One Knoxville SC stumps FC Naples on April 18, 1-0, for the team’s first loss in USL League One competition at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.
“The best teams are the most resilient,” FC Naples’ defender Julian Cisneros said. “We knew we’re gonna get punched in the face at some point this year, so it’s, it’s what we do after and how we respond.”
FC Naples (4-2-0) has retained its dominant homestead at the top of the USL League One standings. Before the club’s matchup with One Knoxville, FC Naples has won three of its last four USL League One matches. The sole draw in that span came from the Portland Hearts of Pine, 0-0.
Looking to continue its winning streak atop the USL League One standings, a sea of 3,846 fans piled into the stands, covered in white, gold and deep blue to cheer on their local team.
Both teams had different approaches to managing the game’s pace. FC Naples came out of the gates fast and aggressive against One Knoxville SC’s slow and methodical approach. The latter forced Knoxville to be aggressive within their back four. This resulted in four yellow cards through 45 minutes.
Knoxville’s forward Kempes Tekiela scored the sole goal of the match in the extra time period of the first half–his second of the season.
“We came out flat,” FC Naples COACH Matt Poland said. “Against a team like that, when you go down a goal, it’s very difficult to score.”
Mistakes littered the second half for FC Naples, as numerous scoring opportunities went unanswered because of inconsistencies near the goal line. They took 11 shots, three on target and the other eight off target or blocked.
FC Naples had a prime scoring opportunity in the 83rd minute off the foot of forward Andres Ferrin. However, the goal was saved on a reach by Knoxville’s goaltender Sean Lewis.
A Wednesday night showdown on April 16 against the USL Championship’s Tampa Bay Rowdies depleted FC Naples’ roster, as the match went 120 minutes, including a 30-minute overtime period and then ten rounds of penalty kicks. A hit to the crossbar in penalty kicks by Cisneros ended the match in a 9-8 loss.
“I think exhaustion is a factor, but at the end of the day, the other team had a midweek game as well, and a game last weekend,” Cisneros said. “So it’s one of those things we have to deal with, and we can’t really use it as an excuse.”
FC Naples returns to the Paradise Coast Complex on Saturday, April 26, to face the USL Championship’s Charleston Battery for the first round of the USL Jagermeister Cup. With back-to-back losses, the club looks to rebound against prime competition.
“We’ve got to be motivated to prove people wrong,” Poland said. “Now, a team came into our place and got a result, so now we need to use that as motivation to be better.”
Fans can purchase FC Naples tickets at FCNaples.com. Students who use the code “Eagles2025” at checkout can get tickets as low as $10.
