LEESBURG, Va. – Loudoun United FC announced on Friday the club had acquired defender Keegan Hughes on loan from the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval, and the Crew retain the right to recall Hughes at any point during the season.

Hughes joins the Red-and-White after a loan stint with FC Tulsa in the USL Championship a season ago. The 23-year-old center back recorded one goal in nine appearances after his midseason arrival from the Crew while also winning 10 tackles at an 83.3 percent success rate and recording 13 interceptions and 45 recoveries.

“Keegan [Hughes] is a very athletic center back who can cover ground and makes good decisions on the ball,” said Head Coach Ryan Martin. “He is very competitive and aggressive when closing attackers. He fits into our culture and values and is a huge addition to the 2024 team.”

After completing his college career at Stanford University, Hughes signed as a Homegrown Player with the Crew on January 11, 2023. He made his First Team debut for the 2023 MLS Cup champions on March 25, entering the match in the second half of a 6-1 victory against Atlanta United FC. He has additionally started all nine of his appearances with Crew 2 and scored his first professional goal in Crew 2’s road win against Toronto FC II on July 7 before joining Tulsa on loan to close out the season.

Prior to joining the Black & Gold, the Crew Academy product made 73 appearances (all starts) for Stanford where he recorded eight goals and seven assists between 2019 – 2022. Hughes was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist in 2022. As a senior, he led the Cardinals to hoist the Pac-12 Championship trophy.