The 22-year-old left back joins One Knoxville SC after an impressive youth career before his development into professional soccer. Ritchie developed through European academies such as Groningen in the Netherlands and Hannover in Germany before signing a professional contract in the United States with fellow USL League One team Richmond Kickers.
Last season, the American played over 1,000 minutes in 16 appearances in the MLS Next Pro season with Columbus Crew II.
Coach Mark McKeever has mentioned his excitement in working with Stuart Ritchie. Coach McKeever said “Ritchie is a young man with such a high ceiling. His receiving skills and ability to play positively is very exciting for me.” He continued, “Stuart Ritchie will bring high energy and I know he loves to cover the ground up and down the field in which I am excited to watch him do so.”
We asked the California native about his move to One Knoxville SC, he said “I am extremely excited to be representing the Scruffs and wear the One Knoxville SC badge. We have a strong and competitive group and I will give my all to help this team achieve what we have set out to achieve.”