An official letter remains the only obstacle preventing Khano Smith from realising his lifelong dream of playing professional football and joining Major League Soccer (MLS) club, the New England Revolution.

According to a source involved in ongoing negotiations: ?Khano needs to receive the letter that will allow him to get his work visa at the Consulate. That could be today or month from now. Otherwise, the deal is a go.?

In the meantime, striker Smith, 24, has been hitting the irons in the gym to maintain sharpness.

?I?ve just been doing things on my own,? he told . ?Of course I am eager to go . . . but it will come and I just have to be patient.?

The Dandy Town player accompanied the Revolution on a pre-season tour to Ecuador last month and reckons he ?fitted in well?.

Smith hit the target twice while on tour, a feat which seems to have impressed coach Steve Nichol.

?I think I definitely have something to offer,? Smith continued. ?So for now I am just preparing myself as best I can and waiting my chance.?

The national team striker has previously undergone trials on both sides of the Atlantic with Oxford United and Rochdale in the UK and has represented Carolina Dynamo in the United Soccer League (USL).

Smith netted Bermuda?s opening goal against the Revolution at the National Sports Centre early last month. Behind the scenes discussions with New England officials then led to the Hornets forward joining up with the Revolution on the tour of Ecuador.

?They are a good bunch of guys,? added Smith.

Having already experienced playing football at a higher level in the US at Dynamo, Smith said: ?I wasn?t shellshocked or anything like that. It?s just playing at a higher level and more organised football.

?But it?s always been an ambition of mine to play professional football. And this is really just a natural progression for me in my life. This is something I always wanted to do.?

Smith has quickly formed a ?close? bond with coach Nicol and assistant coach Paul Mariner.

?I feel I have a closer bond with Paul (Mariner) more than the other coaches,? he said. ?And all of the other strikers probably feel the same way because we spend more time with him. He?s really enthusiastic about coaching the strikers.?

As for the legendary Nicol, Smith described his new coach as ?one of the boys?.

?But the line is drawn where you know he is the coach,? he pointed out. ?He?s a very nice guy who doesn?t carry an ego on his shoulders. And he certainly knows his stuff because he has played before at the highest level in the world.?

Last Sunday the Revolution blanked the Columbus Crew 3-0 in their season home opener at Gillette Stadium in what was a rematch of last season?s Eastern Conference semi-final.

The Revolution won via strikes from Clint Dempsey, Pat Noonan and substitute Andy Dorman.