Know Your Enemy: One Knoxville SC

Portland Hearts of Pine will host One Knoxville SC on Sunday, May 4th at 6:00 PM EDT at Fitzpatrick Stadium. This match is sold out but is available to watch on both NESN and ESPN+. Gates open at 4:00 PM and the club is encouraging fans to arrive early to avoid long lines getting into Fitzy. Please see the club's match day guide for further information on food, beverage, kids events, and prohibited items. Pre-match events for the DU will begin at the Portland Zoo at 9:00 AM.

History

One Knox had their start in the USL2 and after 2 mismatched years in the USL1 they have begun to cook with gas this season. USL2

Like many USL1 clubs, One Knoxville's youthful history began only a few short years ago. Starting play as a USL2 team in 2021, One Knox (its abbreviated name) had higher aspirations that were filled 2 years later with their elevation to the professional ranks. In that 2023 season, One Knox struggled for consistency finishing with a 9-11-12 record and an 8th place finish in a 12 team table; missing the playoff competition. Their performance saw great improvement last year finishing 5th despite reports of controversial behavior from their former manager, Mark McKeever. This achievement proved short-lived, however, as Greenville Triumph knocked the Scruffy City side out of playoffs in the first round.

One Knox play their home matches at Covenant Health Park, a new venue for the club in the heart of Knoxville after being in suburban stadiums since their founding. Accessibility as well as an impressive opening form has led to large crowds. The team broke the USL1 single-game record last weekend. One Knox are independently supported by the Scruffs, so named after their city’s nickname which itself is an allusion to a prior World’s Fair. Ownership of One Knox made their intentions for this season known by hiring Ian Fuller as manager this season from Minnesota United. Since his joining the club has come out running and have risen to 3rd in the table.

Key Players

A free-agent pick-up in the offseason, keep your eye out for Irishman Mark Doyle on Knox's front line. United Soccer League

The standout acquisition for One Knox this off-season was Irishman Mark Doyle. A free agent following Rhode Island FC’s decision to not renew his contract, Doyle came to the United States last season following several years with Inchore-based club St. Patrick’s Athletic. An awkward fit in the front-line heavy Rhode Island system, Doyle was often relegated to the role of an impact sub with 2 goals and 1 assist last season. With One Knox he has faired much better in Ian Fuller’s system, having scored 3 times this season with a 25% goal conversion. Right-footed, Doyle generally plays up the right side before cutting over to enter the box on the diagonal when entering the final third. Another striker to keep an eye on is Kempes Takiela, One Knox’s left-footed German. In Fuller’s 4-3-3 system, Takiela typically operates in the center of the front line which leaves him in scoring position often. This season he has made 8 shots with 2 hitting their mark. On the defensive end, a player to keep your eye on is Jordan Skelton, a 28-year old Englishman. Playing as central defender on the right, Skelton has average 2.7 tackles per game with 10 clearances. More important, perhaps, comes in his success with duels having won 76% of them this season.

What to Expect on Matchday

One item other USL commentators have mentioned is that in the midfield One Knox often operates with one defensive midfielder while allowing their men to move forward to provide support to the front line. They do, however, have enough roster depth to adjust that strategy should defensive needs arise and hold back a second midfielder for defensive duties. With this system, you will likely see Knoxville attempt a crash the box sort of strategy where all 3 strikers and at least one midfielder crowd into the box to maximize options. This was the strategy of the first shot by Jordan Skelton last weekend against FC Tusla in which no less than 5 Tulsa players were in close proximity to the goal. Another play you can expect to see from Tulsa is a breakaway play in which they quickly pass the ball far up field after gaining possession to a striker waiting in advance playmaker position. Takiela’s first shot on goal followed this strategy with ball pass up into Doyle’s area of responsibility who carried through to a cross to Takiela.

One Knox is not infallible in defense, however, reviewing the game against Tulsa, the Oklahoma side had 2 goals reach the back of the net. On their first goal, Tulsa took advantage by flipping possession early when their midfielders were caught off guard. This allowed Tusla to make a deep run and go 1 on 1 with the One Knox keeper Sean Lewis. He had no chance.

Final Thoughts

Photo Courtesy of Chris Linscott

With a narrative building that this is the last of the ‘firsts” (at least for awhile), this match should be viewed by Hearts fans as the culmination of our entrance into the USL1. From here on in, the Hearts will need to dig in for the hard work of this season’s stated goal of making the playoffs.

In terms of this game specifically, narrative hounds will no doubt be interested by the Bobby Murphy-Ian Fuller face off given their career connections at Orlando during Murphy’s tenure as interim manager there. Also of interest will be seeing if the Hearts can finally be the team to crack One Knox’s code. They remain the last team in the USL1 to not have lost a match.

To do so will require Hearts to work their way amongst One Knox players using Tulsa’s 2 goal scoring opportunities as a guide. If our strikers remain back in the opposition half and our midfielders are able to win possession back in the midfield we have the opportunity for a quick 1-or-2 pass scoring opportunity. If One Knox continues their three player midfield strategy I am guessing they will keep 2 midfielders on support and only keep 1 for defensive duties. A player like MPA will be critical for this kind of game which requires us to redirect the ball around the pitch from the midfield. Our biggest hurdle will be maintaining composure going into that final third to find the back of the net but as From the Forest, To the Tide discussed this week, that aspect of the Hearts game has been improving.

Defensively we will need to maintain good marking on their front 3 to prevent the kind of breakaway and box crashing plays that One Knox prefer. It may be worthwhile to keep Quinones down on the back line while channeling play up the left to make sure we have enough defensive support.

For the supporters, this match may pose a greater opportunity than Lewiston to introduce ourselves to a wider community. Lewiston’s soccer hotbed credentials aside, the city is 40 minutes away from Portland and the weeknight US Open Cup games did not allow many fans to participate. With weekend games at Fitzpatrick starting up we are likely to see many more fans who can’t participate in weeknight games and fans traveling from York County and the New Hampshire border. These fans will be looking to us to find the energy and no doubt if we impress them we will see quite a few join our ranks. Seeing the new Fitzpatrick Stadium renovations will no doubt be exciting but we need to remember we are there for the players and our fellow fans. Let’s bring the energy.