It had been more than six months since Waylon Francis set foot on a Major League Soccer playing field, and nearly eight months since he had played a full 90-minute game.

Saturday's 3-2 victory over Portland marked Francis’ first regular-season test since having surgery on his right shoulder in October.

Over a few months, the 26-year-old left back eased his way into soccer-specific drills, then light contact in scrimmages and practices. After a rehabilitation process that has been described as gradual, Francis drew for his MLS return the equivalent of being thrown into the deep end of a pool. His first assignment: Squaring off with a Timbers team that entered the game with 10 goals, the second-most through three weeks in MLS.

“I thought it was a tough game for him to have to go into based on who the opponent was going to be, whether it was (Sebastian) Blanco or (Dairon) Asprilla, very dynamic, very tricky players, so it was going to be hard for him. But I think he did well,” Crew SC coach Gregg Berhalter said. “I think all things considered, we’re pleased with Waylon’s performance and more importantly how he held up over 90 minutes.”

For a player who was on the field for at least 24 regular-season matches and at least 2,100 minutes in his first two seasons with the Crew, more than five months away from non-exhibition soccer was difficult, Francis said.

“It took me like six months, 5½ months (to return), and that was a difficult moment for me, but the important thing is that I’m back and I’m trying to help my teammates,” Francis said. “It was just putting all my work into training, physical training, and then being prepared mentally. That’s all I did and that’s what made me feel good on the pitch.”

Francis said he felt better as Saturday’s victory progressed, and that gaining confidence in his movement required taking some early contact.

Those impressions were reflected in the 2015 All-Star’s play. He was a step late on Asprilla’s opening goal late in the fourth minute and had a couple of untimely slips, but he recovered to finish out a full 90 minutes. His first opportunity this season stemmed from starting left back Jukka Raitala being on international duty with Finland. With Raitala returning to Columbus on Wednesday, it’s unclear when Francis’ next shot will come.

That adds left back to a growing list of Crew SC positions at which added depth has allowed for quicker substitutions and in some cases kept a few veteran players off the field in March. At central midfield, for example, the emergence of Artur and Mohammed Abu has left Tony Tchani without an appearance in 2017.

“We’ll look at rhythm of the players, we’ll look at who is in better form, but right now Jukka has a bigger body of work to go off of this year,” Berhalter said of left back. “But Waylon has the past, and he has done well in the past. We’ll evaluate that when we can.”

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