Match Recap

USL LEAGUE ONE PLAYOFFS QUARTERFINALS	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
#6 ONE KNOXVILLE SC	0	0	0
#3 AC BOISE	1	1	2

GARDEN CITY, Idaho. – One Knoxville SC’s title defense came up a couple matches short, as the club fell 2-0 at AC Boise on Sunday night and closed its 2026 season in the quarterfinals of the 2026 USL League One Playoffs.

“Really disappointed that it’s over,” Knoxville Head Coach Ian Fuller said. “We work so hard for 10 months to put ourselves in a position to make a run, but we weren’t good enough tonight.”

It was the third consecutive year that One Knox appeared in the postseason, having posted in 3-2 record in those matches since joining USL1 in 2023.

Unfortunately, there would be no repeat of last year’s playoff run nor of Knoxville’s comeback win over the same opponent in Idaho from July. AC Boise moves on to the semifinals after grabbing a goal in both halves from forwards Tumi Moshobane and Jesús Barea, respectively.

Under the lights on a chilly night at the Stadium at Expo Idaho, One Knox found it hard to break down its opponent for long stretches throughout the match. The visitors were only able to muster two shots on target over the course of 90 minutes on 11 touches inside the box.

“We were able to get in good attacking areas, but let ourselves down and defensively we weren’t set up well enough,” said Fuller. “I take responsibility for that.”

While Boise held nearly 60% of the possession in the first half, the One Knox defense kept the home side’s attack at bay for much of the 45 minutes. However, things took a turn in the 37th minute when Nick Moon got on the end of a cross at the back post and played a square ball to Moshobane for a tap-in.

Knoxville nearly came back with an immediate answer right before halftime. 2026 leading scorer Denis Krioutchenkov headed a cross from Will Perkins that beat the dive of Boise goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer but bounced off the outside of the post, keeping the score at 1-0 heading into the break.

“We weren’t giving away chances, but when the goal came, it was a bit of a shock,” Fuller recalled. “We knew they were going to have possession, so we wanted to pressure them in certain areas and make sure that they didn’t get the confidence that they got. Once they started to get the feel for the game, we were a little passive.”

One Knox again tested Kliewer right out of halftime with its first shot on target of the match. Striking the ball from nearly the exact spot as his match-winner against Boise on July 2, midfielder Teddy Baker rocketed a shot that seemed destined for the back of the net if not for Kliewer diving to his right and parrying it away.

That warning shot seemingly forced Boise to sit back deeper for the remainder of the match, making it difficult for the equalizer to come.

As One Knox continued to push more forward in hopes of finally breaking through, Boise sealed the result in the second minute of stoppage with Moon getting his second assist of the night inside the box, this time to Barea.

“You have to be decisive and you have to move the ball quickly,” Fuller said of attempting to break the opposing defense. “At some stage you’ve got to combine and create. We did for a chance or two, but then we would get it in good positions and it would just peter out.”

Despite the two goals, One Knox goalkeeper Johan Garibay fared well on the evening with six saves, including a barrage of shots in the box in the 81st minute to keep his squad in the match.

“He was brilliant,” said Fuller of Garibay. “He made some really good saves, but also made some really smart decisions with his feet. I can’t fault him at all.”

While the result and finality of the 2026 season is still raw, Fuller made sure to praise the work of his squad throughout a season that saw many highs and lows. And while the ultimate goal wasn’t accomplished in 2026, that only fuels the motivation to return to the top of the mountain next season and beyond.

“I’m really proud of the guys for all their effort throughout the entire year,” he noted. “The standard of the club now is to win and to come up short, it hurts right now. We’ll have take a long look at how we will get better, but I cannot give the guys enough credit that they have put in since day one. It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but we will get better.”

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 32	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (15-8-9 | 54 PTS)	1	2	3
NEW YORK COSMOS (7-19-4 | 25 PTS)	0	0	0

PATERSON, NJ – One Knoxville SC will be riding some momentum once the 2026 USL League One Playoffs begin. The club concluded its regular season slate in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over the New York Cosmos at Hinchliffe Stadium.

“We’ve been preaching all week how we were going to win this game and the guys performed extremely well tonight,” said Head Coach Ian Fuller. “To come up here, knowing it’s out last game, it was really a preparation game for the playoffs. If that’s a sign of what’s to come, it’s going to be a good run for us.”

