One Knoxville SC cruised to a convincing 3–1 victory over the New York Cosmos in USL League One action on Saturday, with goals from Babacar Diene, Denis Krioutchenkov, and Mikkel Gøling securing all three points at home.
The Cosmos started the match on the wrong foot early. Davide Galazzini picked up a yellow card in the 12th minute, and William Noecker followed him into the book just six minutes later. By then, One Knoxville had already seized control. Diene opened the scoring in the 19th minute, putting the hosts ahead while the Cosmos were still struggling with discipline. Javier Garcia became the third New York player cautioned in the 26th minute, capping a dismal stretch for the visitors.
Krioutchenkov doubled the advantage in the 35th minute, and One Knoxville took a comfortable two-goal cushion into halftime.
The Cosmos pulled one back early in the second half. Galazzini — the same man booked in the first half — finished from a Philip Spengler feed in the 51st minute to cut the deficit to 2–1 and briefly give New York hope. But any momentum the visitors built was short-lived. Gøling restored the two-goal margin in the 73rd minute, effectively killing the contest.
Teddy Baker was the lone One Knoxville player to see yellow, picking up his card in the 70th minute, but it mattered little in the context of a dominant home performance.
The result keeps One Knoxville SC firmly in the mix in the League One standings as the season approaches its midway point.
USL League One