The past week across the USL Championship and League One saw the breakout star of the current Championship season continue to add to his resume, and some impressive defensive performances in USL League One as the season ramps up for the opening round of games in the USL Jägermeister Cup this weekend.

Here are 6 players you should know from Week 7 of the campaign.

Abdellatif Aboukoura, Loudoun United FC – It’s becoming hard to overstate the jump Abdellatif Aboukoura has made from the past season to this. After claiming the Championship’s Player of the Month award in March, he’s continued to shine this month with his game-winner against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday keeping him tied for the league-lead with six goals this season.

That’s one more than the 20-year-old recorded throughout a full 2024 regular season just seven games into this campaign, with Aboukoura currently sitting with a strike rate of a goal every 90.5 minutes.

But there’s much more to Aboukoura than his finishing, as impressive as it has been. He’s progressed to become a more well-rounded player, showing his commitment to the defensive side of the game. Against the Hounds he won 3 of 3 tackles and now sits tied for the club-lead having won 8 of 10 tackles overall. As a key part of Loudoun’s club-best start with six wins in its first seven league games, he’s not just a contender for Young Player of the Year, but Player of the Year as well.

Anton Sorenson, Charlotte Independence – The Independence have fully committed to the young standouts in their squad this season – four U-22 players started in Sunday’s 3-2 win against South Georgia Tormenta FC – and Anton Sorenson was one of the key performers in a good home win.

The former Philadelphia Union Academy product notched his first assist of the season and had two chances created overall while combining well with fellow 22-year-old Luis Álvarez on the left side in midfield and Alfredo Midence further up the field.

Now in his second season in Charlotte, Sorenson has made eight appearances across all competitions so far this season as he looks to build on a solid first campaign at the club.

Owen Damm, FC Tulsa – Owen Damm continued his strong recent run of form as Tulsa took its biggest win of the season so far with a 4-1 result against Las Vegas Light FC that saw the left-sided wingback execute his role in containing the Lights’ midfield impressively.

The 21-year-old made six recoveries and won 4 of 4 aerial duels, working in concert with Boubacarr Diallo to help the side win possession in the central third of the field and tilt the field against their hosts. Damm also got into the attacking third consistently, recording a pair of shots, and was effective in cutting out crosses at their source when the Lights progressed down the right side, recording three near-post clearances out of five overall.

TJ Presthus, Hartford Athletic – There wasn’t anything particularly flashy about the work TJ Presthus put in as Hartford Athletic picked up its first win of the season against Birmingham Legion on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 win, but there was something efficient in the way he clicked into place on the right side of midfield and helped Hartford earn the result.

The 22-year-old wasn’t the key cog in the set-up – that was Samuel Careaga, as detailed here by our friend John Morrissey – but Presthus kept things moving in completing 37 of 39 passes and maintaining a good defensive posture throughout. More than two-thirds of those passes went to two players – center back Joe Farrell and right back Sebastian Anderson, with the latter coming more in the second half as Hartford’s adjustments gave it momentum to find a winner. This was just the former Yale standout’s second appearance in the Championship, and he delivered a nice, composed performance.

Eric Kinzner, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC – The Red Wolves claimed their first win of the season this past Saturday with a 1-0 victory against Greenville Triumph SC, and center back Eric Kinzner was part of a strong defensive display that helped cap a good week for the club after coming through another penalty shootout to advance in the U.S. Open Cup against Las Vegas Lights FC

A new arrival in Chattanooga this season, the former Tacoma Defiance defender was impressive winning 2 of 2 tackles and 4 of 4 aerial duels as the Red Wolves limited Triumph to only two shots on target in the game.

Where Kinzner is also proving key is in the side’s overall direct playing style. No-one has attempted more passes for the Red Wolves than the 22-year-old in league play this season, and while it’s been more miss than hit overall – the Red Wolves have completed only 33 percent of long passes this season despite those accounting for more than 25 percent of their overall passing attempts – there’s clearly confidence Kinzner can deliver as the side looks to get its forward line into advantageous situations.

Blake Willey, Sacramento Republic FC – One of the key questions for young players is how they rebound from a down performance. In the case of Republic FC’s Blake Willey, the answer against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday afternoon was with another solid display that showed more attacking confidence.

The 17-year-old recorded multiple shots for the first time in a league game this season and also had one chance created on six passes in the final third. He was also solid again in winning possession, going a perfect 4 of 4 in duels. With the talent Sacramento has in its squad, it continues to stand out that Willey is getting consistent minutes, something that should have him in the picture for the next United States U-20 Men’s National Team cycle for the 2027 U-20 World Cup.