As it now awaits its destination for the first round of the playoffs, One Knox finishes the season with 54 points on a 15-8-9 record, including an impressive eight-win mark away from Knoxville.

But while it may have been a road match, there was still some home-cooking for One Knox with all five of its New Jersey-natives seeing the pitch and contributing to the win in front of their local family and friends. That includes goals from Eli Conway, who grew up in Mount Olive, and Babacar Diene, who went to college at Rider University in Lawrenceville.

“We were definitely thankful that we were home and got to see our family, but the focus going into that game was getting three points,” explained Conway. “We went through with that plan and did a great job. I think our families being there helped with the result, but it was about staying with the plan and focusing throughout the week in training.”

The other Jersey connections include, defender Chris Tiao, midfielder John Murphy Jr. and forwards Kyle Linhares and Nico Rosamilia.

In fact, it was a Rosamilia assist five minutes into the match that got One Knox off and running, as he played a ball into Denis Krioutechenkov who hit it first-time with his left foot for the early goal.

“That set the tone for us,” Fuller said of the early goal. “It came in transition and it was just Denis doing what Denis does well.”

It was Krioutchenkov’s team-leading 11th goal in USL1 play and 14th across all competitions.

That ended being all the away side would need on the day with One Knox stifling the Cosmos attack. Anchored by the centerback duo of Jordan Skelton and Finn McRobb, the defense allowed just five total shots from New York – and none on target – and none on target despite the home side holding 57.7% of the possession.

“They were fantastic tonight,” Fuller pointed out. “It was vintage Jordan Skelton and Finn did a really good job playing next to him. And I thought our two fullbacks played extremely well.”

The 1-0 scoreline remained until the 73rd minute when the One Knox press caused catastrophe for the Cosmos. Pressure from Krioutchenkov on a pass back to Cosmos goalkeeper Javier Garcia forced an errant clearance right to Conway at the top of the box.

The rookie winger, who had just entered the match two minutes prior, took one touch to settle before driving the ball just inside the near post, doubling the lead.

“It was so awesome,” Conway recalled of running to his father and brothers into the stands after netting his fourth goal of his debut season. “It’s tough being away from home for so long, but then you get to see your family in the crowd supporting. So when I get an opportunity like that, I knew I had to run to them.”

With the result settled, Knoxville made the most of an 89th minute red card from New York’s Justin Milovanov, as Diene played a give-and-go with Mikkel Gøling that sprung the forward beyond the Cosmos back line and in on goal to make it 3-0.

Gøling, along with Murphy Jr. and Abel Caputo in the One Knox midfield triumvirate were challenged by Fuller to step up and control the flow of the match with the absence of Teddy Baker, who was unavailable for Saturday’s contest.

“They covered more ground than anyone,” Fuller said of the midfielders. “And they needed to because it’s a big field. They were dangerous in both boxes and showed their aggression.”

NEXT UP
While the regular season is finished for One Knox, the squad will have to wait a bit before it learns its first round opponent and location. Due to the scheduling, the rest of the teams in the league won’t play its final matches until next weekend. With the middle of the standings so compacted together, nothing will be officially settled until then.

“We’re just going to step away for a bit to get our minds right and our bodies right,” said Conway. “Once we get back to training, it’s all about focusing and preparing for this playoff run.”

To stay up to date on One Knoxville SC and the USL1 Playoffs, be sure to follow the club on X and Instagram. Scheduling information will be announced there once it becomes available, as well as on the club website.

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 31	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
SPOKANE VELOCITY FC (15-8-5 | 50 PTS)	1	1	2
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (14-8-9 | 51 PTS)	0	0	0

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The final match at Covenant Health Park for the 2026 USL League One regular season did not go as planned for One Knoxville SC. Goals from Spokane Velocity FC on either side of halftime were enough on a rainy Sunday afternoon as Knoxville fell 2-0.

“When it came down to the final say, we just didn’t have the quality that we were looking for,” said Head Coach Ian Fuller. “We just couldn’t find a way through in the right areas. Really disappointed overall.”

Having punched its ticket to 2026 USL1 Playoffs last Wednesday, One Knox’s chances for homefield advantage in the first round took a hit with the defeat. The club currently is in fifth place on 51 points with one match remaining before the postseason begins.

With the remnants of Hurricane Isais providing a light, but steady rain for much of the match, the home side was unable to breakthrough despite holding more than 65% of the ball. Spokane made One Knox pay on the counter-attack with forwards Shavon John-Brown and Neco Brett both finding the back of the net against the run of play.

