When tiny island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis begin their qualifying run for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, they will be banking on the athleticism, raw power and potential goals of their favourite son: big Atiba Harris.

One of precious few overseas professionals in the Sugar Boyz squad, Harris began his football journey in England with Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle United as a schoolboy, before returning home at the urging of his father to finish school. The powerful striker eventually landed in Cadiz, where be became the first St Kitts and Nevis player to kick a ball in Spain, and then moved on to the USA and its Major League Soccer.

About to start his first season with Los Angeles-based Chivas USA after two years with Real Salt Lake, Atiba - the first St Kitts man to play professional football in the States - is raring to make his robust approach count during the Islanders' opening date with minnows Belize.

"It's taken me a little while to get used to playing in the United States," Harris, 23, told FIFA.com. "Back where I come from on the Islands and also where I learned the game, in England, football is very physical.

"Some people think I am a dirty player here in the States, but I just like to use my strength and my body. Some of the things referees call in MLS don't warrant a second look in England or the Caribbean," he added with a chuckle.

More than your single-minded bruiser, Harris' speed and nose for goal have made him the focal point of a St. Kitts and Nevis side comprised mainly of local amateurs, US University prospects and a crop of English-based lower leaguers. And his seven goals in 22 internationals make him the big hope for more of the same in 2008.

"He is the face of professional football for St Kitts and Nevis," said head coach and former international Leonard Taylor, now in his third year at the helm of the Sugar Boyz. "He is a complete striker and he learned his trade here on the islands, so the other guys look up to him. Strong and determined, we will be relying on him a great deal."

Chivas USA boss and former USA star Preki, who played in England with Everton and Portsmouth during the 1990s, shares Leonard's high opinion of Harris. "He can hold up the ball and has great speed," he said, with just over two months to go before the start of the new MLS campaign. "We expect big things from him."

Although St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest nation in the Americas, with a population of just over 40,000 and an area of 101 square miles, they will be firm favourites in their two-legged first round CONCACAF qualifier with Belize, who are currently placed joint-201st out of 208 on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Kitts and Nevis, by comparison, are a respectable 151st and recently split a pair of matches with Bermuda and Antigua and Barbuda.

As the English-speaking Central American underdogs were unable to provide a suitable ground for the first leg, the 6 February contest will be played in Guatemala City, with the return leg in Kitts' capital of Basseterre on 26 February.

Complete Story, FIFA.com