Red Wolves vs. One Knox and the Most Pointless Trophy Ever Made

Tonight, One Knoxville and the Chattanooga Red Wolves will face off for the 8th time in the Tennessee River Showdown. This small, recent USL1 rivalry is important for many reasons; One Knoxville can jump to first place in the league with a game in hand over Union Omaha if they win, while the Red Wolves could go from out of the playoffs to 5th with 1-3 games in hand of surrounding teams. However, the result of this game can also determine if the USL Championship’s Birmingham Legion win a title.

Confused? You should be. The title was not a jab at the fact that there’s barely any Red Wolves fans for a rivalry with a trophy to develop, or a commentary on how US professional soccer leagues try to force rivalries from a club’s conception.

This is the Appalachia Cup.

Let me set the scene. It’s 1:00am eastern standard time, and in extreme boredom, I’m scrolling Instagram Reels. I come across a video from Mets fan Dylan Roth, who invented the Northeast Corridor Cup to give his team’s fans something to care about in a pointless losing season. Using an Amtrak railroad line to connect the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Mets, he tracked historical data to determine who won the Cup in the past and how the Mets could win it in 2026.

My first responsibility as a journalist is to cover Atlanta United, so with the woeful season the Five Stripes are currently having, what better than to create something of our own to fight for that’s not the Wooden Spoon?

Initial thoughts for an obscure “rivalry” connection went to the Appalachian Mountain Range, of which Georgia is a part. However, 13 states are included in the mountain range, resulting in about 20+ teams involved in a hypothetical cup competition from all 3 tiers of professional soccer in the United States. Just seven clubs are from Major League Soccer (excluding the Red Bulls since… New Jersey) but then you have to ask the hard questions like, “Should a club like NYCFC in such a large city really be paired with teams that are supposed to be connected to the mountains?”

While conducting research, I ended up stumbling upon the Appalachian Regional Commission government website, which defined the 423 counties making up “Appalachia”. Within this region are six major cities with independent professional soccer clubs (sorry Huntsville City FC) that can and have faced off against each other in league play, the USL Cup, the U.S. Open Cup, or friendlies.

From the USL Championship: Birmingham Legion and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

From USL League One: Greenville Triumph, One Knoxville, and the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Rounding it off, from MLS NEXT Pro: Chattanooga FC.

So, here is the surprisingly interesting history behind the Appalachia Cup, and why tonight’s seemingly normal League One rivalry is important for all the wrong reasons.

2019: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Only four clubs participated in the first version of the Cup, with only two unique matchups: Pittsburgh vs. Birmingham and Greenville vs. Red Wolves. Each series was played out three times with very different results.

The Triumph and Red Wolves played very competitively against one another during the inaugural season of League One. Playing games in April and May of 2019, each side collected a 1-0 win at home before the Red Wolves won a thrilling 3-2 affair at home on June 19.

However, a 2-0-1 record could not compare to the Riverhounds’ dominance of Birmingham in the latter’s inaugural campaign. 4-1 and 1-0 victories were followed up with a 7-0 THRASHING of Birmingham at home in the Eastern Conference playoff quarterfinals. With 9 points, they were the first winners of the Appalachia Cup.

2020: Greenville Triumph

Due to COVID, only one matchup took place this year, Greenville vs. Red Wolves, and the Triumph ended up winning both games in the home & away series 1-0.

This title will not be their last!

2021:  Birmingham Legion

The Legion won a tiebreaker with the Greenville Triumph on points per game after beating Chattanooga FC 2-0 and the Red Wolves 4-1 in friendlies. Their 3rd game of the 2021 Cup was actually a forfeit win given up by Pittsburgh in the playoffs due to COVID-related roster issues!

Greenville faced off against the Chattanooga Red Wolves FIVE TIMES in 2021, including 2-0 after extra time in the USL1 semifinals. They finished with 2 wins and 3 draws, yet it is not enough for this year’s cup title.

This was the first year that all eligible clubs participated in the Cup, with Chattanooga FC joining via friendly. We are still 2 years away from One Knox’s inaugural season.

2022: SPLIT TITLE; Greenville and Pittsburgh

A lack of friendlies and Open Cup crossovers resulted in the same two matchups from 2019, Birmingham vs. Pittsburgh and Greenville vs. Red Wolves, deciding the title again. Each matchup happened three times.

First, in League One, Greenville won the first two matchups 1-0 before being thrashed 5-1 on August 6. Luckily, goal differential does not matter, and the two victories sealed a shared title.

