El Paso, TX (August 29, 2026) — Loudoun United FC fell 4-1 to El Paso Locomotive FC at Southwest University Park, with Abdellatif Aboukoura scoring the lone goal for the Red-and-White.
Match Summary
El Paso opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but Loudoun responded in the 17th. The Red-and-White broke forward quickly as Richie Aman drove into space before sending a ball across the box to Aboukoura, who finished from close range to level the match at 1-1. El Paso regained the lead in the 30th minute before adding a third from the penalty spot in the 40th. Loudoun continued searching for opportunities going forward, with Aboukoura nearly adding another late in the half after getting on the end of a Kwame Awuah cross.
The Red-and-White came out looking for a response after halftime. Aman helped create an early opportunity for Akil Watts inside the box, but his effort was denied. Loudoun continued to push forward throughout the second half, finding opportunities from wide areas and set pieces as the visitors looked to cut into the deficit. Bolu Akinyode came close after meeting an Awuah cross in front of goal, while the Red-and-White continued pressing into the closing stages.
Loudoun was unable to find another breakthrough, and El Paso added a fourth in the 90th minute to close out the 4-1 result.
Thoughts from the Club
Head Coach Anthony Limbrick on the match and responding at home:
“I thought we didn’t start the game well enough. They came right out on the front foot and put us on the back foot. We conceded early and were up against it from there, but I always felt like we were still in the game with the attacking threats that we had, and that proved right when we got back to 1-1. What we needed to do was not concede again before halftime. If we could have gone into the break at 2-1 or 1-1, I think we would have had a real game in the second half. I thought we did well in the second half and created a few chances, and then obviously they scored late on the break when we were trying to attack and get back into it. All in all, I thought the players gave everything and worked really hard. We were just beaten by a better team tonight. The best thing for us now is having a quick week and a quick turnaround with another game as soon as possible. We’re traveling back tomorrow and then straight back into training Monday. We’ll do our due diligence on the opposition and get back to it at home. We’ve had decent form at home recently, so we want to get a win in front of our own fans and put some pressure on over the next few games.”
Defender and Captain Jake Erlandson on the match and responding moving forward:
“I thought they came out from the first minute and were definitely more prepared than us. They came out firing and did a good job of exposing our weak spots. They took advantage of overloading the wide areas and the midfield, and when we were pushed back deep, they were able to exploit those areas. I think those three first-half goals definitely hurt us. If we don’t give up those two later goals and go into halftime at 1-1, it could be a different game, but that’s football. We always talk about moments, and they took advantage of theirs while we didn’t take advantage of ours. It’s a hard place to play away from home, and you have to be in top shape coming into an environment like this against a team like this. You can’t give anything away easily, and we gave them too much in the first half and weren’t able to climb back into it. We have to learn from this one. We’ve got nine games left in the season, and we really need to win this next one at home, push forward and put a good run of form together over these next handful of games.”
Notes
Abdellatif Aboukoura scored his 26th USL Championship goal for Loudoun United, becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer in league play.
Abdellatif Aboukoura is one match away from recording 100 appearances across all competitions for Loudoun United FC.
About Loudoun United FC
Loudoun United FC is the highest-level professional soccer club in Virginia, competing in the USL Championship. The club is committed to advancing the game, developing top talent, and providing a high-quality experience for players, supporters, and the local community. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.loudoununitedfc.com.
