FRISCO, Texas ā After missing the second leg of FC Dallasā Western Conference Semifinal against Real Salt Lake last weekend, Atiba Harris is ready to return to the field.
The veteran right midfielder missed Saturdayās match at Rio Tinto Stadium because he had been ejected from the first leg after an elbow to RSLās Will Johnson.
To accommodate for the playerās absence, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman moved Marvin Chavez over from the left side and inserted Brek Shea.
Now that Harris is available, Hyndman could elect to keep 6-foot-4 Shea and 6-foot-2 Harris in the starting XI because of their size, which could be a big asset when defending set pieces against dead-ball dangerous LA Galaxy in this weekendās Western Conference Final (Sunday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2/Deportes).
[inline_node:321688]During the regular season, Harris had four goals and two assists in 29 games but itās his other contributions off the ball that Hyndman likes. The St. Kitts native has also been strong in practice over the last week-and-a-half.
āHeās looked very good,ā said Hyndman. āWe did an extremely difficult training on Monday for the guys that didnāt travel or werenāt able to play. He did very well in that training.
āAtiba is a warrior. He shows up, he trains hard, he fights for every ball. Sometimes he over-fights for balls in training sessions, but thatās Atiba and thatās why we all love him.ā
Harris takes those compliments to heart.
āItās always good to have any coaching staff backing you on anything,ā he said. āIām just going to do keep doing whatever I can to help the team.ā
The St. Kitts native started 28 of his 29 games in 2010 with FCD, notching four goals and two assists for the club.
āIt was really hard," Harris said of sitting out the second leg. "Just watching it on TV was really tough knowing I canāt be out there to help the guys, especially in the last 30 minutes when Salt Lake was putting a lot of pressure on us. I felt bad just being on the side and watching the team but thatās the consequence of getting suspended, [but] Iām over it now and more dedicated heading to LA.ā
With his suspension now served, Harris is ready to help FCD punch a ticket to what would be their first MLS Cup final at LAās Home Depot Center, a very familiar setting for the lanky midfielder who played 42 games over two seasons with Chivas USA.
āLAās is more like home for me now, my adopted home here in the US,ā Harris said. āI love playing at The Home Depot Center. Thatās my favorite stadium to play in.
āGoing out there and playing in front of family and friends is great, but it would mean more if I can help the team win.ā
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