TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship today announced that Loudoun United FC midfielder Abdellatif Aboukoura has been voted USL Championship Player of the Month presented by Konami eFootball with one assist and a league-leading four goals.
At 20 years, 5 months and 25 days old, Aboukoura is the youngest player to earn USL Championship Player of the Month honors in league history, and the Fairfax, Va. native becomes the second Player of the Month in Loudoun United FC history, joining Kyle Murphy (October 2019).
Through 285 minutes, Aboukoura kicked off his fourth season in Loudoun with victories against Birmingham Legion FC, North Carolina FC and defending Eastern Conference champions Rhode Island FC, providing the match-winning score against both Birmingham and Rhode Island. Also providing one assist, five chances created and 12 successful dribbles, the 20-year-old helped Loudoun set club records for most league wins (3) and most points (9) in an opening month.
The former Egypt youth international's five goal contributions across his first four matches of a season sets a new personal record, and Aboukoura's four goals on the year positions him within one score of equaling his career-best five goals in a single season set last year.
"It's a great feeling, I am honored," Aboukoura said. "I was really happy to start off the season with a nice month, and I hope I can keep it up month after month. It's so important to just do what we do best, playing and enjoying football. My mindset changed a bit over the offseason, and now I approach the game differently. I find myself playing a lot more with a smile on my face. Since then, I've nearly matched the goals I scored all last season, in one month.
"I wouldn't be where I am right now without the team and my teammates and coaches. As we look ahead to the rest of the season, our goals haven't changed. We like to take it match by match and not get ahead of ourselves. The only thing on my mind right now is Saturday's match against Tampa."
"It really started with him investing in himself," Loudoun United Head Coach Ryan Martin said of Aboukoura. "He took the initiative and spent a lot of time and energy in the offseason getting into shape and betting on himself. It's a testament to the time, effort and energy it takes to be a young professional athlete. He's a poster child for it, and he's setting the example for young athletes everywhere.
"His consistency is really coming along; he's creating chances in every game, getting shots off and showing strong decision making and doing the right thing at the right time for the team. I am incredibly proud of him for the work he's put in and the journey he's been on, and we are excited to see what he does next month. That's the true sign of a top player: stacking strong, consistent months one after another. This is just the beginning."
Aboukoura earned 56% of a weighted poll that included the USL Championship Technical Committee, a national panel of independent media representing every USL market and an online fan vote held at USLChampionship.com. Monterey Bay FC forward Ilijah Paul finished second on 36% with his three goals and two assists, while Sacramento Republic FC forward Russell Cicerone finished third on 6% with two goals and one assist.
Nominee | Fan Vote | Weight | Media Vote | Weight | USL Vote | Weight | Total Vote |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abdellatif Aboukoura (LDN) | 42% | 21% | 63% | 15% | 80% | 20% | 56% |
Ilijah Paul (MB) | 44% | 22% | 37% | 9% | 20% | 5% | 36% |
Russell Cicerone (SAC) | 11% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% |
Ray Serrano (LOU) | 3% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% |