SC Vistula Garfield of the American Premier Soccer League (APSL) welcomed One Knoxville (USL League One) for the First Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. One Knoxville had a shaky start but recovered to defeat Vistula Garfield, 3-1.
It was a historic match for Vistula Garfield, who made their triumphant return to the First Round proper of the cup competition in the Modern Era. Before kickoff, the Polish club honored local legendary player, coach, and journalist Wojciech Ziebowicz.
Meanwhile, One Knoxville are making their fourth appearance in the US Open Cup proper. Their best finish was last year in the Third Round. After winning the USL League One title and the Players Shield, they will look to add more silverware to their success.
Riding the waves of emotion and home field, Vistula Garfield shocked everyone by scoring first, inside of the first minute. There was a palpable pride and exaltation from all 250 fans in attendance. There were still 89 more minutes left, but moments like that are part of the appeal of the US Open Cup. Simon Gorczowski scored the goal that will go down in the history books for Vistula. He was played through on the left wing, split two defenders, and found the bottom corner.
“I was in a flow state,” Gorczowski said, “I was just playing with energy. I was just screaming and having fun.” His goal gave Vistula the lead, and for a moment, the cupset was on.
One Knoxville would respond in the 14th minute, when William Perkins sent in a dangerous cross from the right wing. Although Kyle Linhares was the closest to the ball, he wasn’t able to quite control it the way he wanted. Still, there was enough chaos in front of the goal that Senegalese striker Babacar Diene pounced before the keeper could react. The score was 1-1, and it was game on.
One Knoxville was awarded a corner kick in the 21st minute. Real Gill, in his third appearance for Knoxville, and first as a starter, would give the Tennessee club the lead. After either side had not properly won a corner, he expertly set himself up and finished in one fluid motion from right inside the six-yard box. It was his first goal for One Knoxville, putting his side firmly in control of the match and sticking an exclamation mark on his ability as a player.
Both goalkeepers did an excellent job of keeping their respective teams in the match. Eli Conway gave Vistula Garfield grief much of the night. Late in the first half, he found himself in space on the right wing and was able to cut inside. Goalkeeper Aldo Munoz knocked down his cross and then saved a close-range shot from Kyle Linhares.
Johnathan Burke also had work to do for One Knoxville. He saved a long-range effort from Eric Moroz late in the second half. It’s a credit to both keepers that they were able to play well on a particularly cold and windy night.
Both teams were eager to make changes at halftime. It was clear that One Knoxville coach Ian Fuller did not want any mistakes jeopardizing their lead in the second half.
“I let know at halftime how disappointed I am. We thrive on good starts. We came out really, really flat. In fairness, they came out really well. They’re trying to win, too.”
Garfield player-coach Christopher Karcz also began retooling his squad to exploit a weakness. Both teams made substitutions at halftime, which proved important as the game’s dynamics shifted in the second half.
One of those substitutions for One Knoxville, Mikkel Golingø, had the final say in the cup tie. He scored a gorgeous goal from just outside the area, as he swept the ball into the far right corner. He gave One Knoxville a deserved 3-1 lead in the 76th minute. It was his first goal for the club across all competitions since September of last season.
Vistula Garfield didn’t have much of an answer for Golingø and the One Knoxville substitutions. They enjoyed the match to the point that assistant coach Nick Kozdron. They asked the referees for more stoppage time so they could “enjoy this moment just a little longer.” The final score was One Knoxville 3 and SC Vistula 1.
After the match, One Knoxville coach, Ian Fuller, emphasized the high expectations he has for his championship-defending team. “ Nowhere near where we want to be, but we weren’t last year at this time, so we didn’t really hit our stride until August. We just have to be a little bit more cautious with the ball because we’re getting caught in transition. Where the stage of our club is right now, our mentality is that we want to win every match we play. I’m going to be proud of them if they give everything they have, but I want to win.”
When asked about the next round of the Open Cup, Fuller drew from his own experiences. “We’ll take it as we see it, as it comes, but I love this competition because of that. The majority of my career, I played in the second division, and I loved playing against MLS teams and proving myself. So I love that side of the competition.”
As a player, Fuller nearly made history in 2008 when he led the Charleston Battery (USL) to the US Open Cup Final. He scored an early equalizer against D.C. United in the Final, but the MLS side would eventually lift the trophy with a 2-1 win.
Karcz was proud of his side despite the loss.
“I think we played well. I mean, we’re an amateur side. We’re playing against the real professionals. We stuck to the plan, and I thought we were executing pretty well. We were dangerous at times. We just didn’t pull through in the end.”
The 42-year-old played every minute of the match and revealed what it meant to him, “these guys are real professionals, much, much younger than I am. Those little tiny moments in those little tight spaces where you have sharp touches make me feel like I’m 19 or 20 again, you know?”
Next up, Vistula Garfield will return to play against New York Greek Americans in APSL play. One Knoxville continues their title defence at home against Corpus Christi in USL League One and awaits their next round opponent in the US Open Cup.