One Knoxville’s Ilija Ilić transitions from player to coach

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — “I felt like it was the right move to do and right now I feel that it was,” said Ilija Ilić.

After over 150 professional games, 40+ goals and two national titles, Ilić decided it was time to hang up the cleats after the 2023 season with One Knoxville SC .

“I was a little more afraid this transition was going to be harder on me like I was gonna miss more playing and training with the guys but it wasn’t as bad like I was at a point in my career where I was ready to make that transition,” said Ilić.

While Ilić left the field, he didn’t go far, the former One Knox forward stepped over to the sidelines, originally in his first year as an assistant coach, and now, as interim head coach .

“I thought okay maybe it’s time for me to offer more off the field to teach the guys and tell them about my experiences and help them develop,” Ilić said.

While Ilić’s pro career has heard it’s final whistle, several of the guys he played with last year are in stoppage time, which has made for an interesting transition.

“There were the players who were telling me like ‘yes sir’ and stuff like that and I’m like please I’m not a sir just tell me yes coach whatever so you know and then there was moments when I was trying to bring coaching points and people were laughing and like you know like you’re just a player so there was both ways,” said Ilić. “I feel like the more time I spend with these guys, the more time I spend coaching them, I think were creating this unique relationship now where I’m still a coach, I get respect but also they can come to be and ask for advice and anything related to soccer.”

While their might have been a slight adjustment period, it was well worth it, because Ilić knows the team as good as anyone.

“I shared a locker room with them is really big. I know their personalities, I know their weaknesses, I know their strengths and whenever we talk about the players in the coaching office right I know what these players are thinking in moment,” Ilić said.

“The fact that the has gone through the whole process of it so he can be able to tell you from experience from you know hey I done this, I went through this, I went through injuries, I went through this hard process, we won this so mostly it’s just his experiences as well and sharing things that he has experienced,” said One Knox forward Angelo Kelly.

Speaking of that experience, Ilić wants to use his nine years of suiting up for professional soccer to make sure the guys he coaches are set up for even more success than he was.

“I don’t want them to make the same mistakes that I made, I know what brought players to the next level,” said Ilić. “I’ve seen some people go up and down, so I don’t want them to make the mistakes I saw people making and I want them to make the good moves that people made.”

In Ilić’s first game as interim head coach One Knox rose to a 4-1 win over the Chattanooga Red Wolves . It marked the most goals the program has scored in a single game as a professional club.

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