'It's pretty surreal': Saskatoon soccer star hits the pitch with Vancouver Whitecaps
Brett Levis made an assist that led to the game-tying goal
Tuesday night was a night to remember for a former University of Saskatchewan soccer player.
Saskatoon's Brett Levis got a chance to take to the pitch with the Vancouver Whitecaps when they took on the English Premier League's Crystal Palace.
"It's pretty surreal. You know, I've watched those players play on TV. I knew a lot of those players, so to actually be on the pitch with them and doing the same thing as them was pretty cool," said Levis.
"And obviously, from the feedback I got, I played pretty well."
He normally plays on the Whitecaps FC 2 team, an affiliate of the Whitecaps, but was called up for Tuesday's game.Â
Not wasting the opportunity, Levis crossed in a long ball that led to the game-tying goal of 2-2.
"It was just a really good moment, you know. I've never played in front of that many fans. I think there was about 15,000 there," he said.
Levis said Saskatchewan soccer is on the rise thanks to the Whitecaps Saskatchewan Academy and Huskies head coach Bryce Chapman.
He hopes his own success will inspire young soccer players in Saskatchewan to believe a professional career is possible.
"I've seen a lot of players kind of go through the CIS and kind of fizzle out, and not necessarily give up, but there's not a ton of avenues that they can take. So hopefully, again, they can see what I'm doing and you know, seeing more kids from Saskatchewan do that," he added.
With files from CBC's Peter Mills