Playing college soccer was a dream come true.
Getting drafted by an MLS club was a dream come true.
Playing in preseason with the first team was a dream come true.
Now, in the latest moment of lucid dreaming, Ayoub Lajhar has stopped feeling the need to pinch himself and just lives in the moment.
Lajhar, 21, made his first team debut for FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night at TQL Stadium; subbing on for The Orange and Blue in the 69th minute of the Concacaf Champions Cup match against O&M and instantly making an impression.
A quiet debut appearance would have been more than enough. But in just 21 minutes of action, Lajhar earned two assists by setting up Alvas Powell and Stefan Chirila for goals, capping off an already proud moment for the UConn alum, MLS SuperDraft selection, and even prouder son.
“It’s a dream come true…I didn’t have to pinch myself, but I thought about it,” Lajhar said with a laugh after his debut performance. “I’ve just tried to take it all in...signing the short-term contract, talking to Coach Pat the day before, getting that excitement knowing that I might be going in. I thought about it all night; I couldn’t sleep.
“Then the day of the game you're warming up, stepping out in the field…honestly, it was unreal. It was just an unbelievable feeling and knowing that my family was in the stands for it was even better. It was so much joy and excitement that I got to share with everyone in my life and in this city.”
Lajhar was born and raised in Dernah, Libya, which is where his soccer journey began. His father, Slayman, was a professional soccer player for Libyan Premier League club Darnes SC and served as an inspiration for the young Lajhar to chase his dream.
“My dad was my biggest motivation, he passed away when I was six months old, and one thing my mom told me was that he had a wish. He wanted me to complete his dream of playing professionally outside of Libya,” Lajhar said in an interview with FCCincinnati.com prior to the start of preseason. “Just playing anywhere outside of the country, Europe, the States, just somewhere where he felt like I would accomplish a little bit more in my football career. I took that to heart at a really young age and I just want to accomplish that for him.”
When Lajhar took the field at TQL Stadium on Wednesday night, much of his family was in the stands, making the trip to see him in a first team uniform and, perhaps, make his professional debut. When he subbed in the second half, Lajhar says he felt his late father with him and thought of him nearly every moment of the experience.
“He was on my mind that whole time,” Lajhar explained after the debut. “After the match, I went up to my godfather's family, and I was like, ‘those passes, those assists, were just my dad. He carried them off my foot.’”
“Stepping onto the field is not only a dream of mine, but a dream of his,” Lajhar continued. “So I carry him through every practice, through every game. That first game is something I'm very proud of, and it was definitely a salute to him. It was amazing.”
In 2014, Ayoub’s dream had to pause. At nine years old, he and his family fled his homeland at the outbreak of the Libyan Civil War and moved to Tunisia. He lived there for three years, then moved to the United States to live with his godfather in Vermont, where he continued his soccer journey. There, he played with youth clubs in Battlesboro, Vermont, and Massachusetts on the way to earning a scholarship at the University of Connecticut and becoming a UConn Husky.
“There were a lot of hardships in those moments, a lot of hardships,” Lajhar says of his journey away from Libya and to the United States. “But I feel blessed for my family. And those hardships have prepared me. Getting through those hardships and challenges builds character. So coming here and to preseason, fighting every day and training every day, it just gives me the ability to give it all I have.
“As a young kid, growing up like that, moving around a lot with the war and everything, you just have to keep going forward,” Lajhar continued. “I think that's what the professional game is about. Just keep going. This is a start of a chapter, and only a beginning, a debut, and hopefully there is more to come. So I’ll just keep going, proving myself.”
After three seasons at UConn, Lajhar entered the MLS SuperDraft. His draft party was him, his family (including his godfather) and a few friends and teammates, gathered around waiting to hear if his name was called and a dream was fulfilled. He says he felt confident he would be selected — he led UConn in assists his junior season and was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection — but was unsure of when or where.
But really, it didn’t matter when he was selected, just that he was.
Four Huskies were drafted that day, but he was the first. FC Cincinnati selected Ayoub Lajhar with the 55th pick in the draft, and his professional journey officially began.
“Draft day was very emotional for me, because I'm here ready to accomplish something that (my father) dreamed of his entire life and then for me, and I'm just living through him,” Lajhar said. “I'm just super blessed to be here…you dream of something your entire life, and you look to something for your entire life, and then to have it happen is just a sense of relief, but also joy, and also a little bit of excitement that you're now here and ready to work for the next chapter of your life. I just feel so appreciative of the coaching staff and the entire FC Cincinnati team for having faith in me. The day was surreal, and so has every day since.”
Prior to his arrival at UConn, Lajhar was an attacking midfielder who led all of Vermont Class C High School soccer in goals and assists at Vermont Academy. His move to fullback in the NCAA ranks allowed him to showcase his athleticism while maintaining that attacking presence. Lajhar, though, doesn’t describe his game in terms of position.
“I'm fierce. There's no fear within me. I play with confidence. I play with excitement. I play with joy. I'm not afraid to make a mistake,” Lahjar said prior to the FC Cincinnati preseason beginning. “I'm willing to outwork everybody on the team…I hold myself to the accountability of outworking everyone who's next to me, and that's what's gotten me here so far. So I just try to play with a lot of excitement, joy and confidence because I just love being able to compete and run and play.”
Lajhar joined FC Cincinnati for preseason in Clearwater, Florida, this year and made an impression. He featured in four preseason friendlies and earned an MLS NEXT Pro contract with FC Cincinnati 2. The defender was then selected to join the first team for the Concacaf Champions Cup match at TQL Stadium.
“I've talked to a lot of people in my lifetime, and a lot of people find it hard, but you have to enjoy what you do,” Lajhar reflected on what he’s learned most in his journey. “I’m playing the sport I grew up playing that gave me some sense of peace and happiness and love, and gave me confidence when everything else was chaotic. So I have to enjoy the privilege that I have here at FC Cincinnati, and hopefully for the rest of my life, however long my career is, but it’s definitely a privilege.”
With the MLS NEXT Pro season on the horizon, Ayoub Lajhar will return to FC Cincinnati 2, begin the season there, and continue his development in the FCC system. Lajhar featured in FCC 2's season opener over the weekend, for example. But he’s certainly forced folks to take notice of him with his performance – Head Coach Pat Noonan highlighted Lajhar’s play after his debut and said he used those minutes well.
Ayoub Lajhar knows all too well that nothing is promised. He has gone through too much in his life, experienced too much, to think otherwise. He is clear-eyed about the possibility that he may not return to the first-team level for a while, or ever. But he’s undeterred by that. Lajhar is committed to working as hard and as long as needed to make sure that isn’t the case, and this 21-minute cameo isn’t the last time you hear his name at TQL Stadium.
“I just have to enjoy it and make the most of it. Obviously, the big games matter, and nerves will be there, but at the end of the day, it's just another kick of the ball. From six years old playing in the streets to now playing at TQL Stadium, it's just all the same feeling, and I don’t want that joy to ever go away.”
“Anytime I step on that field, it's how can I enjoy this moment? How can I make the most of this moment? So if I just keep working, proving myself, getting the respect and trust of the coaches, that’s making the most of my blessings. Then, hopefully, the next step is my MLS debut,” Lajhar said, with a grin.
But even if it was just one chance, for one night, he got to live out a dream set up for him at birth and star for a team abroad. That's special, and that enough is a dream come true.
There is no need for a pinch, Ayoub; it was real.
