One match in and One Knoxville SC (1-0-0, 1st) already tops the League One table! A riveting encounter with Lexington SC (0-1-0, 11th) in the pair's League One debut sets the stage nicely for the pair's two subsequent derby matches.

Here are three things we took away from the thrilling first-time matchup.

1. One Knox could enjoy a special debut professional campaign

In the first-ever professional match for both sides, One Knoxville SC downed rival Lexington SC by a final tally of 2-1 in front of a raucous crowd in downtown Knoxville on Saturday evening. Defender James Thomas, Knoxville’s captain during its inaugural 2021 USL League Two season, drew a penalty early in the first half of his and OKSC’s first professional match. Jimmie Villalobos, the former Chattanooga Red Wolves SC man, put away the penalty in the 17th minute to confirm Knoxville’s first professional goal. Not long after, however, it was Lexington that drew a penalty on the other end of the pitch as Sean O’Hearn got tangled up with Khalid Balogun, allowing League One veteran Don Smart to convert the penalty in the 28th minute for Lexington SC’s first-ever score.

Things took a turn just before the break, however, as Smart’s former Greenville Triumph SC teammate, Jake Keegan, pounced on a loose ball in the box to put away what would turn out to be the eventual match-winner in the 40th minute. In an increasingly chippy second half, an uncharacteristic foul from LSC's Smart resulted in a sending-off and a first career red card for the 35-year-old veteran. Sam Stockley’s 10-man Lexington side were able to up the pressure on Knoxville at the end, almost nabbing the match-tying goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time if not for the quick reaction of One Knox goalkeeper Sean Lewis to prevent the ball from completely crossing the line. The win kicks off a campaign that is shaping up to be quite promising for the first-year pro side.

2. Knoxville is a soccer city

If it wasn’t clear during One Knox’s time in USL League Two, Knoxville is a soccer city. Despite temperatures hovering just above the 40° F mark, fans from across the region flocked to Knoxville and packed Regal Soccer Stadium to near capacity to witness the debut of professional soccer in the Marble City. From the perennial success of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers to the emergence of the One Knox Collective within the community, it was only a matter of time before Knoxville was rewarded with professional soccer. Seeing the stands packed to the brim, hearing the roar of the crowd after Villalobos’ opening goal, and feeling the drums and chants of the Scruffs throughout the match, it's clear that professional soccer is home in Knoxville.

3. KNOXVILLE VS. LEXINGTON COULD BE ONE OF THE LEAGUE'S BEST RIVALRIES

It’s tough to conceive a rivalry before two teams have ever squared off, and it’s even tougher to create a rivalry between a one-year-old club and a club that hasn’t even kicked off yet. Still, that’s exactly what Knoxville and Lexington - a pair of clubs located less than 175 miles apart - did in the weeks leading up to the pair’s debut League One match. The yet-to-be-named rivalry will reward the victor of the three-match regular season series with a full-size whiskey barrel and a bottle of bourbon from a distiller located in the losing club’s locale. With chirping between fan bases on social media leading up to the contest, plus some chippiness on the pitch culminating in a second-half sending-off for Lexington, both teams and fanbases will surely be counting down the days until the second edition of the young rivalry arrives in Lexington on May 27.