One Knoxville SC of USL ready for US Open Cup vs. Columbus Crew of MLS

One Knox SC, the defending USL League One champions, faces the Columbus Crew of MLS in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on April 29 — a matchup that highlights the vast financial gulf between American soccer's top tier and its lower divisions.

The Crew, valued as the fifth most valuable soccer club in the country and owned by Knoxville's Haslam family, operates on a budget that dwarfs One Knox's resources. But Open Cup matches have a long history of producing upsets, and One Knox has already proven it can beat MLS opposition.

The USL League One side approaches the match with nothing to lose. Their roster, built on local talent and savvy signings, lacks the star power of a Crew team featuring designated players and international-caliber talent. But the Open Cup's single-elimination format creates opportunities that the regular season doesn't — one bad night for the favorite, one inspired performance from the underdog, and the script flips entirely.

The match streams on Paramount+ at 7:30 p.m. ET. For One Knox, a result against the Crew would be the biggest in the young club's history and a statement that USL League One deserves more respect in American soccer's hierarchy.

**What This Means For You:** This is exactly what makes the U.S. Open Cup special — the only American sports competition where a lower-division team can knock off a major league powerhouse in a game that matters. If you love underdog stories, tune in. And if you're in Knoxville, get behind One Knox — local clubs thrive when the community shows up.