If Josh Gatt had followed doctor’s orders, he wouldn’t be prepping for Minnesota United FC’s inaugural MLS match on Friday at the Portland Timbers (9:30 pm ET; FS1 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).

Gatt, 25, signed with Minnesota earlier this preseason after five years with Norwegian club Molde, continuing a pro soccer journey that began very promisingly before being derailed by three separate ACL tears. That’s a brutal run of bad luck, but Gatt never considered walking away from the game – not even after the doctor who performed his second ACL surgery told him he should retire.

“What do you say to somebody who tells you that you should stop doing what you love?” Gatt told the Pioneer Press’ Andy Greder for a story published on Sunday. “If my leg got cut off, there is a reason that I could never do it again.”

Gatt, of course, chose to press on, getting back on the field following his second ACL tear only injure the knee ligament a third time in 2015. While rehabbing that injury, Gatt found out that the doctor who had advised him to retire failed to properly reattach his ACL. That discovery led to additional recovery work, but Gatt now feels fully healthy and ready to help the Loons in their inaugural MLS campaign.

“I don’t think I’ve lost any steps,” he said. “It’s a gift to have that because I know players have, but I don’t feel that way. I feel fortunate in that fact, and I’ve shown it, too.”

For more info on Gatt, check out Greder’s full story.