Revs star Smith regrets injury
Yesterday certainly was a very busy day for Khano Smith. He had not one, but two football games to follow very closely.
Like many US sports fans, Smith and his New England Revolution teammates watched and rooted for the New England Patriots against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
But hours prior to that Smith was following another type of football and a team that is even closer to his heart — the Bermuda national team.
"It's a good thing that I can check out that game on my Blackberry and then concentrate on the Patriots," he said.
Bermuda kicked off CONCACAF World Cup qualifying by playing host to the Cayman Islands at Bermuda National Stadium. It started a 22-month process to determine at least three and perhaps four teams from the region that will participate at the 2010 World Cup in Africa. Six other games will be played Wednesday
Smith would rather be in Bermuda, helping his teammates against Cayman Islands but he hasn't fully recovered from sports hernia surgery in late December.
"It's very difficult," he said. "I'm definitely bummed out.
"That's how I got my job - playing for Bermuda."
Indeed.
Smith attracted the attention of Revolution coach Steve Nicol as he scored in Bermuda's 3-2 loss to New England in Hamilton in March 2005.
"They offered me a contract on the way home," said Smith, who has helped the Revolution reach the MLS Cup three years in a row.
As of today, Smith cannot play for any of his two teams. "I'm still feeling some pain," he said. "I'm able to train, but I'm not 100 percent."
Smith said that he might get a cortisone shot to help things out after deciding not to undergo another operation.
Bermuda coach Kevin Tucker, the former coach at Howard University, felt that Smith won't be missed, at least not in the first game.
"We're actually pretty strong in that part of the field," Tucker told FIFA.com. "I have made preparations knowing that we might be without Khano and this will give an opportunity to some of the younger guys coming up."
But without Smith in the lineup, Bermuda dropped a pair of games to a lowly, but improved, Puerto Rico side that included a number of former MLS players, including ex-Red Bulls defender Graham Taylor, former MetroStars midfielder Petter Villegas and emergency back-up goalkeeper Mike Behonick.
Smith was hoping for a big Bermudan win in the first leg of the total goals series, so he won't be called in for the second encounter on March 26. The Revs open at home against Houston Dynamo on March 29 and Smith doesn't want to miss the rematch of the 2007 MLS Cup, unless the second leg is a must-win situation.
"It's going to be a tough call," he said. "Hopefully, they'll deal with it. They won't ask for my services if we win, 3-0 or 4-0."
But if he is called in, he will serve.
"If I've got to go, I've got to go," Smith said. "I can't leave my country stranded."
Smith was confident Bermuda will prevail.
"I think the players we have can definitely beat them," he said. "They'll be fine."
After the retirement of Shaun Goater, the 25-year-old Smith has become the focal point of a national team that is made up of mostly part-time amateur players. Forward John Barry Nusum, who plies his trade with the Philadelphia KiXX (Major Indoor Soccer League), is another pro who was been called in for yesterday's game.
The team has been training several times a week for almost five months, Smith said.
"That's the advantage of being a small country," he said. "We can practice all the time."
Smith remembered what former Bermuda coach Ken Thompson said: "We're never too small to dream."
"We'll keep trying until we get knocked out," Smith said.
Bermuda's best World Cup run came during the 1994 qualifying when it reached the CONCACAF semifinal round, but finished last in its four-team group at 1-3-2 behind El Salvador, Canada and Jamaica.
"The country was buzzing around the team," Smith said.
Every Caribbean country that likes to point to the success of Jamaica (1998) and Trinidad & Tobago (2006), countries with populations of 2.7 million and 1.3 million, respectively, that qualified for the World Cup. Bermuda, with a population of only 65,000, must be considered more of a long shot.
But Bermudian players, citizens and Smith can dream about qualifying for the World Cup some day.
"I'd be ecstatic," Smith said, if that actually happened. "It would be a life changing experience for the players. I don't think there would be a lot of people left in Bermuda. All of them would be at the World Cup. It would be bad, but it would be great."
Smith noted the excitement generated when Bermuda participated in the Cricket World Cup last year. The tournament was held in the Caribbean. Bermuda finished last out of 16 teams, but it didn't matter.
"I'm sure it would be twice as big as the cricket team," he said. "They had players who worked for the telephone company and electric company. Everyday guys turned heroes."
Smith hopes that he and his teammates will get that opportunity as well.
