For Loudoun United’s Abdellatif Aboukoura, an offseason trip to Dubai was always in his plans.

The primary reason for his stay? Catching up with family and enjoying what the burgeoning city and its surrounding region had to offer.

“My grandpa has been living there for 30 years,” he told uslchampionship.com. “My dad recently moved down there as well, so I'm very familiar with the area.”

But coming off his best season to date in the USL Championship, there was another opportunity the 20-year-old was eager to take advantage of.

For many top players, the capital of the United Arab Emirates has become a haven for high-level training. With soccer’s growth in the region and the high-level facilities that have accompanied it, the trip offered Aboukoura the chance to compete side-by-side with players who’ve previously trod the road he envisions in his future.

Workouts alongside players such as 2024 Major League Soccer Golden Boot-winner Christian Benteke – currently playing a short drive away at D.C. United – gave Aboukoura another perspective to the commitment it takes to reach the top of the game.

“The coolest thing was being able to train with players who have already had successful careers,” he said. “Players that have traveled and played all over the world, some in MLS, some in Europe.”

With those numbers, Aboukoura has positioned himself as the frontrunner for the Championship’s Young Player of the Year award. He’s also put himself in the picture for All-League honors a third of the way through the season.

For Martin, how Aboukoura has leveled up is no surprise.

“I think one thing that always stood out for me is his love of the game and his ability and desire to improve,” said Martin. “Those are things that I think have been a constant through his journey. What I’ve really seen is he’s gone from moments of brilliance or moments of special goals or special things, to more consistency. He’s gone from a player that … can get five or so goals, to a guy that’s quite dependable right now. Our team wouldn’t be where we are today without him.”

As much as Aboukoura took from his offseason training, there’s another element that has fueled his progression. After competing for Loudoun United as a USL Academy signing in both 2021 and 2022, the following year he elected to pursue his goal of a professional contract in Europe. Having competed for Egypt’s U-20 Men’s National Team, Aboukoura’s resumé and promise got him into the door at a handful of clubs – including Italian sides Sampdoria and Cremonese – but when the offer of a contract didn’t materialize, the lack of regular games started to weigh down the prospect of other opportunities.

While it served as a short-term disappointment, there remains no regret for Aboukoura on taking the chance to bet on himself in those environments. 

“For me to gain that experience and to train with high level players, players who had, right before, played in World Cups, or were getting ready for Euros or Copa Americas coming up, for me, that was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “I was able to really understand what it takes to be a high-level player.”

Returning home to Virginia, Aboukoura came back to Loudoun as a USL Academy signing to start the 2024 campaign, and then midway through the campaign elected to sign his first professional deal with the club.

It was a show of faith in the opportunity the club could offer him, as it had to players like Kevin Paredes, Griffin Yow, Ted Ku-DiPietro or Kristian Fletcher at the start of their careers, only now – following Loudoun establishing its independence from the D.C. United organization – doing so as a fully-fledged Loudoun product.

While that’s the hope for Aboukoura’s future, the way Loudoun’s season is currently unfolding is seeing the club break through alongside its young star. United has emerged as an early-season contender alongside the Charleston Battery and Louisville City in the Eastern Conference, taking seven wins in its first 10 games in league play.

A core group featuring last year’s incoming veterans such as Florian Valot and Tommy McCabe have meshed with longer-established signings like forwards Zach Ryan and Wesley Leggett, helping Martin’s side take a major step forward in its goal of a first postseason berth in club history. The experiences of players like Valot, who currently sits tied for the league-lead with five assists, and recent addition Pedro Santos have been invaluable for Aboukoura to learn from.

“[Florian and I] play similar positions, and he’s already had a career,” said Aboukoura. “He’s won the USL, and he’s played in MLS, so in the past year-and-a-half under him, I’ve been able to learn a lot. Bringing in someone like Pedro Santos, who has won MLS and has played in Europe, and to see his day-to-day and how he performs, even though he’s a bit older than me, [it’s important] to see how he takes care of himself, and how professional they are, even though they’ve already had successful careers.”

Loudoun’s success, and that of Aboukoura, has started to draw attention to both. For Martin, there have been indications that opponents are working harder to minimize the impact the winger can have on the outcome of games, setting out a new challenge for Aboukoura to face.

For a player whose aim is to follow predecessors as young stars in the Championship such as Diego Luna, Fidel Barajas or Korede Osundina to the next level in either Major League Soccer or overseas, it’s an opportunity to level up again alongside the club as it competes to stay in contention for silverware.

“I’m excited to see where he and the group go, because I know it's going to go the right direction,” said Martin. “It won’t be easy, because nothing worthwhile is, but he’s on the right path, and we want to just keep helping to find that consistency, no matter what the opposition does to him, and no matter what the situation is.

“He’s getting very close to being consistent. I would like it in all phases of his game, and we’re getting close, and that's when I know he's going to end up making it. I believe this is just a step on his journey, but we’re going to help him in every which way until he leaves us.”

For Aboukoura, meanwhile, while the goal has been set, he believes the means to get there remain right in front of him each day.

“Obviously, the dream is always to go play in Europe or to play at the next level, but I understand that right now is the time to still focus on what I’m doing here, and to understand that for me to go to Europe, or for me to go to MLS, I need to make sure that I’m a well-rounded player here,” said Aboukoura. “For me, it's just about focusing on a little details, on the small things that I can fix in myself, that in the next level, where maybe it’s a bit more cutthroat, I’m able to stay strong, you know?

“For me, personally, it’s just focusing on tomorrow’s training session, on the next game, to not think too far ahead, to know that in the future that’s a possibility, but to make sure that we’re staying focused now.”