“He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own! Rayan Elloumi, he’s one of our own!”

The song rang out around BC Place stadium after the striker had fired his team in front against San Jose Earthquakes; the Whitecaps faithful showing their appreciation for the forward who has climbed through the ranks of the Vancouver Whitecaps youth academy to become an exciting part of the first team.

Elloumi’s rise over the course of the campaign has been nothing short of sensational. His trajectory has taken him from the bench in MLS Next Pro to a starter for the first team, and he was even called up for Tunisia U23’s in the process.

Rayan’s season started in MLS Next Pro, but just over a year after making his first appearance for Whitecaps FC 2, a selection crisis for the first team saw Elloumi make his senior debut as a substitute in Vancouver’s 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew.

Despite being unable to provide an equalising goal, the forward impressed from the bench, and after another hot streak of scoring in MLS Next Pro, his form was too good for Jesper Sørensen to ignore.

With the Whitecaps cruising against Philadelphia Union, Elloumi was introduced to the BC Place faithful for his home debut. The prodigy received a rapturous reception, and it did not take long for the forward to endear himself to the fans, as he found the sixth in a 7-0 route, prompting raucous celebrations and the loudest cheer on a night of celebrations.

Since that game, he has become a feature of this Whitecaps team. He has appeared in every match since, and he has proven that he can make his mark under pressure as his dedicated running allowed him to set up Kenji Cabrera for Vancouver’s third goal in their opening playoff match against FC Dallas.

The Third Sub caught up with the 18-year-old to talk about his rise and season so far.

Naturally, the conversation started by talking about Rayan’s progression into the Whitecaps’ senior team. He grinned when asked about his trajectory, clearly very pleased with his progress, while also expressing a desire to continue improving.

“It’s happened pretty fast, but it’s been really, really good. I feel like I’ve had a lot of support from my teammates and from the coaches just to help me with this adjustment.”

“I think the biggest thing is just taking it day by day and that’s been my mindset every day, which has helped me get to where I am. Just give my all every day and getting better.”

The BC Place faithful tend to fall in love with the Whitecaps’ youth academy graduates, as stars including Alphonso Davies and Ali Ahmed have quickly become fan favourites after coming through the Whitecaps system.

With Elloumi being the latest product to shine in the team, he too has received rapturous receptions from the supporters. He explained that having watched games in the stands over the years, he loves the support and is honoured to hear the fans chanting his name.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it. Coming through the academy, you go to every single first team game, so I’ve been in the fan’s shoes, I’ve been the one cheering and screaming and celebrating every single goal.”

“So to experience it on the pitch and to get the love from the fans, is a dream come true. And I love the fans so much. They give me so much support and so much love and I just try to play and give everything back to them.”

His progress and recent performances in the first team saw him called up to Tunisia’s U23’s camp during the recent international break, and he made his debut during their 3-1 friendly victory over Iraq.

Canadian fans were disappointed when Elloumi announced that he had made the decision to represent Tunisia in the recent international window, with many hoping that the talented attacker would elect to represent Les Rouges.

However, there may be hope yet that he turns out for Canada, as when asked about his decision Rayan was quick to mention that the call was not permanent because he wasn’t yet cap-tied. Elloumi also said that such a decision was an honour, and that he was very proud to have been able to go to Tunisia and play in front of his family in North Africa.

“Because it’s under 23’s it made it a lot easier because I’m not cap-tied, so I kind of had both options still.”

“It was a fantastic experience, and it’s obviously an honour to represent any of the countries that you can play for. The best thing I could do was give back to my family back in Tunisia, so it was nice that they could come watch me play because they’ve never seen me play and for them to have a footballer in the family, they were all really, really proud.”

Rayan’s attention is now on the playoffs, as the Vancouver Whitecaps are looking ahead to a Western Conference semifinal matchup in front of a packed house at BC Place against LAFC.

(Images: Mark Zhuang)