“It was a shock for sure,” Fuller noted. “We need to get over certain things a little bit better. They took their chances in ways that we didn’t. In both boxes, that’s where you got to be great, not good.”

From the opening whistle, One Knoxville was holding sustained pressure in the final third and nearly grabbed the lead 6 minutes in when Stavros Zarokostas cut a ball back from the endline to a rushing Teddy Baker just inside the top of the box. But the midfielder’s attempt sailed over the crossbar.

The Velocity answered with their first real chance in the 18th minute with defender Lucky Opara chipping a ball over the top to John-Brown, who took a touch inside the box between two One Knox defenders before slotting the ball into the low left corner for the match’s opening goal.

“I think our reaction was a little bit shell-shocked there,” Fuller explained. “We were so good and so aggressive (in the first half) and were causing a lot of problems for them. I thought we were very good in the first half, but unfortunately the phrase goals change games rang true tonight.”

Spokane nearly doubled its advantage five minutes into the second half when a through-ball to Brett had the forward running free on Johan Garibay. But the One Knox goalkeeper was up to the task with a big save inside the box. Garibay won a similar battle with Brett in the 59th minute.

However, Brett would finally find goal in the 62nd minute with Spokane taking advantage of One Knox pushing numbers forward.

“We got so stretched in the second staff,” recalled Fuller. “We had to rely on set pieces and when you have to rely on set pieces, you’re in trouble there, so to give away a second goal was deadly for us.”

Both teams finished the match with 11 shots apiece, however Spokane had four attempts on target while Knoxville had none.

That comes despite One Knox finishing the match with 84 final third entries to Spokane’s 63. Knoxville also completed 416 of its 521 passes while the Velocity only attempted 270 passes total, but the home side was just never able to find much of opportunity in front of goal.

“I don’t think (Spokane Goalkeeper Sean Lewis) had to make a save,” Fuller said. “With all of the aggression and possession that we had, we just missed out on that final burst.”

NEXT UP
With its home slate in the 2026 season now concluded, One Knox will look to finish strong heading into postseason play as it travels to face the New York Cosmos on Saturday.

“We’ve got to be road warriors now,” said Fuller. “Luckily, we’ve been pretty good on the road, but out mindset has got to change (as we head into the playoffs).”

Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET from Hinchliffe Stadium for the final match of the regular season. One Knox will then learn its quarterfinals opponent, as well as its destination, a week later when the final matches of the USL1 season are completed.

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 30	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
CHATTANOOGA RED WOLVES SC (14-12-4 | 46 PTS)	0	0	0
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (14-7-9 | 51 PTS)	2	1	3

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Nearly a year ago at Covenant Health Park, Nico Rosamilia turned in a performance on a championship stage that led One Knoxville SC to lifting the USL League One trophy and, for himself, Most Valuable Player honors. 11 months later on the very same pitch, Rosamilia again shined when the lights were brightest.

The 24-year-old grabbed a goal and an assist in a 3-0 Wednesday night drubbing of in-state-rival Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, clinching a playoff berth for One Knox.

“I felt super confident going into this one” said Rosamilia afterwards. “I’ve felt like I’ve put together a couple of good weeks of training and games. I had a lot of energy, so I was happy to help the team win.”

It marks the third consecutive postseason appearance for the defending USL1 champion, who moves back into fourth place in the standings on 51 points with two matches remaining in the 2026 season.

It was also the second win in three meetings with Chattanooga this year, with One Knox now leading the Smoky Mountain Smackdown with a 6-5-2 record all-time.

“We’ve had a hard stretch here in not getting the results that we wanted,” said One Knoxville Head Coach Ian Fuller, who was back on the sideline after serving a two-match suspension. “It’s good to comeback this way, especially at home. A lot of our fans haven’t seen three goals and a clean sheet in a long time.”

A Chattanooga red card set up a free kick goal from Teddy Baker 12 minutes into the match and Knoxville was off and running from that moment forward. Rosamilia and Denis Krioutchenkov added in on the fun as the home side found the back of the net three times for sixth time this season, and the first since its last victory – a 3-2 result at Fort Wayne FC in mid-September.

“This was a huge match for us,” Rosamilia explained. “We had a rough one at Richmond and so we knew we had to come out against our rivals and compete. We knew Chattanooga was going to bring it, so we had to match it and then some and I think we did that tonight.”

