Khano Smith has quashed rumours circulating in the US media that Seattle Sounders could trade him before playing a competitive match for his new club.

It has been reported on the Seattle Soccer Examiner website that "rumours persist that Sounders are looking to trade Khano Smith to another MLS side", however the Bermuda international yesterday rubbished talk of a premature exit, describing it as "absolute garbage".

Smith, who signed for Sounders from New England Revolution in the expansion draft, travelled to California earlier this week for his team's pre-season training camp where it is believed coach Sigi Schmid will trim his roster from 31 players to around 21.

And the pacey winger remains confident of convincing German-born Schmid that he can become a marquee player for Sounders.

"People can write what they want. We all know there's a lot of rubbish written these days, and this is absolute garbage," Smith told The Royal Gazette.

"I'm just keeping my head down and I'm here until I hear otherwise.

"I certainly haven't heard anything about me leaving and I'm pleased with the way things have been going.

"Things like this don't really bother me at all and I'm just concentrating on having a good pre-season. I'm getting fitter every day."

Sounders head to Argentina later this month to step up their preparations with some friendly matches and Smith said he was champing at the bit to showcase his ability in a game situation.

"California's been great so far and it's been good to get some sun on our backs. I was feeling a bit sore earlier in the week but we had a dip in the ocean yesterday and it served as a great ice bath.

"We're off to Argentina at the end of the month where we will play four games and I think all of our players will feature in at least two of them."

A pre-season fixture Smith is particularly looking forward to is Sounders' meeting with USL-D1 outfit Vancouver Whitecaps who signed his compatriot Tyrell Burgess on a two-year contract last week.

Smith, 28, said he was "over the moon" for his national team-mate and tipped Burgess to become a future MLS star.

"We were both training with former national team coach Kenny Thompson over the Christmas period in Bermuda so I knew Tyrell was set to sign for Whitecaps.

"It's a great move for him and I believe they are looking to become a MLS franchise in 2011. It would be really cool to come up against another Bermudian in the MLS.

"Sounders are due to play Whitecaps this pre-season as the clubs are geographically close. I'm certainly looking to visit him and vice-versa."

Smith will be ineligible for Sounders' opening game of the season on March 19 against New York Red Bulls because he is still carrying a suspension from his sending off for Revolution in the play-offs.