What makes veteran soccer player Ilija Ilic a perfect fit for One Knoxville SC
Every soccer team could use a sturdy bridge.
One Knoxville SC’s might be a little creaky with age, but the experience makes the flow happen easily.
When Ilija Ilic, who will turn 32 next week, signed his contract with One Knox, the job description had to have taken up a couple lines.
“I want to be a coach when I’m done playing,” said Ilic, a 6-foot-2 forward. “I knew (coach) Mark (McKeever) from (Young Harris College). He gave me this chance.
“I’m a player, captain and assistant coach. This is an opportunity to make the transition to coaching here.”
Ilic is that bridge between the coaching staff (McKeever, Jordan Bell and Nick Jaramillo) and the players. Like any good bridge, he can handle the two-way traffic — from the staff to the players, as well as the players to the staff.
Ilic said he’s had plenty to say so far as One Knox (1-1-1) continues it season April 21 at 6 p.m. against South Georgia Tormenta (2-1) at the University of Tennessee’s Regal Stadium. (Single-team tickets are available online.)
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Elusive consistency
One unique and attractive piece of Ilic’s resume was that the Serbian played at Louisville City in 2015 when it broke into the USL, just like One Knox is doing this season.
From that beginning, Ilic was part of the nucleus that won back-to-back USL Cup titles in 2017-18.
“One of the first things I noticed when I got here was that there were a lot of similarities to that Louisville City team,” he said. “The first time I spoke to the team, I pointed that out. We have a really, really good group of players; a coach that’s a leader, and an ownership group that cares.
“It took three years to get there. There are 22 new players. It takes time to create culture and identity. We’ve already shown we can win some games. The next step is to show that we can have consistency with the way we play.”
Of course, finding consistency can be elusive.
“You have to find the formula for training,” Ilic said. “That’s when the connection clicks. It’s hard to find and it’s hard to keep.”
Since his run at Louisville City, Ilic has noticed the quality of the league has improved.
“Since 2015, it’s been an impressive evolution,” said Ilic, who has been in the USL nine years with four teams. “Back then it was like semipro. With the (Collective Bargaining Agreement), clubs have stepped up. The money is better, the facilities, standards and budgets are better, attracting better players.”
Goal is ... more goals
It hasn’t taken long for Ilic – along with Bell and Jaramillo – to be put in a spot where stepping forward is a necessity. McKeever has been away from the team this week, taking care of a soccer-related matter. He has turned all the training over to his assistants.
“I talk with the players about the drills we need,” Ilic said. “We have goals we want to accomplish each week.”
Actually, this week’s goal is all about … goals.
“It all starts with winning, that’s the main thing,” Ilic said. “The first week we focused on creating chances. We were able to do that, but the goals didn’t come. Now, scoring goals is a top priority.”
Ilic and his family — wife and children ages 2 and 4 — are embracing the Knoxville experience. After having lived in Louisville and Indianapolis, the adjustment wasn’t significant.
“Knoxville is a great place with friendly people,” he said. “I might look angry, that’s the Serb in me, but I love to talk with people. Stop by and say ‘Hi.’ I love to chat.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why soccer player Ilija Ilic is a perfect fit for One Knoxville SC
