Australia-based footballer eyes national call up

Imran Lewis, son of former national goalkeeper, William Lewis, said his ultimate goal is to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the senior level.
The athlete, who has been playing in Australia for the past two years as a professional with various clubs, currently plays for the Surfers Paradise Apollo FC.
The central defender, who would have represented Antigua and Barbuda at the under-15 level, said that once given the opportunity, his dream is to play for his country in the not too distant future.
“I grew up there and [played] barefooted on Ottos Rangers football field with all my friends in Ottos, so not because I’ve left the country means I’ve forgotten about it. I really want to represent my country and I feel like I would play 50 times harder for my country than I play getting paid and it would mean so much to me to represent my country. I hope to be wearing the Antigua flag on my chest really soon,” he said.
Lewis, also the brother of former national goalkeeper, Tahari Lewis, believes he has all of the attributes that would allow him to represent his national team, crediting having played in the professional league for his development.
“It has actually changed my mentality towards training, towards the game, how I see myself as a player. It has made me want to work a lot harder because now I have a foot in the door, it has changed the way I see the game, the way I think about the game and I look at it from a different standpoint,” he said. 
The young Lewis also explained how he came to play professionally in Australia.
“I got the opportunity through a friend who knew an owner of a team out here [Australia] and we played together in the U.S. in the summer in a league called the NPSL [National Premier Soccer League] which is just under the USL and he introduced me to the owner. He said he needed a centre back urgently and I was finishing out my last year in college  so I took the opportunity,” the player said.
The Antigua and Barbuda senior national team is currently preparing for the Nations Cup with their opening match against St. Lucia scheduled for September 7 here in Antigua.