One Knoxville SC won their first USL League One title in their history on Sunday, riding a fast start to defeat the Spokane Velocity 2-0. Ian Fuller’s men took a great finish from Nicola Rosamilia in the fourth minute and wouldn’t look back from there, shepherding Spokane shots into areas that were easy for their stout defense to deal with.
It was quite a finish from Rosamilia, but winger Stavros Zarokostas made the goal happen. Latching on to a ball over the top, he went on a mazy run through the Spokane defense before cutting it back for Rosamilia to have an easy finish. It’s only the third goal of the season and the first since July for Rosamilia, but in a championship, you need contributions up and down the roster, which Knoxville got.
Kempes Tekiela added an insurance goal from the penalty spot to put the match out of reach, while defender of the year Jordan Skelton and the backline kept Spokane at bay.
During the lead-up to the match, Fuller spoke about how much the community means to the team, and it’s an impressive feat for him to bring them a title in only his first season as a head coach. Fuller has gotten the team to play in his image, and they were rewarded with an impressive title victory over a Spokane side that have made it back-to-back League One finals. Knoxville also did it in front of a league-record crowd of 7,500 fans, showing just how many people are tuning into what the club is building.
To topple Spokane, it took a prepared side who were up for the challenge. With this kind of progression in only his first year as a head coach, the future is bright for him and Knoxville. Another final loss will sting for Spokane, but they’ll also be back for this stage as manager Leigh Veidman has been able to turn this side into consistent contenders, but for Sunday, it’s time to party in Knoxville.
