Veteran Seb Harris back for 2019 campaign with Detroit City FC

The windmills will be back.

Detroit City FC veteran defender Seb Harris, whose arm-flinging goal celebrations have become a hallmark at Keyworth Stadium, will be returning for a sixth season, the club announced this week.

Harris, 31, joins a growing number of familiar faces that include midfielder Cyrus Saydee, defender Stephen Carroll and forward Tyrone Mondi who have re-upped in 2019.

This season is a pivotal one for the independent soccer club, which will make the transition to the professional ranks when it takes part in the inaugural NPSL Founders Cup in August. DCFC also opens the NPSL regular season in May with new coach Trevor James.

With a new coach, Harris wasn’t sure he’d be invited back. James phoned and the burly 6-foot-3 backliner was on board.

“I always tell my wife if they would love to have me I would love to be there,” said Harris, who played at Lake Orion High and Oakland University before going to England to ply his trade with fourth-tier Northampton Town from 2009-11.

He also had two tenures with the Michigan Bucks (2009 and 2011-13).

“It's one of those things where I just can't give it up yet either. You know it's just in my blood, in my heart that it's just not time to stop yet.”

Harris, who turns 32 in August, doesn’t know if he’ll be part of the Founders Cup setup but "if they want me involved then I will definitely be involved," he said.

James expects Harris to challenge Le Rouge's younger players.

"His enthusiasm on and off the field is a great asset," the new coach said.

His on-field leadership has been a constant with DCFC.

“I'm always talking to guys and always giving  people positive feedback,” Harris said. “I'm not one to give a halftime speech, but I do all my talking during the games. (Former coach) Ben (Pirmann) always told me that I was a really great leader out there and said, ‘I can always hear you talking to the boys.’”

Harris has a leg up on his much younger teammates when it comes life experience.

The Oxford resident owns Midwest Forklift Parts. He and wife Shelley have two daughters, Emilia, 2½, and Emory, 1. Shelley attended nearly all DCFC home matches last season.

The sacrifice is notable since Harris must pay for a babysitter and travel from Oxford to Detroit for practices and matches, not to mention time he misses from work.

“Like I said, I wouldn’t change it for the world, no matter how much it cost,” Harris said.

loconnor@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @larry1961