Just about every youngster who has ever kicked a football in the back yard, neighbourhood street or at a local club has likely one time or another harboured ambitions of playing professionally.

Khano Smith was no different.

In his case, though, he set himself high standards, never lost sight of his goal and today is reaping the rewards of a professional career.

The Bermudian striker, fresh off his first season with US Major League Soccer (MLS) side New England Revolution, is currently back home with his new club on a 13 -day tour of the Island which includes a crucial CONCACAF Champions Cup first leg clash with Costa Rica?s LD Alauelense at the National Sports Centre tonight.

Smith would have jumped at the prospect of showcasing his talents alongside his new team-mates in front of the home crowd.

Unfortunately, however, fate would deliver a nasty blow as the 25-year-old striker experienced first hand how unforgiving life can be playing in the MLS ? his dream season coming to a premature end after injuring his left knee during the Revs? Eastern Conference final win over Metro Stars last fall

It was an injury which required minor surgery and ruled the former Dandy Town and North Village striker out of the MLS Cup final against eventual champions LA Galaxy ? and the MLS Eastern Conference champions? comfortable win over Bermuda at the NSC last Saturday.

?I really wanted to show Bermuda how much I have improved,? Smith told .

?This disappointment is right up there with having to miss the MLS Cup final. But I wasn?t going to try and rush things and play in any of these matches.

?They are important to me but looking at the bigger picture the most important thing overall is for me to be fit enough to last for the upcoming season.?

Smith?s talents were first spotted by Revs coach Steve Nicol during the MLS side?s first-ever tour to the Island a year ago.

Smith netted for Bermuda against the Revs, in a performance that all but sealed his pro deal with New England.

Born into a family rich in sports tradition, Smith continued the family legacy.

It was actually father Wayne (Jim) Baxter ? the current technical director at Dandy Town ? who inspired his son to lace up a pair of boots in the then Mini Minor Division.

Smith, whose mother Debra previously represented Bermuda in netball and softball, also enjoyed a two-year playing stint with North Village under coaches Quinton (Tiny) Ming sr and Derek (Rocky) Bean.

?Those were some of the best days of my life, playing at Town (Mini Minors) under my father,? Smith recalled. ?I can remember we reached a cup final but lost to Somerset on penalties and also playing under Rocky (Bean) at Village where we won everything before I left.?

Having a father as coach at Town, however, came along with its share of disadvantages.

?Sometimes people used to tell me I was only playing because my dad was the coach.

?Some people might have been jealous but this never had a negative effect on me. Instead it made me stronger and want to play even harder,? Smith said.

?But I always believed I would play professional football. I had to because if I didn?t believe in myself I would not be where I am today.?

Smith attended Gilbert Primary School and the former Warwick Secondary School for two years before moving to the US at age 14 where he carried on his studies at Maine Central Institute, Champlain Junior College and Lees McRae College in North Carolina where he graduated with a Bachelor?s Degree in Sports Management.

?Those were also some good times and the highlight was probably my final game (for McRae) when we won our conference championship,? Smith recalled. ?We didn?t make it to the NCAA Tournament, but we won our conference championship.?

In all Smith would spend eight years in the US where he received a first dose of high level football playing for Carolina Dynamo in the United States League (USL) Third Division.

?Playing in the USL is a big difference from playing in the MLS which is lot more professional and more organised,? he said. ?There?s still a professional attitude in the USL but the MLS is an entirely different level.?

Smith completed a one-year playing stint in the USL before returning to the local scene at Dandy Town at the beginning of the 2003-04 season.

Little did he realise that both good and not-so-good times lay ahead as Hornets pulled off a stunning Premier Division and FA Cup double in 2004, but lost inspirational full back Randy Swan in a fatal car crash later the same year.

?Randy?s death brought us all even closer together because he was someone you became accustomed to seeing three times per week and then suddenly he was no longer with us,? Smith said.

?We were all close before then but this brought us even closer. Randy was a one-of-a-kind character and for me as a friend he was the one who always kept me on my toes.

?He would always tell me to pick my game up whenever I was not having the best of games and I would tell him the same thing. That?s how we communicated with each other and at the end of the day we always remained friends.

?But we won the league and FA Cup double and that was a great achievement winning trophies at Town after growing up and watching other players such as the Martin brothers (Kris, Kurt and Kent), Wayne Campbell and even the coach Devarr (Boyles) achieve success.?

At the time Smith was employed at Dellwood Middle At the time Smith was employed at Dellwood Middle School as a physical education teacher, a position he held right up to the day he returned to the US to sign on at New England.

A member of Bermuda?s unsuccessful 2006 World Cup qualifying team, Smith went on trials with the Revs on a pre-season tour of Ecuador last year.

Having already been on trials in the UK, he knew a thing or two about what to expect.

?I had been on trials at Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxford before and so I had a general idea,? he said. ?I didn?t want to go out there with my hopes up too high and put a lot of pressure on myself like I had done in the past.

?I wasn?t in the best of shape when I went down there (Ecuador) because they (Revs) were well into their pre-season training. But I was able to take things all in stride.?

Having convinced Revs coach Nicol he had what it took to make the grade, Smith officially debuted for New England against Chicago Fire after jumping off the bench.

?It wasn?t nerve wrecking. It was freezing, we were winning the game and the coach decided to go with some fresh legs up front for the last five minutes,? Smith said.

It wouldn?t be long before the Bermudian made his first start for the Revs at home against Kansas City Wizards, a match which also saw the Bermudian open his MLS scoring account.

?It felt really good to score a goal in my very first start,? he said. ?It was great to get that goal out of the way because once you start and fail to score pressure begins to mount on yourself . But that goal really helped to settle me down a bit.?

Smith?s new career sees him pile up the frequent flyer miles as he has to travel with his team-mates all across the US. And the Bermudian is quick to admit that life can become lonely at times, playing among the pro ranks in foreign territory.

?Of course, there are times when I miss everything about Bermuda, my family and playing at Dandy Town,? he said. ?But you have to learn how to move on in life and some of my former team-mates and family have come overseas to visit me.

?Having to travel a lot with the team doesn?t really affect me and it?s nice to visit different parts of the US. America is a big and beautiful country and it?s just good to be able to see a lot of it.?

As for his boss Nicol and team-mates, Smith said: ?Everybody gets along. We may have our share of squabbles during practice but all of that is forgotten afterwards and Steve (Nicol) and Paul (Revs assistant coach Paul Mariner) are great to have around as people and as coaches.

?They both like to have a laugh but they take the game very seriously as do all of the players. We have a very good combination of people at the moment and great camaraderie in the team.?

Looking back on his maiden season in the MLS, Smith admitted there was still room for improvement.

?I think I made a good account of myself though I think I still could have scored a few more goals,? he said. ?I wouldn?t say I was totally satisfied but I was generally pleased.?

Smith has also adjusted to playing in front of bigger crowds.

?Once you are in the match and thinking about what it is you have to do, you really don?t have any time to think about the crowd,? he said.

As for future achievements, Smith added: ?I would just like to have a successful career in the MLS. I?d like to play in the MLS for at least ten years and win the MLS Cup and any other individual awards that come along with it.?

He also hopes to see Bermuda qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

?Cricket made it and so it?s not impossible,? he said. ?Kenny Thompson (former national coach) used to always tell us that we?re not too small to dream. As long as we can dream it we can also achieve it.

?Bermuda has always had good players but we just have to get everything right to play and compete at the next level against higher calibre players all the time.

?We just have to keep playing against high calibre opposition on a more consistent basis in order to improve our own standards and not fall back on bad habits.?