Quakes midfielder Atiba Harris isn’t new to the international stage. Having represented his native Saint Kitts and Nevis at the youth and senior levels, the striker has had nine goals in his 25 appearances with the Caribbean nation - two of those goals coming most recently last week in the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifiers. He led his country to the top spot in Group 6, drawing St. Lucia and defeating Dominica 5-0 and Guyana 2-0 to seal the deal. The Sugar Boyz will compete with Haiti, Barbados in the next phase of qualification from Oct. 6 – 13 in Haiti.
We sat down with the new father of three – him and his wife just welcomed their third baby girl into the world - to talk what it’s like to captain his country, what the Caribbean Cup means for Saint Kitts and Nevis, and, of course, his favorite part of going home.
SJEarthquakes.com:Tell us about your recent experience at the qualifiers in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Atiba Harris: It was fun going back home and being with the local guys again. Getting to taste a bit of local food, weather and enjoying a good tournament.
SJEQ:What is your favorite thing to do when you go home?
Harris: Spend time with my parents - that’s important to me. I don’t see them very often so whenever I go over I try to spend as much time as possible with them.
SJEQ:Did your new baby girl Bella go with you?
Harris: No, unfortunately she doesn’t have a passport so she couldn’t come [laughs].
SJEQ:How is it being a dad?
Harris: Great, I have three girls, well actually four including my wife [laughs]. It’s a fun, exciting household.
SJEQ:In one word, how does it feel to be the captain of your national team?
Harris: Honored.
SJEQ:Do you have any pregame rituals to pump your guys up?
Harris: I just try to keep the guys as relaxed as possible. It’s a young team so I try to keep them relaxed and tell them to go out and enjoy.
SJEQ:With a draw in your first match, how did you overcome that result to get two huge wins?
Harris: It was very difficult after that first one. The fans weren’t that pleased. We had to go out better the next game, and I think we did a very good job attacking from the get go and scoring early.
SJEQ:What’s your greatest national team moment?
Harris: Being the captain of the national team. Fortunately for me, the coach of the national team coached me in junior high school. It’s been an honor to work with him.
SJEQ: So have you known the guys on the team for a while?
Harris: Yeah, a lot of the guys are younger than me so I’ve seen them grow up. Before I left St. Kitts, I saw them a lot in leagues in elementary school.
SJEQ:You scored in two of the three matches. Were those goals your favorite moment of these qualifiers so far?
Harris: I think my favorite moment was actually winning and qualifying for the next round. That was most important for me.
SJEQ:How important is the Caribbean Cup to Saint Kitts and Nevis as a team in general?
Harris: As one of, or if not, the smallest nation in the Americas, it’s a great opportunity to play against any country that is bigger. The Gold Cup is pretty much our World Cup because the nation is so small, so we would be honored to qualify for it.
