Atiba Erasto Harris (born 9 January 1985) is a
Kittitian
Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
administrator and former professional footballer. He captained the
Saint Kitts and Nevis national team.
As of August 2021, he serves as President of the
St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association
The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association is the governing body of football in the country of Saint Kitts and Nevis. They control the Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team.
Association staff
References
External links
Official we ...
.
Career
Club
Harris played for St. Peters FC as a youngster, captaining them to the SKNFA Premier League Finals, and became the first player from St. Kitts to sign with a Spanish club when he signed in Spain with
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
in 2004–05.
In 2006, he became the first St. Kitts player to sign with
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
. He signed with Salt Lake and scored four goals and recorded one assist in 12 starts.
In December 2007, Harris was traded to
Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guada ...
for a third-round pick in the
2008 SuperDraft. After a season and a half with Chivas USA, the Goats traded Harris in July 2009 to
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
in exchange for
Marcelo Saragosa. Harris ended his Chivas USA career with 42 appearances, 5 goals, and 7 assists.
On 12 September 2009, in a match against
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
, Harris scored his first goal with FC Dallas off a
Dax McCarty
Michael Dax McCarty (born April 30, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
Early career
McCarty was raised in Winter Park, Florida and attended Winter Park High School. During his ...
cross. He went on to score another goal vs Seattle finishing the season with two goals and five assists for FC Dallas and four goals and seven assists overall for the 2009 MLS season. Harris was a key player for Dallas in 2010 scoring four goals during the season and helping the club reach its first
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
final.
He was selected by the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...
in the
2011 MLS Expansion Draft. Harris suffered an injury and missed most of the 2011 season. He stayed with Vancouver throughout the 2012 season before being traded to
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
in December 2012 in exchange for an
international roster spot.
After one season in Colorado Harris was traded to
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
in January 2014 in exchange for
Marvin Chávez
Marvin Antonio Chávez (born November 3, 1983 in La Ceiba) is a Honduran footballer who played as a midfielder, most recently for C.D. Marathón in the Liga Nacional.
Career
Club
Chávez – who is nicknamed "el hijo del viento" (''the son of ...
.
Harris stayed one season in San Jose before entering the
2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft
The two-stage 2014 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 12, 2014 (Stage 1) and December 18, 2014 (Stage 2). All 20 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate.
The priority order for the Re-Entry Draft was reverse order of finish ...
in December 2014. He was selected in stage two of the draft by
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
. During his second stint in Dallas, head coach
Óscar Pareja
Óscar Alexander Pareja Gómez (born 10 August 1968) is a Colombian professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Orlando City in Major League Soccer. Pareja is nicknamed ''El Generalito'', the Little Gene ...
mostly used Harris as a right fullback.
International
Harris has played for the
Saint Kitts and Nevis national team since 2003 and served as team
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. He played in five of St. Kitts'
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
qualifying games, and in its
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
qualifying game against
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
on 6 February 2008.
Post-playing career
In May 2021, following his retirement from playing, Harris declared his candidacy for president of the
St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association
The St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association is the governing body of football in the country of Saint Kitts and Nevis. They control the Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team.
Association staff
References
External links
Official we ...
, which he won on 29 August.
Career statistics
International goals
:''Scores and results list Saint Kitts and Nevis's goal tally first.''
Personal life
Harris is from
Monkey Hill,
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
. He is the son of Sonia Williams of
Gingerland
Saint George Gingerland, also known as St. George's Gingerland, is a parish in the southeastern part of the island of Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. It is one of five parishes on the island, and has a total population of about 2,500. The fi ...
,
Nevis
Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...
, and Egbert Harris of St. Peter's, St. Kitts. He has two older sisters along with a younger brother, Kareem Harris, who is also a footballer. He and his wife Rachael Harris have four daughters.
He is the cousin of English former footballer
Micah Richards
Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English former professional footballer, sports pundit for Sky Sports and BBC Sport, and as an ambassador of Manchester City.
As a player, he was a right back who played in the Premier League and ...
.
Honours
FC Dallas
*
Western Conference
** Playoffs:
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
** Regular Season:
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
*
Supporters' Shield: 2016
*
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country.
The 2023 U.S. O ...
:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
Legacy
On 14 February 2020, the sporting facility in his hometown St. Peter's was renamed the Atiba Erasto Harris Sporting Complex. This facility hosts a football field along with both a basketball and a netball court.
On 29 August 2021, Harris became the youngest president of the SKNFA at the age of 36.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Atiba
1985 births
Living people
People from Basseterre
Saint Kitts and Nevis footballers
Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriate footballers
Saint Kitts and Nevis international footballers
Cádiz CF players
CD Linares players
Real Salt Lake players
Chivas USA players
FC Dallas players
Vancouver Whitecaps FC players
Colorado Rapids players
San Jose Earthquakes players
OKC Energy FC players
Murciélagos FC footballers
Expatriate footballers in Mexico
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
Major League Soccer players
Association football wingers
Association football defenders
Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriate sportspeople in Mexico
Saint Kitts and Nevis expatriate sportspeople in the United States
USL Championship players