At Loudoun United FC, this is the season where everything has changed.

Sixteen months after Attain Sports & Entertainment acquired a controlling stake in the club, establishing United as an independent organization for the first time, it is on course for club records in victories and points. With 13 games to play in the regular season, it’s poised for a first trip to the USL Championship Playoffs.

It’s retained talent in the likes of Zach Ryan and breakout star Wesley Leggett and added experience with players like Florian Valot and Tommy McCabe.

But if there’s one landmark that marks the changes Loudoun has experienced since its acquisition, Thursday’s signing of 19-year-old talent Abdellatif Aboukoura is the most significant.

The Fairfax, Va. native has shown he’s ready for this moment.

As a USL Academy signing this season he’s bagged five goals – currently the most of any teenager in the Championship this year. He’s earned international experience with Egypt’s U-20 Men’s National Team, competing for the side at the 2022 U-20 Arab Cup.

But in signing Abdellatif to a two-and-a-half-year contract with a club option for the 2027 Championship season, Loudoun has also shown it’s ready to join clubs like Louisville City FC, Orange County SC and Birmingham Legion FC, each of which have become attractive destinations for young talent setting their sights on Europe.

“An essential part of running a successful USL Championship club is identifying young talent and signing it to a professional contract that offers long-term opportunity for the player and the club,” said USL Head of Global Football Development & Sporting Director Oliver Wyss. “Abdellatif signing with Loudoun continues the rising trend we’ve seen in young players electing to start their professional careers in the USL Championship, but for United it’s a statement to the vision the club’s leadership has for its future path, one that’s very welcome to see.”

Over the current decade, the USL Championship has become a launching pad for young talent from within club’s Academy systems and elsewhere. This season has seen notable arrivals such as Birmingham’s acquisition of U.S. youth international Ramiz Hamouda, the Charleston Battery’s signing of Ezekiel Soto, and last week’s addition by Orange County SC of Pedro Guimares.

Aboukoura electing to turn pro with Loudoun United is a move with just as much promise.

“I am incredibly proud of Aboukoura and his journey to becoming a pro, and even more so that he chose to continue his development here at Loudoun United” said Martin. “He is a tremendous young man who loves to play the game… [and] is the type of player that, as a coach, you love working with!”

For a club in the process of forging its new identity, it’s the start of something even bigger.