The opening month of the USL Championship and League One seasons wrapped up with a clear frontrunner for the Championship’s Young Player of the Year having emerged, and some other notable performances from the U-22 talents around both leagues in the past weekend.

Here are 7 players you need to know from Week 4 of the regular season.

1. Abdellatif Aboukoura, Loudoun United FC

Loudoun United continued its stellar start to the 2025 season in its home opener on Saturday against defending Eastern Conference title-holder Rhode Island FC, and 20-year-old Abdellatif Aboukoura was a key reason as he bagged both goals in a 2-0 win at Segra Field.

The outing was Aboukoura’s first two-goal performance in the Championship since 2022, but highlighted his awareness and ability to outfox opposing defenders off the dribble. His opening goal in the 35th minute saw him weave through traffic before a precise finish to the bottom-left corner, and his quick thinking five minutes later to receive a throw-in from Florian Valot a step ahead of RIFC defender Frank Nodarse before niftily shifting past him before a top-corner finish showed the progression he’s made this season.

“His consistency this year is significantly better,” said Loudoun United Head Coach Ryan Martin last week. “We’re working on him in terms of his ability when he’s on the dribble, to make better decisions and to play off the pass a little bit more than always off the dribble. I think if he can do it, he’s going to add a new element to his game.”

Aboukoura has bagged four goals in four games this season, only one off his full-season total in 2024. He’s currently the league’s clear breakout star for the current campaign.

2. Mamadou Dieng, Hartford Athletic

There wasn’t much to write home about in Hartford’s home opener, but Mamadou Dieng getting his first league goal of the season was a plus for the side as he looks to surpass the mark of 11 goals in his rookie campaign in the Championship.

The 21-year-old’s close-range finish from Jonathan Jimenez’s cross showed a deft touch in front of goal, angling a low cross from the right into the bottom-left corner with his left foot. After opening his account in the U.S. Open Cup earlier in March, Dieng will hopefully get more service in the coming games to fully flourish.

3. Xavi Gnaulati, Monterey Bay FC

Officially, Xavi Gnaulati hasn’t been on the scoresheet yet for Monterey Bay in the league this season, but his impact as a ball-mover in midfield has been an underrated element to the club’s current three-game winning streak.

The 20-year-old’s ability on the ball was highlighted in MBFC’s 3-1 victory against Phoenix Rising FC early in the second half, when his quick dribble up the touchline and through-ball that set up Mayele Malango for a chance in transition illustrated his value to the team.

Gnaulati was sharp on the ball overall against Phoenix, completing 18 of 18 passes and notching two chances created before he was withdrawn shortly before the hour-mark. He’ll continue to be one to watch in one of the West’s surprise packages this season.

4. Chibi Ukaegbu, Sacramento Republic FC

The 18-year-old center back continued to impress despite his side falling 1-0 late against FC Tulsa at ONEOK Field on Friday night, with Ukaegbu’s ball-winning ability on full display against the Scissortails.

The United States U-20 international won 11 of 16 duels over the course of the game – including 5 of 7 aerial duels – and led Republic FC in winning 5 of 5 tackles while slotted in the right side of a back three defensively. His overall performance saw Ukaegbu grade in the top three for Republic FC overall with an Opta Points score of 15.4.

5. Kieran Sargeant, Lexington SC

While Kieran Sargeant had his first big hiccup in Lexington’s back line, conceding the penalty kick that allowed San Antonio FC to tie the game in the first half of a 3-2 setback on Saturday night, the importance the 21-year-old has in the side’s lineup was again on display.

Sargeant delivered a game-high five chances created for the hosts, notching his second assist of the season on Nick Firmino’s opening goal, and tied for the second-most touches for the side (67) and most passes in the attacking third (21) as LSC looked to feed the left back to help power its attacking display.

“We did well, we created a lot of chances,” said Sargeant of the message after the game. “We just got to limit the mistakes. But there’s 45 minutes left to play. It’s 2-2, it’s tied up, and it’s a new game at this point. So, I think we had the right mentality. We had a lot of good chances in the second half, but also we came up short.”

6. Griffin Garnett, Richmond Kickers

Despite the Kickers’ loss to Forward Madison FC, 18-year-old center back Griffin Garnett put in a stellar all-around display, highlighting why he’s emerged as one of League One’s top young prospects.

Garnett led the Kickers, winning a game-high 4 of 5 tackles and two interceptions while completing a team-high 45 of 56 passes and notching a pair of chances created. The center back also won 6 of 8 duels to round out an impressive performance.

7. Anderson Holt, Union Omaha

Playing as a deep-lying midfield, Holt helped hold down the center of the park for Omaha in its 3-1 victory away at South Georgia Tormenta in his first appearance of the league campaign.

An Omaha academy product who became the second player to graduate to a pro deal with Los Buhos at the start of the 2024 season, Holt completed 26 of 32 passes and won 4 of 6 duels while also recording a pair of interceptions, providing defensive cover as Omaha broke out for its best performance of the young campaign.