In addition to the goal and the assist, Rosamilia was also the one who drew the Red Wolves red card as he darted behind the backline for a free ball heading towards the Chattanooga box. Defender Michael Knapp tried to get to it first, but tripped up the One Knox forward, earning the send off for the denial of goal scoring opportunity.

With the ensuing free kick placed just outside the top of the box, Baker struck the ball over the Red Wolves’ wall and into the top right corner as goalkeeper Jason Smith could only watch.

“We put the pressure on early to get the sending off and then Teddy hit one of the best free kicks that I’ve seen in a while,” Fuller recalled. “From there, we just kept going and that’s what I’m so proud of the guys for.”

Rosamilia then doubled the lead in the 41st minute with a superb first-time finish after running onto a loose ball from a deflected Stavros Zarakostas pass, sending it low and to Smith’s left from a similar spot as Baker’s free kick.

Armed with the 2-0 lead and a man-advantage, Rosamilia and Knoxville kept pushing for more and it came in the 54th minute. With Krioutchenkov deflecting a pass to cause a Chattanooga turnover in the attacking third, Rosamilia rewarded the rookie forward’s hustle with a pass into the box. Krioutchenkov did the rest with a driven strike into the back of the net to seal the victory.

“We put a great shift out there,” Rosamilia said of his squad’s attack. “We had a great gameplan coming in in how we wanted to go about things tonight with me coming into the pocket on the left side and Stavros staying hide and wide on the right. Denis played great as well, so that was huge.”

It marks back-to-back games with a goal for Krioutchenkov who pushed his club-leading goal tally to 10 in USL1 play and 13 across all competitions.

With the winner decided, One Knox put the exclamation point on a memorable evening, keeping the Red Wolves at bay to just one shot on target en route to the club’s ninth clean sheet of the year.

“You can’t hold (Nico) down and for Denis to get his 10th goal in league play is fantastic,” said Fuller. “(Jordan Skelton and Finn McRobb) were fantastic (in defense) tonight, even when we were 11 vs 11. I put a lot on those two and I thought they were great.

“This was an overall good performance tonight. Now, let’s build on it.”

NEXT UP
One Knoxville SC returns right back to Covenant Health Park in three days, as it concludes the home slate of the regular season against Spokane Velocity FC on Sunday (tickets). Kickoff for the special Family Day match is set for 3:00 p.m. ET. Fan activities include a club-branded photo station for families and a pre-match STEAM at the Stadium presentation featuring technology, science, arts and robotics activations all throughout the concourse. Knoxville concludes the 2026 USL1 season on Saturday, October 17 at the New York Cosmos.

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 29	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (13-7-9 | 48 PTS)	2	0	2
RICHMOND KICKERS (6-17-6 | 24 PTS)	2	1	3

RICHMOND, Va. – One Knoxville SC took a haymaker from its opponents almost immediately after the opening whistle blew, and then threw one of its own right before halftime. Unfortunately for the visitors, it was the Richmond Kickers who landed the final blow as Knoxville will have to wait at least a couple more days to secure its postseason berth following a 3-2 loss on Saturday at City Stadium.

“We didn’t start well at all,” said Assistant Coach James Thomas who manned the sidelines with Head Coach Ian Fuller serving the second of a two-match suspension. “We came out really sloppy and sluggish. It shouldn’t be like that, because we have much higher standards than that.”

After things settled in following a wild four-goal first 45 minutes, Knoxville seemed the side to most likely find a winner in the second half, until a freak goal from Richmond substitute Tyler Freeman against the run of play completely flipped the script.

The defeat sees One Knox drop to fifth place in the USL League One table with its point total remaining at 48 – one back of fourth place AC Boise.

“Games are won and lost in both boxes and we lost that battle tonight,” Thomas explained. “We can talk about controlling the game between the boxes and being as good as we can be there, but the result relies on focusing in the boxes and we just didn’t do that tonight.”

Richmond outshot One Knox 19-14 in total attempts and 7-5 in attempts on goal.

Things were off from the start for the squad as Richmond found the back of the net two minutes in with Dakota Barnathan ricochetting a shot off the inside of the post to go up 1-0. The home side doubled its advantage just three minutes later when forward Lucca Dourado ripped a shot into the top right corner from distance that a diving Knoxville goalkeeper Johan Garibay could only get fingertips on.

