One Knox SC Wins in Pens to Open USL Cup Play
Published on April 25, 2026 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
One Knoxville SC News Release
TULSA, Okla. - For a third time already in 2026, One Knoxville SC found itself having to decide a match on kicks from the spot. However, in the previous penalty kick occasions, goalkeeper Johan Garibay was watching it all transpire from the sidelines. This time, he was right in the thick of it.
"Oh it's so much better being in it," laughed Garibay. "You don't really feel the nerves when you're in it."
There were no nerves from Garibay on a rainy Saturday night in Oklahoma as he made three huge saves in the extra period to open One Knox's 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup campaign with a 1(3)-1(2) penalty kick shootout victory over FC Tulsa.
"I think we made it a little bit harder than we wanted to," One Knoxville SC Head Coach Ian Fuller said afterwards. "But we're away from home against a team that's a division ahead of us, so to come out on top with the character our guys showed, I'm really thrilled for them."
With the latest triumph, One Knox now moves to 3-0 in penalty kicks, having previously beaten Asheville City SC and DC United in the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with Jonathan Burke in goal.
Due to the unique USL Cup rules, One Knox is awarded two points in Group 3 play for the shootout win, while FC Tulsa only gets one point. It was the second time at this stage that Knoxville outlasted FC Tulsa, having also toppled the USL Championship club in penalties in USL Cup group play at Covenant Health Park a year ago.
"Did we want to get all three points? yes," explained Fuller. "But with this competition, to dig in and win in pens is good to get points on the road."
Garibay found himself needed at the very beginning of the spot kicks after it opened with One Knox forward Babacar Diene's shot saved by FC Tulsa goalkeeper Andy Tambakis. He got things back all square in the second round with a diving stop at the lower right corner to deny Nelson Pierre.
Following conversions from One Knox by Dani Fernandez and Teddy Baker, Garibay gave his squad the upper-hand in the fourth round, again going down to his right to stop FC Tulsa's Owen Damm.
It appeared shootout was destined for sudden death when Tambakis opened the fifth round by saving a potential winner from One Knox's John Murphy Jr. However all that did was set up more heroics from Garibay, as he dove to his left and pushed away Jeorgio Kocevski's attempt to clinch the match.
"We were disappointed that we weren't able to win in regulation and get the clean sheet," Garibay recalled of the minutes between the final whistle and the start of penalties. "That's the way the game goes sometimes so my thought process going in was just 'get in there and make a save'. You can't make five saves at a time and I just took it one by one and trust my guys that they were going to make their kicks."
It was an extra point well deserved for a One Knoxville SC side that found the most joy on the attack of the two sides, finishing the match with a 10-8 advantage in total shots and 4-2 in attempts on target.
Baker opened the scoring for the away side in the 36th minute with a driven strike that beat Tambakis in 36th minute. It was set up by Braudilio Rodrigues after he and Chris Tiao sprung free with a quick passing sequence down the left side.
"We've been talking about having a little more composure in the final third for a really long time," Fuller said. "We've certainly practiced it enough and it was good to see from Teddy because we know he's got that in his locker for sure and (Braudilio) found him."
It was Baker's first goal across all competitions this season.
One Knox held that lead for much of the evening until Tulsa finally found an equalizer in the 76th minute from forward Remi Cabral.
The visitors though responded right back with a large spell of possession in the attacking third after FC Tulsa went down to 10 men via defender Lamar Batista's sending off from a second yellow card in the 78th minute. However, One Knox was unable to find a winner in regulation.
Through seven matches away from Knoxville across all competitions in 2026, One Knoxville SC remains unbeaten with a 2-0-1 record in USL League One Play, three wins in US Open Cup action and now one road victory in the USL Cup.
LINEUPS
KNX: Garibay - GK, Tiao, Skelton - C, Fernandez, Brown, Gøling (Gill 62 ¬Â²), Caputo (Murphy Jr. 62 ¬Â²), Baker, Rodrigues (Perkins 76 ¬Â²), Linhares (Conway 77 ¬Â²), Krioutchenkov (Diene 62 ¬Â²)
TUL: Tambakis - GK, Damm, Cissoko - C (Batista 18 ¬Â²), Clarke, Stauffer, D. Pierre (Sommersall 62 ¬Â²), Kocevski, Webber (Lapa 45 ¬Â²), Sparks, Cabral (N. Pierre 76 ¬Â²), El Medkhar (St. Clair 45 ¬Â²)
GOALS
KNX: Baker 36 ¬Â²
TUL: Cabral 73 ¬Â²
DISCIPLINE
KNX: Baker (Yellow) 90+1 ¬Â²
TUL: Clarke (Yellow) 49 ¬Â²; Batista (Yellow) 55 ¬Â², (Red) 78 ¬Â²
FULL STATS
NEXT UP
The road stretch continues for One Knox, who now shifts it focus from one cup competition to another as it readies for a US Open Cup Round of 16 match against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew.
"It's about getting the proper rest and recovering right," Garibay said of the congested schedule. "It's one game at a time for us and we're going to need all the support from the fans we can get, just like at DC. Thank you guys for believing in us and continuing to do so because we're going into Columbus with the same goal as any game - get a win."
Kickoff from Scotts Miracle-Gro Field is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. One Knox then returns to USL1 play the following Saturday, May 2, when it heads down to Florida to take on FC Naples for a clash between the two clubs that are tied atop the table with 14 points each.
United Soccer League One Stories from April 25, 2026
- Velocity FC Kicks off Prinx Tires USL Cup with 4-0 Defeat to Sacramento Republic FC - Spokane Velocity FC
- One Knox SC Wins in Pens to Open USL Cup Play - One Knoxville SC
- Corpus Christi FC Claims First Pro Win in USL Cup Debut - Corpus Christi FC
- Fort Wayne Football Club Thrills in Prinx Tires USL Cup Debut, But Can't Hang on in 3-1 Loss - Fort Wayne FC
- First Meeting Ends in Frustration on the Road - Greenville Triumph SC
- Early Goal Keeps Red Wolves Just Short of USL Cup Domination - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
- Hearts Fall to Westchester in Penalty Shootout to Open USL Cup Play - Portland Hearts of Pine
- Forward Madison FC Fall to Lexington SC in First Prinx Tires USL Cup Match - Forward Madison FC
- Kickers Fall to Charlotte 2-1 in Prinx USL Cup Group Stage - Richmond Kickers
- Charlotte Takes Down Richmond in First USL Cup Match - Charlotte Independence
- Cosmos Fall to Brooklyn FC in Prinx Tires USL Cup Opener - New York Cosmos
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