Then, between Pittsburgh and Birmingham, the Riverhounds drew first blood with a 1-0 win, just to lose 2-1 from a strong Legion response. The co-winner of the 2022 Appalachia Cup would be determined, again, in the USL Championship playoffs, with Pittsburgh winning on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

2023: Greenville Triumph

There were crossover games galore as Chattanooga FC entered the fray again, winning a friendly versus One Knox but falling to Birmingham on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Birmingham also managed to beat the Red Wolves 4-1, but lost and drew their 2 matchups against Pittsburgh, eliminating them from cup contention.

One Knox’s debut in the Appalachian Cup went horribly. With a loss to CFC and losing 2 of 3 to the Red Wolves and Triumph, they finished with 5 losses in 7 games.

Greenville got revenge after their 5-1 loss in 2022 by defeating the Red Wolves by the same scoreline on June 21. With an additional win and draw, they finished at 4-1-1 and claim their second undisputed title.

2024: Greenville Triumph

Congrats to Greenville on three-peating! The Triumph split the 2-game series with the Red Wolves (5-2 win, 1-3 loss), while Knoxville took 4 points off the Red Wolves, setting up a critical series.

Somehow, in the 4-game series that added a U.S. Open Cup game and a USL1 Playoff Quarterfinal, Greenville went unbeaten! They won 3-2 after extra time in the Open Cup, saw a league win 2-0 after two Knoxville red cards, and won 2-1 in the playoffs.

The Legion won 4-2 against the Red Wolves in extra time of the Open Cup, but Pittsburgh picked up 4 points against Birmingham for the second straight year, meaning neither were any threat to the Triumph’s reign.

Chattanooga FC and One Knoxville did play a match, but it was called off due to severe weather.

2025: One Knoxville

A new champion was crowned when last year’s Players’ Shield winners in League One went on a rampage!

One Knox had to settle for splitting the season series against the Red Wolves, but beat Greenville three times: once in the Open Cup 3-1, and twice in league play with 1-0 scorelines. The fun fact from that series was that the Triumph got a red card in every match!

Chattanooga FC were very active in the Appalachia Cup last year, beating Birmingham Legion 3-2 and falling to the Red Wolves in penalties in the infamous Open Cup thriller in front of over 12,000 fans. However, their draw against One Knox would prove crucial to the latter’s title campaign.

The Red Wolves were the closest challenger to Knoxville, but going 1-1-1 against Greenville is probably what prevented them from winning their first Cup. The Legion, for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, had 4 points taken off of them by Pittsburgh, with every draw over the 3 years ending 1-1.

2026: TBD

Here is where tonight’s match comes into play. The Birmingham Legion have won their first 3 Appalachia Cup matches, besting Chattanooga FC 3-2 in a friendly, beating the Riverhounds 1-0 in league play, and defeating the Red Wolves on penalties in the USL Cup.

Greenville has lost all three games they’ve played, including one in the USL Cup to Pittsburgh. That was Pittsburgh’s first game in the tournament against a team not named the Legion, and it really allowed this tournament to make sense!

Quick break: Here’s every team your club has faced 8 years in.

Pittsburgh —> Only Played Legion and Greenville

CFC —> Only Played Legion, One Knox, Red Wolves

Red Wolves —-> Played Everyone but Pittsburgh

Greenville —> Only Played Pittsburgh, Red Wolves, One Knox

Birmingham —> Only Played Pittsburgh, CFC, Red Wolves

One Knox —> Only Played Red Wolves, CFC, Greenville

Back to number crunching. With one more game and one loss on their record, Pittsburgh is eliminated from winning the Cup this year. Greenville is, as well, for obvious woeful reasons. CFC ends at 1-0-1 with a win against One Knox on penalties in a friendly, but the loss to the Legion.

That leaves the Red Wolves, who lost to the Legion but beat Greenville, and Knoxville, who lost to CFC but also beat Greenville.

At 1-0-1, winning out puts each side in the best possible position to win. The rivals will play each other twice, the first being tonight, and will get one more go at Greenville during league play.

If the Legion lose to Pittsburgh on October 24, the last game of the 2026 Cup, winning the three remaining games puts one of the sides at 4-0-1, beating the 3-0-1 Legion side.

If the game tonight ends in a draw, neither side can beat the Legion in points per match even if they win out and Birmingham lose, and the Legion would win their first Appalachia Cup since 2021.

But, could One Knoxville repeat as champions? Could the Red Wolves finally break through for their first rather-meaningless title? 

In the Appalachia Cup, there’s technically all to play for, and literally nothing to lose.

Remaining 2026 Appalachia Cup Games:

7/25/26 - One Knoxville vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves

8/15/26 - One Knoxville vs. Greenville Triumph

9/5/26 - Chattanooga Red Wolves vs. Greenville Triumph

10/7/26 - One Knoxville vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves

10/24/26 - Birmingham Legion vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds