes. I was really happy that it got us back in the game, but it wasn’t sustainable.”
The attempt from Conway and conversion from Rodrigues were two of just three shorts for One Knox in a first half that saw the home team control the tempo of the match. Columbus entered the break with 74.6% of possession and 28 touches in the opposing box to One Knox’s four.
That pressure eventually led to Picard tallying his second of the night to put the Crew back in front 2-1.
“We had to play at our best to beat a really good team that causes a lot of problems for its opponents on the defensive side of things,” explained Fuller. “And then we weren’t good enough with the ball in those little moments where we were really good in previous matches to get out of the pressure and push up the pitch a bit to give ourselves a little bit of a break from trying to get the ball back .”
Despite not having much of the ball, One Knoxville did create some dangerous opportunities as it looked to even the score once again. Forward Stavros Zarokostas, who subbed on midway through the first half after Conway picked up an injury, got on the end of a cross from Abel Caputo at the back post, but the shot was narrowly pushed away by Hagen.
Zarokostas later played a part in another near goal for One Knox, beating his defender off the dribble in the 56th minute before dumping a ball into the box for Babacar Diene. The Senegalese striker was able to position his body to send a strong volley that froze Hagen but hit the crossbar.
It was the second time in the match that Knoxville splintered the woodwork, along with a shot from Teddy Baker in second half stoppage time.
The Crew then cemented the result with goals from Daniel Gazdag in the 72nd minute and Chase Adams in the 77th.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, Columbus only had a slight 1.79 – 1.04 advantage in expected goals, outshooting One Knox 20-9 in total shots, but just 7-4 in attempts on target.
Midfielder Mikkel Gøling led the way for One Knox in chances created with two. Defender Donovan Williams equaled that total, as the former Ohio State and Columbus Crew Academy product entered the match for Will Perkins at halftime and performed well in front of his hometown crowd.
A good contingent of One Knox fans made the trek to Columbus and made their voices heard throughout the match. After the final whistle, the players and staff made sure to thank those fans for their belief and support.
“It was unbelievable,” Fuller noted. “To take a bus the 500 or so miles from Knoxville on a Wednesday night, it’s so awesome. I’m proud of them and proud of the club. It was a big night for us. We feel like we let them down, but they didn’t show it at the end when they were clapping us off the pitch, so we have to thank them for the support.”
> MATCH DETAILS
LINEUPS
KNX: Burke – GK, Perkins (Williams 45′), Skelton – C, McRobb, Brown, Gøling, Caputo, Murphy Jr. (Baker 45′), Rodrigues (Linhares 78′), Conway (Zarokostas 34′), Diene (Krioutchenkov 61′)
CLB: Hagen – GK, Ruvalcaba, Cheberko, Presthus, Herrera (Brown 87′), Akhundzada, Bangoura (Zawadzki 87′), Picard (Ghamble 74′), Sejdic – C, Thiare (Habroune 45′), Gazdag (Adams 74′)
GOALS
KNX: Rodrigues 11′
CLB: Picard 10′, 23′; Gazdag 72′; Adams 77′
DISCIPLINE
KNX: Gøling (Yellow) 37′
CLB:
NEXT UP
As the US Open Cup comes to a close, One Knoxville SC can’t dwell on the matter too long, as it jumps back into USL1 play this Saturday for a match at FC Naples.
“We’ll give (the players) a moment (to regroup),” said Fuller. “It’s easy to say we’ll put it behind us but this is going to sting for a little bit. But the reality is that we didn’t get to this stage of the competition by being a bad team and we’ll remind them of that and go again, because we got to play against another really good team.”
Kickoff from Paradise Sports Complex is set for 7:00 p.m. ET, pitting the two teams tied atop the league table at 14 points apiece. One Knox then gets some much needed rest before returning to Covenant Health Park on March 13 for a match against Union Omaha (tickets).