One Knox answered back in the 28th minute on a hustle play from Stavros Zarokostas, winning a 50-50 ball deep in attacking territory before slipping a pass to Denis Krioutchenkov at the top of the box. The first-year forward wasted little time putting it away with a first-time strike, beating Richmond goalkeeper Yann Fillion to cut the deficit in half.

It was Krioutchenkov’s team-leading 12th goal across all competitions this season.

Keeping the pressure on, Knoxville earned a penalty nine minutes later with Barnathan called for a hand ball in the box on a cross from Zarokostas. Mikkel Gøling consolidated the effort with a low-driven shot from the spot, slotting it into the side netting to even things up at 2-2 and giving his side the momentum heading into halftime.

“Credit to the guys for clawing their way back into the game,” Thomas said. “We came into the second half with good energy and quality, but it’s about staying focused while we’re attacking.”

One Knox finished the match with a 55.7% advantage in possession, but had 66% of it in the second half alone to go along with 59 final third entries and 15 penalty area entries, while Richmond only had 27 and 8, respectively.

However, it was the home side who found the final conversion in the 72nd minute, Off a recycled ball, Richmond captain Nils Seufert fired off a shot from well outside the box that skipped off the ground before Garibay parried it wide for the save. But the ball found Kickers’ Zahir Vazquez who got a touch on it that then inadvertently grazed Freeman and bounced into goal.

“We just let a shot slip by and then didn’t back our goalkeeper up when he made the save,” Thomas recalled. “It’s just a lack of focus defensively. It’s a pretty disappointing night for us from top to bottom, so we’ve got to dust ourselves off and get back to work.”

Defender Chris Tiao was among the three substitutions Knoxville made following Freeman’s goal in hopes of finding an equalizer. It marked the left back’s first appearance after an 11-match absence, since suffering a leg injury on July 25.

NEXT UP
It will be a quick turnaround for One Knoxville SC as it looks to rebound with a two-match homestand, beginning on Wednesday against rivals Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (tickets). Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Covenant Health Park. Knoxville needs just one win over its final three matches to clinch a postseason berth for a third straight season. The squad will play its final home match of the regular season on Sunday, October 11 when it welcomes Spokane Velocity FC for a special Family Day match (tickets).

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 28	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
WESTCHESTER SC (8-14-6 | 30 PTS)	0	0	0
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (13-6-9 | 48 PTS)	0	0	0

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For a second straight match in front of its home crowd, One Knoxville SC was the one that looked more likely to find the back of the net on the night. But while every single shot on goal in Sunday’s contest came from the home side, it was not enough in the end to breakthrough and the club had to settle for a consecutive 0-0 draw at Covenant Health Park, this one coming against Westchester SC.

“It was a tough night where felt like we should’ve come out with three points,” said Assistant Coach James Thomas, who led One Knox with Head Coach Ian Fuller serving a red card suspension.

“Everything now is about dusting ourselves off and moving forward.”

The lone point moves Knoxville’s total of the 2026 season to 48, as the club continues to cling on to the fourth spot in the USL League One table, with five matches left to play.

The outcome might’ve been different if not for some unlucky bounces and the play of Westchester goalkeeper Luca Marinelli. One Knox concluded the match with three of its 15 total shots on target, while holding its opponent to 0 on frame across eight attempts. The club also outpossessed its opponent with 59.4% of the ball and had 84 entries into the final third.

“It’s frustrating,” Thomas said of not being able to find a path to victory despite controlling the match. “The boys feel that more than anyone. We’ve got a bunch of winners in our locker room. I felt the game plan was good and we got a lot of things right, it just didn’t quite go our way tonight.”

As chance upon chance kept coming, particularly in the second half, One Knox appeared to have finally gotten the best of Marinelli in the 80th minute.

Beginning with Teddy Baker forcing a turnover deep on Westchester’s end, the break was on as the midfielder quickly squared the ball across to John Murphy Jr. at the top of the box. With the backline’s attention on him, Murphy Jr. then picked out Nico Rosamilia running down his left.

Taking the shot on the first touch with his right-foot, Rosamilia curled it over a a diving Marinelli’s outstretched arm, but needed the ball to dip a few inches more as it struck the bottom part of the crossbar before bouncing back into play and out of harm’s way.

“Football matches are won and lost in the boxes,” Thomas noted. “Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how good you are between the two areas, you have to make it count when you get those chances, but it’s kind of been the story of our season where we haven’t made some of those moments count.”

