July 18 (UPI) -- The Seattle Sounders started cancer patient Bheem Goyal, 8, in goal before a game against Borussia Dortmund.
Bheem made the opening save and cleared the ball out of the box for the Sounders, prior to the squad's 3-1 loss to its Bundesliga counterpart in a friendly Wednesday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
Dortmund took the kickoff, blasting the ball through the box. Bheem ran to his right and trapped the ball before sending it out to Sounders center back Xavier Arreaga. The crowd erupted after Bheem's play on the ball.
Bheem also trained with the Sounders prior to the game, being tutored by keeper Stefan Frei and club director of goalkeeping Tom Dutra. The boy is fighting leukemia and was signed to the team's roster July 10 in partnership with Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington.
He arrived at the team facility in a limousine.
"A passionate Sounders fan, Bheem calls the club's 2016 MLS Cup Championship the greatest moment in his life and uses the team as subjects for school assignments whenever possible," the Sounders said in a news release.
"Last year, he received a special video message from goalkeeper Stefan Frei to lift his spirits during treatment, growing his connection to the Rave Green."
Bheem is almost a year into his treatment, with another two years remaining.
"It was great to have him out training with us and see what we are doing on the daily and get his mind off of things to have a good time," Frei said. "Sports always give you an outlet. They allow you to disappear in your own world and forget about your worries."
