2024 USL Kickoff Season Preview: One Knoxville SC

By ETHAN TRIEBSCH - ethan.triebsch@uslsoccer.com, 03/04/24, 5:45PM EST

Knoxville to lean on stout defense, goalkeeping in push for postseason

A season of highs and a season of lows, Knoxville's first journey at the professional level was largely a success. OKSC will lose its top three goal contributors from a season ago but is set to retain all three All-League selections from its debut season in League One. Head Coach Mark McKeever returns to lead the club and several key returnees as the three-year-old club aims to advance to the postseason for the first time as a professional side.

Navigating the easiest early season schedule across the league, Knoxville raced out to a 4-3-3 record through its first two months as a professional club to establish the best table position for an expansion side after 11 weeks in League One history. From there, Knoxville struggled to put together a consistent string of positive results. OKSC's longest unbeaten streak came at a great time as the second-year club reeled off five unbeaten between August and September. Unfortunately for Mark McKeever's side, though, the club ended the season with six winless matches all decided by one goal or fewer, cementing an eighth-place finish in the table - still accruing the most points in a former USL League Two club's debut season in League One, though.

An offensively challenged Knoxville will aim to bounce back after netting what was tied for the fewest goals in the league a season ago (36), tied for the fifth-fewest on a goals-per-match basis in league history (1.13). OKSC will lose its three leading goal contributors from a season ago, all to fellow League One sides: Jake Keegan joined Northern Colorado on loan, Derek Waldeck signed with expansion side Spokane and Jimmie Villalobos is off to Madison.

That said, Knoxville joins Charlotte as the only League One club to return three or more All-League selections from a season ago; All-League First Team defender Jordan Skelton will reunite with All-League Second Team goalkeeper Sean Lewis and midfielder Angelo Kelly-Rosales. On the defensive side of the pitch, Knoxville will also return some key contributors to a defense that was tied for the second-fewest goals conceded a season ago (39). Dani Fernández, James Thomas and Jalen Crisler are all back with the club in 2024.

Joining a healthy number of key returning players, a number of intriguing newcomers should help define Knoxville's third season and second in League One; German striker Kempes Tekiela, dynamic winger Kingsford Adjei, 2023 League One champion Devin Benton and Rwanda international Innocent Nshuti.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sean Lewis | Image Credit: North Carolina FC

GK - Sean Lewis

In his eighth professional campaign and first as a starter through the entirety of a season, One Knoxville SC's Sean Lewis maintained the lowest goals-against-average mark at 1.04. The 2023 USL League One Golden Glove winner and All-League Second Team goalkeeper finished the season with the third-most saves (85) and tied for the fourth-most clean sheets (8) across the league in 2023. The 31-year-old goalkeeper helped Knoxville concede just 39 goals in its inaugural League One season - tied for the second-fewest. Lewis began his professional career with the NASL’s Jacksonville Armada FC in 2016 and spent the following seven seasons in the USL Championship with the likes of FC Tulsa, Penn FC and Indy Eleven.

DEF - Jordan Skelton

Pairing up defensively with Sean Lewis in goal, the League One veteran and Newcastle native helped lock down the Knoxville back line in the club's first season in the professional ranks. The 2023 All-League First Team defender led the league with his 170 clearances and added 181 duels won, 133 recoveries, 27 tackles won, 25 blocks, one goal and one assist. The 27-year-old center back joined Knoxville ahead of its 2023 debut season in League One via transfer from North Carolina FC with whom he spent the 2022 season. Prior to joining North Carolina, Skelton racked up over 40 USL League Two appearances with South Georgia Tormenta FC 2, Des Moines Menace and Mississippi Brilla FC - under now-Knoxville Head Coach Mark McKeever. Skelton made his professional debut with South Georgia Tormenta FC in League One in 2019.