That big chance, along with shots in the box from Momo Diop and Mikkel Gøling forcing quick reaction saves from Marinelli in the 42nd and 54th minute, respectively, nearly did enough to get a crowd of over 4,300 on its feet, along with those watching on ESPN2 in what was the first nationally-televised sporting event in Covenant Health Park history.

“We are ambitious and want to hit the highest of heights when we can,” explained Thomas. “I wish we would’ve made a better showcase of ourselves, because this is massive for the club and it’s a testament to the growth of soccer in Knoxville”

After a pair of injury absences, captain Jordan Skelton and Jaheim Brown both marked their returns to the starting lineup and both contributed positively as One Knox posted its eighth clean sheet of the campaign.

While each recently earned appearances off the bench, it was Skelton’s first appearance in the XI since August 22 and Brown’s first start since August 8.

NEXT UP
As the push for the postseason rolls on, One Knoxville SC returns to action on Saturday, October 3 for a match at Richmond Kickers. Thomas will again man the sideline as Fuller serves the second of a two-match suspension. Kickoff from City Stadium is set for 6:00 p.m. ET, with One Knox needing a win to secure a postseason berth for a third consecutive year.

The squad returns home on Wednesday, October 7 to take on in-state rival Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (tickets) before closing out the home portion of its regular season slate on Sunday, October 11 against Spokane Velocity (tickets).

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 27	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (13-6-8 | 47 PTS)	0	1	1
UNION OMAHA (18-6-4 | 58 PTS)	1	1	2

OMAHA, Neb. – Between a penalty, a disallowed goal and a red card, among other things, it was just too much for One Knoxville SC to overcome in the end as it came up short in a 2-1 loss at Union Omaha on Saturday night. Still, despite playing down a player for the majority of the contest, the visitors never gave up the fight.

“It was a strange one,” said Assistant Coach James Thomas, who manned the sideline after Head Coach Ian Fuller and defender Dani Fernandez were both sent off in the 23rd minute.

“In football, sometimes the calls go against you. But honestly, credit to our guys because they worked their tails off, fought for each other. They found a way to get back in the game, but unfortunately we just couldn’t hold onto it.”

A goal from Omaha’s Sergio Ors in the 74th minute was the decider as One Knoxville sees its unbeaten streak halted at eight matches. It was the club’s first defeat since August 1.

On the goal, Knoxville found itself with nine players on the field after defender Jordan Skelton, who substituted on in the first half, was forced off the pitch by the head official to be checked by the medical staff after the veteran defender headed a shot from close range out of play.

“It was really tough, because they couldn’t beat us with one extra man,” Thomas said. “It was really unfortunate and I feel pretty saddened for the guys because they didn’t deserve to be on the end of the result in that fashion.”

The visitors found themselves defending their goal from midway through the first half on, after a Fernandez challenge on Omaha forward Josue Gomez was deemed a denial of goal scoring opportunity, drawing the red card.

It was a particularly tough sequence of events for Fernandez who, five minutes prior, appeared to have scored an equalizing goal in the 18th minute by heading in a free kick from Beckham Uderitz, but was ruled offside.

Still, despite playing with 10 men, Knoxville did not allow a single shot on target from the run of play in the first half, with the only blemish coming on a Diego Gutierrez converted penalty in the 8th minute.

“I felt like we were unfortunate to have the penalty given against us and then the red card changed the game,” Thomas explained. “But sometimes those are the moments that can give you a kick into high gear. It was a case of rising to the occasion which this team has done in the past and will continue to do so in the future.”

Knoxville responded in a big way coming out of halftime with John Murphy Jr. slotting home a 49th minute goal to knot things up at 1-1. It was the veteran’s fifth goal of the 2026 USL League One season after he finished off a pass into the box from Kyle Linhares.

“We just reiterated that we knew the gameplan and that we still want to win,” Thomas said of the halftime message. “The guys really responded well to that and they came out with a hunger and that was why we were able to get that goal on a great finish from Murph.”

Goalkeeper Johan Garibay returned to the One Knox starting lineup after a two match absence due to injury. He made a pair of saves on the night including an impressive reflex stop on a close-range header in the 55th minute.

Skelton, who came on to solidify the backline following Fernandez’ red card, also returned from injury after missing the previous four matches.

