The Falmouth, Maine native hadn’t appeared in an MLS game since 2005, when he got into one game with the San Jose Earthquakes, the team that selected him in the third round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. Since then, Levesque had spent all of his career with the Seattle Sounders’ USL franchise.

Levesque, 28, says he would have been perfectly happy to remain in the USL with Seattle, the city he loves and now calls home.

“That thought never really crossed my mind,” Levesque said. “I was happy in Seattle. The team was competitive with MLS teams when we played them in the US Open Cup games. The thought of leaving Seattle to try out in a preseason (MLS) camp never really occurred to me.

“There’s always that competitive spirit in me that wanted to play at the highest level. But I was having a great experience in Seattle and I wanted to stick around.”

Levesque (pronounced luh-VECK) first appeared for the Sounders in 2003, when he was loaned there by the Earthquakes. Shortly after being drafted, he tore his ACL while with the US U-23 national team. In need of some match action upon recovery, Levesque went to Seattle, scoring two goals in six games to help the club make the USL playoffs.

“I had such a positive experience there my first year, and the opportunity was there to come up and play some matches, and that was the most important thing at that point,” Levesque said.

The 6-foot-2 striker did appear in three regular season games that year for a San Jose side that, led by Landon Donovan, won the MLS Cup over the Chicago Fire, 4-2.

Levesque spent the entire 2004 season with Seattle, scoring eight goals, and led the team with 10 goals (including playoffs) during its championship season in 2005. In 2007, Seattle again won a USL title, with Levesque named to the all-USL second team that season.

After the 2008 campaign concluded, Levesque prepared for a grueling preseason camp in mid-January, with an eye toward making the MLS squad. The team went to California and then Argentina, where it played several friendlies, including one against the reserve team of River Plate, one of the country’s most prestigious clubs.

“Each day I had to go out and prove I belonged,” Levesque said.

On March 16, the Sounders signed Levesque and defender Zach Scott, another veteran of Seattle’s USL side. Levesque was on the bench for the Sounders’ 3-0 season-opening win over the New York Red Bulls three days later, where he also came on as an injury time substitute.

Levesque and his Sounders teammates won’t soon forget the atmosphere of playing in front of 32,523 fans at Qwest Field that night.

“Just being a part of the first MLS game in Seattle was amazing,” he said. “Seeing the crowd and the energy of Opening Night was something I don’t think any of use could’ve every expected.”

Levesque made his initial move to the West coast after graduating from Falmouth High School - a small school of around 400 students at the time - in 1999. He had a remarkable athletic career there, winning seven state championships: two in soccer, three in basketball and two in baseball.

On the pitch, he was a two-time State Player of the Year, and set the state career scoring record with 106 goals.

Despite the success, Levesque found scholarship opportunities limited, opting instead to walk on at Stanford University.

“Maine wasn’t exactly known as a soccer hotbed. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to play at the highest level (in college),” Levesque said. “I decided to take a chance. I had talked to Stanford’s coach at the time, Bobby Clark, and thought it was a good situation to be a part of.”

Levesque went on to have a remarkable college career, and was an All-American his junior and senior seasons (2001 and 2002). He left Stanford third all-time in assists (30), sixth in points (88) and seventh in goals (29).

“I was very fortunate to be a part of a really good recruiting class and a great group of guys,” Levesque said. “A lot of guys in my class took soccer very seriously. Just being part of that group and the work ethic that was ingrained in that group of guys helped me a lot.”

The Cardinal advanced to the Final Four in 2001, losing in the national semifinals to North Carolina, 3-2, in the fourth overtime. Stanford led, 2-0, with 10 minutes to go in the game before conceding a pair of late goals to force overtime.

In 2002, Stanford advanced to the national championship game, losing to Pac-10 rival UCLA, 1-0, on a goal in the 88th minute.

Although it took him over 3,000 miles away from home, Levesque has no regrets over his decision to go to Stanford.

“I definitely would do the exact same thing,” he said. “It was far away from family and friends, which was tough, but I was definitely ready for that change. It got me to where I am today.”

Today, Levesque finds himself with a Seattle team that is making waves early in its first MLS season. The Sounders - coached by Sigi Schmid, the mastermind behind the Columbus Crew’s run to an MLS Cup last season - are 2-0 and early leaders in the league’s Western conference.

It’s a long season, though, one that will see Seattle play eight of its last 12 matches on the road after playing 11 of its first 18 at home.

The Sounders’ quick start, however, has the team thinking postseason.

“With the group of players we have and with Sigi as coach, I think the expectations are high,” Levesque said. “With that said, expansion teams generally don’t fare too well… Making the playoffs is a goal to shoot for, no question.

“Winning games at home and getting points at home is key in MLS. If we can do well at home, that will put us in a good spot going into the second half of the season.”