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USL1 One Knoxville SC

Top-Of-The-Table Battle Pits #3 One Knox vs. #1 NCFC

June 3, 2023 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
One Knoxville SC News Release


Regal Stadium is the place to be Saturday night as One Knoxville SC (4-3-3) takes on the top-of-the-table North Carolina FC (6-3-1) in a pivotal USL League One matchup.

Ten games into the 2023 season, Knoxville sits in third place with 15 points, while NCFC stands atop the table with 19 points. With a win on Saturday, One Knox can pull just one point away from the top of the standings. Despite this, Head Coach Mark McKeever has his lads focused on the task rather than the event.

"The game is only worth three points. It's not worth any more than three points," McKeever said. "So whether it's North Carolina, Charlotte, Tormenta, or Lexington - it doesn't matter. Three points are three points, and the objective is three points regardless of the opponent."

One Knox is coming off of a good stretch of form, unbeaten in four of their last five games. Most recently, the squad scratched out a 1-1 against Lexington Sporting Club. Leading goal scorer Jake Keegan tallied for One Knox. His fifth goal of the season came in the 66th minute of the match.

NCFC comes to Knoxville as the highest scoring team in USL League One. They lead the League with 16 goals this season. Their leading goalscorer, Rafa Metnzingen, is second in the league with six goals. He's also taken the most shots of any player in League One with 32, which is six ahead of the next closest player.

"They have very intricate attacking players in Rafa, Louis Perez, and Oalux Anderson, who are all very clinical in front of goal," McKeever said. "We just need everybody to be in the game. We have to have everybody show up on the night. I believe in my back line, in the midfield, and in the front line. If we all show up, we can compete with any team in the country."

One Knox is eighth in the league with 11 goals. However, the team has struggled to convert the chances they've created throughout games, as they only have a 12% conversion rate on shots this season.

"You are never going to score every one you get. That's just the reality of the game," leading goal-scorer Jake Keegan said." It's something we're always focusing on, and we've improved on over the last three or four games."

Knoxville will have the luxury of playing at home for the first time since May 16 and is looking forward to having a home-field advantage in their corner.

"(NCFC) has had a great start, and we've had an up and down start, and if we win the game, we're one point behind, so that's a great opportunity for us," Keegan said. "The Scruffs are always out in full force, and we enjoy playing in front of them. They definitely will give us a boost."

This top-ranked matchup starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets for the game at Regal Stadium are available online and at the gate.

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United Soccer League One Stories from June 3, 2023


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