Khano expects sub�s role in MLS Cup final
By Sam Stevens
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Glory days: Khano Smith hugs Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis after the team won their MLS Conference final.
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A knee injury forced him to watch last year�s MLS final from the stands � but Khano Smith has been using that painful memory as motivation this week as he prepares for what is undoubtedly the biggest moment of his footballing life.
Smith�s New England Revolution take on the Houston Dynamo at the 22,000-seat Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas this weekend for right to be called MLS champions, and the Bermuda forward is chomping at the bit to make an impact from his position on the left-hand side of midfield.
Finally returning to action mid-way through the MLS season following a lengthy recovery from knee surgery, the former Dandy Town striker has made ten appearances so far for the Revs � seven times as a second-half substitute � scoring only one goal but contributing frequently to his side�s attacks with his pace and crossing ability.
Though he would most likely have started last year�s final if he hadn�t been stretchered off in the Eastern conference semi-finals after colliding with former French international Youri Djorkaeff, this year Smith has been used as more of an impact player and is realistic about his chances of starting on Sunday.
�Steve�s (Nicol) been using me as a substitute basically since I came back from being injured, so I�d be very surprised if he suddenly decided to start me,� said Smith yesterday, en route to picking up his mother from the airport, who along with his girlfriend and daughter will be in the stadium to support him.
�Of course if he did ask me to start I would be ready to do so. But I�m almost guaranteed some playing time because he put me on in every play-off game and I think he likes to bring me on in the second half to try and shake things up and try and change the game.
�Obviously I�d rather be starting � I�m a footballer, we all want to play as much as possible � but this game is such an important one for the whole club that as long as I�m contributing in a positive way and we come away with the win, that�s all that matters to me.�
While wearing a Bermuda shirt, Smith generally plays as an out-and-out striker, lately alongside John Barry Nusum in the opening round of the Digicel Cup in the US Virgin Islands.
Under the Revs� 3-5-2 formation, however, former Liverpool legend Nicol favours Smith wide on the left � a position he says he is gradually becoming more comfortable with.
�I can play on the left or up front, I don�t really mind,� he said.
�Playing on the left in a 3-5-2 formation means I have quite a lot of defensive responsibility without a genuine fullback behind me. But I�m perfectly happy to track back when I have to and there are still plenty of opportunities to get forward.�
While football in a city like Boston � which boasts both baseball�s Red Sox and American football�s New England Patriots � often struggles for consistent mainstream publicity, Smith said media attention this week has been more intense than at any time during his two seasons at the club.
When he first arrived he was almost never recognised on the street, but on Tuesday while shopping at his local mall he was stopped on three or four occasions by people wanting his autograph and to wish him good luck ahead of the big day.
�Football�s profile in Boston is definitely on the up, which I think is down to our recent record of success,� said Smith in reference to the Revs� feat of reaching the MLS championship final for the second-straight year.
�When I first arrived I was completely anonymous, but now I get recognised and approached quite often and there was more media at practice today than I�ve ever seen before.
�It�s great to see. The MLS is only ten years old and has a long way to go before it can match American sports in terms of popularity but it�s exciting to be involved in a league which is growing.�
With Sunday�s final at the forefront of his mind, Smith admitted he has had little opportunity to dwell on the prospect of Bermuda�s upcoming assignments in the second phase of the Digicel Cup in Barbados � though the 25-year-old is hell bent on returning home to begin his national team preparations with a championship ring on his finger.
�The Digicel Cup has definitely been hanging around in the back of my mind and I�m really looking forward to the games in Barbados,� he said, while revealing that assistant national coach Paul Scope could also be travelling to the final in Texas.
�Obviously the priority at the moment is the final, but it would be in my interests and the national team�s interests if I came home with a ring on my finger because I would be that much more confident going into the games.
�I want that ring on my finger so badly and I�m going to be doing everything I can to get it.�
