Last week in Jagermeister Cup play saw Loudoun United take a first half lead, take a red card, manage the game well despite it before unfortunately giving up a late goal on their way to a loss to their hosts. And that experience was so much fun, Loudoun decided they wanted to redo it in Regular Season play, this time to an FC Tulsa side hadn’t lost in two months and eight matches heading into Friday night’s affair. Let’s dive into things in a second but first, the highlights of Loudoun’s loss:

On the Life of Riley. Riley Bidois was playing well last year and even got a nod to the New Zealand Olympic team before an injury derailed his summer and season. He may have been off to a slow start this season but has picked things up nicely, with three goals in his last four games, and could have had a second in the first half if a shot hadn’t gone wide (to be fair, he’d gotten popped in the nose for his trouble). As far as Loudoun goes he’s solidly second best in attack for boxcar and advanced stats and the hot hand can be ridden until it cools off.

On the attack (old and new)… Whether it’s Bidois finding himself in all the right spots, or Yanis Leerman getting his first pro goal (as Cole Turner provided his first assist in the USL) Friday, I *think* players are starting to realize that for as good as Abdellatif Aboukoura is, and he is, it’s OK to go ahead and try things on your own, whether he’s heading back into the opposition goal, running to the near post, or the like. This will give Aboukoura and Florian Valot the chance to work in more space, and additions like Arquimedes Ordonez (and reportedly Chicago Fire winger Omari Glasgow) a chance to orient themselves and show Ryan Martin what they have and what can be used to improve the team’s attack. If Tulsa can bring on a substitute who eventually scored the game-tying goal and another substitute who is a former League 1 MVP, Loudoun should look to make those moves as well.

…and defense. The Glasgow report mentions that he’s been playing right back at times, so that may prove useful to periodically spell a 37-year-old Pedro Santos. Defense may become a problem (if it’s not already for Loudoun) if Leerman or Turner miss a game for any reason, as Jacob Erlandson remains out. Robby Dambrot can play centrally if he needs to, but with the offensive additions, hopefully a defender who can be ready quickly can be considered as well.

On dramatics. In the last two weeks, Loudoun’s given up goals in the 103rd and 95th minute of their respective games, having hunkered down for what seemed like an eternity to walk away with a road result. In 2022 I watched Loudoun give up a goal in the 90th minute or later 11 times in 10 games, losing six points in the process; the one game they gave up multiple goals in was one they almost lost. They were finding lots of creative ways to give up these goals, including having the opposing goalkeeper score one of them.

To be clear, all of that team is probably gone now, and Loudoun have managed to get 14 points from losing positions this season which leads the USL. This is mostly a vibe-related observation, given the team’s current mood and run lately, I just want them to avoid the snowball.

Random Stat of the Day: 117, the number of minutes between red cards (by players or coaches) that Loudoun has experienced in its last seven games, amounting to five reds total.

So, where do we go from here? Despite the loss and this streak, Loudoun has not lost third place in the East yet! North Carolina FC and Pittsburgh sit one point behind Loudoun in points (26 to Loudoun’s 27), but NCFC has a game in hand. Loudoun goes on the road one more time to play a Rhode Island side that hasn’t won in five, been shut out in three of those (including Saturday at Pittsburgh) and will play Detroit City midweek. It’s scary but a spot to regain footing with a six-pointer, followed by three of the next four at home, including a August 20 midweek game with Sacramento in the Jagermeister Cup quarterfinals.

With new folks coming in, this seems like a good time for Loudoun to turn into the skid in order to stop it.