NEXT UP
Despite the setback, One Knoxville SC still has everything in front of it with five matches remaining and a chance to host a home playoff match still up for grabs. The squad returns home on Sunday, September 27 to face Westchester SC (tickets).

“I wish we could play right away because the response that we got in the locker room was fantastic,” Thomas noted. “They came out of the locker room with their heads held high and their chests up. We’re just ready to get back on the field.”

Kickoff for the match is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2. It will be the first ever nationally televised sporting event at Covenant Health Park.

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 26	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (13-5-8 | 47 PTS)	0	3	3
FORT WAYNE FC (10-8-6 | 36 PTS)	2	0	2

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It was dire straits for One Knoxville SC for the first 72 minutes. Not only was it down by a pair of goals on the road, but was also finding it increasingly difficult just to muster a shot. Then, as if a switch was suddenly flipped, the squad twice found the back of the net with lightning quickness and it was off to the races from there.

It was a race that ended with a Denis Krioutchenkov 88th minute winner as One Knox pulled itself off the mat to stun Fort Wayne FC with an improbable 3-2 victory Wednesday night at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.

“This is a night a lot of us will remember,” the heroic Krioutchenkov said. “It’s always hard on the road, no matter where you play and when you’re down 2-0 in the first half, you’re looking for hope. To make it happen in the end just makes it all the more enjoyable and worth it. This is the reason we play the game.”

Coming into the match as part of a triple substitution with Mikkel Gøling and Real Gill in the 59th minute, Krioutchenkov not only bagged his 11th goal of 2026 in emphatic fashion, but also provided the final pass on Teddy Baker’s equalizer, a minute following Momo Diop’s first professional goal.

Gøling and Gill also notched assists, marking a thrilling three-point evening that sees Knoxville push its unbeaten streak to eight matches.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said Head Coach Ian Fuller, who’s squad moves back into fourth place in the USL League One standings with the result. “It felt good to see the character of the guys, because they fought like heck and got what they deserved.

“I’m thrilled that (the substitutions) came on with the right attitude and not only worked their socks off, but brought the quality that we were looking for.”

One Knoxville finished the match outshooting its opponent 13-11, 6-5 in attempts on target, making for an impressive turnaround after not tallying a single shot after the first half.

The final attempt was the biggest one as Krioutchenkov ran onto a forward header from Gøling and just needed one touch to slot it by Fort Wayne goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann to complete the turnaround.

“As soon as I saw the ball go up in the air, I knew there was space behind the defenders and Mikkel beautifully headed it to me where all I had to do was just smash it low and hard on frame,” explained Krioutchenkov who took off his shirt in jubilation after the goal and slid towards the sideline where he was mobbed by his teammates.

“I knew I was going to get one major chance and, while there’s a lot of pressure in the moment, all I do is focus on the ball. It just felt very rewarding to come on for the team and change the game like that.”

It was the 14th goal in USL1 play this season that One Knox has scored within the final 15 minutes of a match. And while it increased Krioutchenkov’s club-leading goal total to eight in league play, it was the rookie forward’s first time finding the back of the net since August 1.

“When you’re a striker and you haven’t scored in a bit, it lies heavy with you,” Fuller explained. “To see us be more aggressive in the box, it really changed things for us. We’re at our best when we’re playing that way.”

While Krioutchenkov’s winner grabs the headlines, the idea of Knoxville leaving Indiana with three points didn’t even seem plausible until Diop headed home a cross from Gill in the 73rd minute to light the spark of possibilities.

Baker finishing off a back-heeled pass in the box from Krioutchenkov a minute later only made the belief for victory even stronger.

“They say 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in soccer,” Krioutchenkov noted. “All it takes is one opportunity and that first goal put life into us, and then once we got the second one, we knew we could win it.”

The two goals in quick succession quieted the home crowd and erased the result of a dominant Fort Wayne first half that saw James Musa score the opening goal in the ninth minute and Ryan Becher doubling the advantage in the 39th.

“It still wasn’t in my thought process to go for the win when it was 2-1,” recalled Fuller. “It was just let’s just keep putting pressure and see if we could get an equalizer, but then I’m really pleased with Denis’ decision making to get the assist to Teddy. He had been forcing the issue lately, but he showed his composure in that moment and he doesn’t get the winner if he doesn’t do that.”

