You probably recall that speedy Louisville City midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye was called into Canada’s senior team camp ahead of this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. But last night, Kaye earned his first ever senior team cap with the Canucks with a 79th minute substitution in the team’s home friendly against Curacao. How awesome is that!

Kaye’s appearance marks the first time an active Louisville City player has ever appeared for his country’s senior national team. MAK previously started matches for Canada’s U-23 team, which earned the attention of coach Octavio Zambrano. Greg Ranjitsingh has also been called into camps for Trinidad & Tobago but has not yet appeared in a match for the Soca Warriors. Speedy Williams also made a senior team appearance in 2010 with Jamaica, but was not a professional at the time.

Mark-Anthony strikes me as an “in the present” kind of guy when he plays for Louisville City, and that’s how he approached his appearance last night, too. “I don’t think the moment hit me until the game was done — that I actually got my first cap,” Kaye said. “I feel like as soon as I got in, it was like,’ Game on. How am I going to affect the game? How am I going to assert myself?’”

While I’d much rather have MAK in Louisville during the Gold Cup, it seems like he’s got a good shot at making the roster for the summer international tournament for Canada. Kaye will travel back to Louisville on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s USL game against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Congratulations again to Mark-Anthony!