The Opposition Report II — MD25 vs One Knoxville SC
Fort Wayne Football Club hosts the defending champions two months after a pair of red cards turned the first meeting into a ten vs ten affair. The last playoff place is at stake, and so is ending their seven-match unbeaten streak.
Wednesday, September 16 | 7:30 PM ET | Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN | ESPN+ | WPTA-MyTV
Prior Proceedings
All-Time vs One Knoxville SC (W-L-D): 0-1-0
The Opposition Report
MD15 Recap & Analysis
In July we wrote that a match this tight would come down to one moment, probably a set piece, and that the job was cutting the supply from Teddy Baker, Knoxville’s set-piece taker and leading chance creator. The prediction held as both Knoxville goals came off Baker deliveries, a header from center back Scott McLeod in the 47th min. and a volley from midfielder Abel Caputo off a cleared corner in the 81st. Knowing the opposition and executing the game plan are two separate things. That game plan was thrown out the window seconds into the match when Javier Armas had a rush of blood to his head, retaliating with studs up on an initial foul by Knoxville’s leading scorer Denis Krioutchenkov and taking a straight red. Krioutchenkov picked up a second yellow of his own and left the match a minute into first-half stoppage time, making it a ten vs ten affair for the rest of the match. We edged the expected-goals battle, which is to say the data favored Fort Wayne on the night although the real scoreline did not.
The defending USL League One champions we scouted back in July have not been playing their best recently. The July version conceded fewer goals than almost anyone in the league and chose better moments to attack on the break. Since we left Knoxville they have won twice in ten and are conceding roughly 50 percent more quality chances per game to opponents than the July version. The unbeaten run they bring to Ruoff Mortgage Stadium is seven matches long and five of those are draws. Knoxville head coach Ian Fuller called Friday’s goalless draw at home with FC Naples “the worst that we have played in a very long time.” They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing. The reigning champions are coming to Fort Wayne to prove they are still an elite team.
The Matchup II
One Knoxville still controls the ball and loves to pile up touches in the box. Scoring is the one part stuck in neutral at the moment. Only three clubs in League One have wasted more clear chances, and their two leading forwards own most of them. Krioutchenkov, the hot striker in the beginning of the 2026 campaign, keeps missing the ones he buried in the spring. So: heavy possession, plenty of territory, no final product to show for it. It’s the type of match, against this type of team, Fort Wayne FC at home can punish.
Ruoff Mortgage Stadium is an elite venue. It was purpose-built for soccer, which makes it a joy for both spectator and player alike. There is no foul-ball netting to watch through. It’s a proper pitch and plays big. It plays wide. The ball moves quicker on turf, and it can play fast. Wednesday’s match is home field advantage against a side that plays on removable grass sod, laid over a minor league baseball field. Fort Wayne FC knows how this field plays whereas One Knoxville SC needs to quickly adapt. I believe it’s a bigger advantage now, at this point in the season, than when we first opened the venue. I’m looking to see which possession-based squad understands and utilizes the space better than the other.
Discipline decides this one. Deny midfielder Teddy Baker time and space. Avoid unnecessary fouls in our defensive end. A Fort Wayne foul near the half, to eliminate a Knoxville counterattack, is a good foul this match. Baker loves delivering set pieces. He is their best player, and as we’ve learned previously, if you don’t execute the game plan against individual talents in USL League One, you will get punished. In our last match against Greenville Triumph SC, Logan Neidlinger’s foul outside our penalty area turned into a set piece goal against us. We don’t want to hand out another gift.
Mike Avery and our coaching staff now have a deeper bench. They have players with professional experience, playing alongside and against MLS and USL Championship quality talent. How Avery decides to deploy these new weapons, at home, during our playoff push, will be fun to watch. Each new player to join the Autumn Gold & Black will have a real opportunity to impact our 2026 season. Whether it’s a rental player, or a player looking for a 2027 contract, we have eight matches remaining so I’d expect competition to heat up for starting positions. In Mike We Trust. New players, real depth, and an opportunity to stake claim on that 8th and final playoff spot.
Always FWD