One Knox goalkeeper Jonathan Burke recorded his second consecutive start and logged three saves. Defender Jaheim Brown made his first appearance since suffering an injury on August 8. The Jamaican outside back entered the match in the 70th minute and recorded the tackle that ignited the attack, leading to Krioutchenkov’s goal.

NEXT UP
One Knoxville SC will enjoy the result for the night before quickly turning the page to another tough contest away from home. The squad travels to face first-place Union Omaha on Saturday as it looks to complete a six-point week. Kickoff from Morrison Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The squad will then return to Covenant Health Park on Sunday, September 27 when it hosts Westchester SC (tickets) in a nationally televised match on ESPN2.

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 25	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
FC NAPLES (8-14-3 | 27 PTS)	0	0	0
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (12-5-8 | 44 PTS)	0	0	0

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For a team that has often shown a flair for the dramatics this season, One Knoxville SC seemingly grabbed a win right before the final whistle once again. Unfortunately the ruling did not go in the home side’s favor and in the end, Knoxville is left wondering what could have been following.a scoreless draw with FC Naples on Friday at Covenant Health Park.

“It’s the worst that we have played in a very long time and I take full responsibility,” Head Coach Ian Fuller said. “The way we set up in the first half was not the right way, and the spaces on the field, we didn’t use them enough. When that happens you use so much energy to correct it, that when you need it in the end, there just wasn’t enough of it.”

While the draw does see One Knox push its current unbeaten streak to seven games, Fuller is well aware that these recent draws – now five in the previous six matches – needed to be the full three points if the squad has ambitions of winning a second consecutive Players’ Shield and be in position to host in the upcoming playoffs.

With seven matches remaining in the 2026 USL League One season, Knoxville holds 44 points and is in a tight race for the top four in the standings.

“We have high standards here, so this is a big disappointment tonight,” Fuller explained. “This was an opportunity for us. Our goal is to win the league and we’re slipping behind, so I want our players to feel this disappointment and respond.”

It appeared that forward Babacar Diene met those lofty standards, as well as the moment, as the veteran forward ripped a ball into the back of the net from close range off of a Teddy Baker free kick in fifth minute of second half stoppage time.

The crowd of over 4,000 was sent into a frenzy as Diene and the rest of his teammates raced to the corner flag, only for the offsides flag to be shown with the officials saying John Murphy Jr. impeded Naples goalkeeper Edward Delgado.

“I didn’t really see it from our bench,” Fuller said of the sequence and subsequent call. “We’ll take a look at it, but if (the officials) saw it, then they saw it.”

The erased match-winner was a particularly tough pill to swallow for One Knox, who thought it had finally beaten Delgado, who finished the match with nine saves on the night.

Diene looked to get the best of the goalkeeper in the 90th minute when he was sprung free in the box from a Dani Fernandez backheeled pass. Falling to the ground, Diene was still able to get some power behind his left-footed shot, only for Delgado to palm it away. A follow-up attempt from Mikkel Gøling hit the post with the ball falling back to Diene, who headed it just over the crossbar.

It was that kind of frustrating night for a One Knox side that had a game-high 30 touches in the opposing box on 74 final third entries and 62.6% of possession.

“There were times (where we created good chances),” noted Fuller. “But the lack of quality, the lack of decisiveness and a little bit lack of desire is what’s bothering me right now.”

On the other end, One Knox goalkeeper Jonathan Burke notched his first start in USL1 play this season with regular starter Johan Garibay unavailable. The 2026 US Open Cup hero passed the test with four saves on the night.

“I was really pleased with him,” said Fuller. “He came up big for us late when we were really pushing up the field and at times we got a little too long and too detached where he was a bit exposed, but he handled those situations well. I thought he was fantastic.”

Having signed with Knoxville last month, defender Beckham Uderitz received his sixth appearance for the club and his fourth start, playing the full 90 minutes for the first time. It was also a particularly special evening for the 23-year-old left back as he played opposite his older brother, Hal Uderitz, who started on the backline for Naples.

NEXT UP
Following just one match in Tennessee, One Knoxville SC hits back out on the road for a pair of matches. The squad will visit the new Ruoff Mortgage Stadium for the first time next Wednesday when it faces Fort Wayne FC, before heading to Nebraska to face Union Omaha on Saturday, September 19. Knoxville returns to Covenant Health Park on Sunday, September 27 against Westchester SC (tickets). The match will be broadcasted on ESPN2 in what will be the first ever sporting event nationally televised at Covenant Health Park.