Whitecaps host Houston tonight

VANCOUVER — Defender Brett Levis made his Major League Soccer debut for the Vancouver Whitecaps when he came on in the 84th minute of a game against the Portland Timbers on Oct. 23, 2016.

In his brief appearance, the Saskatoon native suffered an ACL tear in his right knee. It would be 551 days before Levis would appear in another MLS match for Vancouver.

Many things changed in the world during Levis’ rehab period. Donald Trump became president of the United States. The #MeToo movement took hold. Toronto FC lost and won an MLS Cup final.

The one thing that never wavered was Levis’ desire to play soccer.

“It means everything to me,” the Whitecaps’ left back said after a training session this week as Vancouver prepared for tonight’s match against the Houston Dynamo at BC Place Stadium.

“It’s something I have worked toward for a very long time, as long as I can remember.”

Saskatchewan has produced a lot of NHL players. Other athletes have gone on to play football, even baseball. Soccer, not so much.

The Whitecaps say Levis is just the second Saskatchewan-born player to start an MLS match. Rob Friend, a native of Rosetown, Sask., who grew up in Kelowna, played for the L.A. Galaxy in 2014.

Heading into the weekend, the Whitecaps (4-5-1) are third in the Western Conference with 13 points. Houston (3-3-2) sits in the sixth and final playoff spot with 11 points. Only three points separate the ninth and third spot in the tight conference.

Vancouver is 2-1-1 playing at home, while the Dynamo are 0-1-2 on the road.

After a promising start to the season, the Whitecaps are 1-4 in their last five games and have been outscored 11-3 during that stretch. The Whitecaps have scored 10 goals in the 10 games they’ve played and have been shut out four times.