Knoxville Ties Charlotte in a Clash Between the No. 4 and No. 5 Teams
USL1 One Knoxville SC

Knoxville Ties Charlotte in a Clash Between the No. 4 and No. 5 Teams

July 31, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
One Knoxville SC News Release


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - In a key matchup between two top contenders, One Knoxville SC and Charlotte Independence battled to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night at Covenant Health Park.

Knoxville entered the game in fifth place, trailing fourth-place Charlotte by three goals in the standings, despite playing 3 games less. The Independence came in as one of the league's top two-way teams - tied for the lead in goals, with the league's top goalkeeper in saves and third in clean sheets. But Knoxville ended the clean sheet bid early in the match.

In just the second minute, Angelo Kelly headed a corner into traffic. After a scramble in the six- yard box, Jordan Skelton smashed it home on his first touch to give Knoxville a 1-0 lead. Skelton also scored Knoxville's lone goal in their previous meeting.

Charlotte dominated possession after that, controlling 58% of the first half and pressing Knoxville's defense relentlessly. In the 24th minute, a long free kick found Bachir Ndiaye, who headed it to the far post to tie the match at 1-1.

Despite the pressure, Knoxville's defense held strong, and the match went into halftime even.

Knoxville looked like a different team on offense in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Callum Johnson crossed it to Babacar Diene, whose header was deflected off a Charlotte defender, forcing the keeper to dive to save it.

Five minutes later, Nico Rosamilia's shot was redirected off the head of a Charlotte player into the crossbar. The ball shot straight down, causing paint from the goal line to fly up from the impact, but again, Knoxville came up empty.

Charlotte regained the lead in the 67th minute after forcing a turnover near the Knoxville box. Jon Bakero played it in, and after a faint by Souaibou Marou tricked the defense, Juan Moreno buried the easy goal for a 2-1 lead.

One Knoxville capitalised on Charlotte's aggressive positioning with a sharp counterattack. As the ball advanced up the left, Stavros Zarokostas drifted into space on the right. Rosamilia was able to find him, and Zarokostas put his whole body into the shot, falling down after he kicked it, to tie the match at 2-2. It was his first goal of the season, and a crucial one that prevented a loss for Knoxville.

Club legend James Thomas subbed in for his first playing time this season, after a lengthy period on the sidelines due to injury, in the 83rd minute, replacing Johnson.

Knoxville had one more chance in extra time, as Diene caught the Charlotte goalkeeper out of the box but was forced to shoot at a tough angle.

Knoxville remains in fifth place after the game, but still amongst the playoff positions. Only five points separate the club from the No. 1 team, but One Knoxville has played two fewer games.

Final Score: One Knoxville SC 2, Charlotte Independence 2

Peaceful Side Club Light Player of the Match: Jordan Skelton

Check out the One Knoxville SC Statistics



United Soccer League One Stories from July 31, 2025


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