I remain one of those people that doesn’t try to glean too much into the first couple of games into a season, regardless if the soccer team is largely incumbent, or is one that has turned over a ton of players, to the point where only six return for the new season, as Loudoun United has. The team was due to start playing on March 7, only for things to get moved back a week due to the winter weather of Rhode Island. Consequently, Loudoun’s first week of 2026 was a three games in seven days run, with a 2-1 US Open Cup win over West Chester United sandwiched between two home games; a 3-2 loss in the opener against the defending USL Champion Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and a 0-0 draw against Miami FC. Still, there had to be some things to look at emerging from the cloud of smoke, right? Well, let’s take a peek.

What’s old is…still old!

Last year’s Loudoun saw them wind down the last half of 2025 trying to keep a backline together after Jacob Erlandson left to injury, in attack, Abdellatif Aboukoura got hurt and never regained his white-hot first-half form that earned him the Young Player of the Year honor for 2025, and Loudoun ultimately lost in the first round of the playoffs to a team that no longer exists (North Carolina FC).

This season? Well, Erlandson has not made the field yet despite slowly returning in practice, and Aboukoura snapped a picture of himself in a hospital bed recently, after appearing in preseason and little else thus far. The team had to scramble and sign two players to short-term contracts as cover, including Loudoun alum Elvis Amoh, but to start so far:

• Erlandson and Aboukoura are still out
• Aidan O’Connor also suffered an injury in preseason
• Sal Mazzaferro, who helped start the rush for Loudoun’s first goal against Pittsburgh, left the field early in the Open Cup game with assistance after landing funny on his leg (an Open Cup game where Loudoun was dressing 16 as it was!)
• Ezra Armstrong, Christian Torres and Pacifique Nyongabire have yet to appear in a lineup

Last year’s Loudoun limped across the finish line, this year’s already looked like the Mummy before hitting the first turn on the track.

On a couple of new arrivals and a loandown update.

A sneaky theme to Loudoun’s roster build was acquiring young players from MLS sides on loan for the chance that they would see playing time and a bunch of it. And so far so good anyway; after being recalled late in Loudoun’s week 1 to his parent club Colorado, Adam Beaudry returned to Leesburg and turned in a 10-save shutout against Miami, the largest amount for a keeper since (I believe) Simon Lefebvre’s 13-save outburst in 2020. Jack Panayotou (from New England) is looking good in central midfield trying to run things; Axel Essengue was a late loan from LA last week and did OK against Miami, playing at right center back before moving into the middle.

For me, Sean Young may have been the most intriguing. He came on in the second half of the Pittsburgh game and scored a nice looking goal, then got a longer look at West Chester and showed some of the virtues that brought him to the USL from the CPL, and that earned him his first USL Championship start.

And all in all, not bad!

Solid pass map, won 4 of 5 duels, tossed in a couple of tackles and clearances, forced some saves out of former Columbus, now current Crew keeper Eloy Room. A muted but effective effort!

But now Aman, way past 21. The best player on the field against Miami? That would be D.C. United’s Richie Aman. He registered an assist against Pittsburgh (on the Young goal) and earned a start of his own, and chalkboard wise also looked pretty good:

His engine went for the full 90, he interchanged with Kwame Awuah on the left side really well and was dangerous in open play, and is second on the team in key passes behind Panayotou thus far.

If Aboukoura is gone for any prolonged time, Aman should be able to fill the void, especially as Loudoun try to find out who and what they are in attack…and defense…as the bodies come back.

Random Stat of the Day: 0.19, the goals added (per ASA) by Aman, tied with Noah Adnan for the team lead this (short) season. Aman, Adnan. Oprah, Uma.

So, where do we go from here? Well, we go from one 3 game in 7 day trek to another! Loudoun goes on the road to play an imposing Tampa Bay side, before returning to play Richmond on April Fool’s Day in the Open Cup 2nd round, then moving North back to Segra to host Birmingham. They’ll likely play Saturday’s game without Quimi Ordonez, out on National team duty as Guatemala play Algeria Friday, which may mean a look for Marcos Dias (a first choice sub in both regular season games but assisted on one goal and scored another in the Open Cup win) or Andres Souper, potentially.

While it may be spring, Loudoun is facing April showers a bit early this season.