Andy Williams (Jamaican footballer)

Andrew Williams (born 23 September 1977 in Toronto) is a Canadian-born retired Jamaican footballer who last played as a midfielder for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.

For other people named Andrew Williams, see Andrew Williams (disambiguation).

Andy Williams
Personal information
Full name Andrew Williams
Date of birth (1977-09-23) 23 September 1977
Place of birth Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Right midfielder
Youth career
1994–1997 Rhode Island Rams
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997 Real Mona F.C.
1998 Harbour View
1998–1999 Columbus Crew 41 (1)
2000 Miami Fusion 20 (4)
2001–2002 New England Revolution 25 (3)
2002 MetroStars 19 (2)
2003–2004 Chicago Fire 49 (6)
2005–2011 Real Salt Lake 189 (14)
National team‡
1997–2008 Jamaica 97 (20)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 November 2011
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 March 2009

Career

College

Williams played college soccer for the University of Rhode Island where he remains the team's all-time leading scorer, with 52 goals and 45 assists.

Williams is one of 22 college players to be part of the 40-40 club, having both 40 goals and 40 assists in their college career.[1] As of 2018, he is the most recent member of the 40-40 club.

Professional

After spending a couple of years in his home country with Real Mona, Williams joined Major League Soccer in 1998 with the Columbus Crew, with whom he would play for two seasons. In 2000, he moved to the Miami Fusion, but would only remain there one year before going to the New England Revolution. Williams played in 2001 and beginning of 2002 with New England, before moving to the MetroStars in a six-player deal in the middle of the 2002 season. He only lasted half a season with the Metros, soon traded again, to the Chicago Fire, with whom he played for two years.

Williams became the second player in Real Salt Lake history when he was their first selection in the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft. He became the first player in MLS history to play for six teams. In his ten years in the league, Williams has scored 27 goals and added 78 assists.[2] After leading Jamaica to the Caribbean title in 2008, Williams suffered through the prolonged illness of his wife during the 2009 season, which culminated with Real Salt Lake winning the MLS Cup in November 2009. The Williams family received further good news in late 2009/early 2010 as Marcia Williams' cancer went into remission. In 2010, Williams returned to Real Salt Lake focused and re-energized.

Williams' contract with Real Salt Lake ended after the 2011 season and he opted to participate in the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft. After he was not selected in Stage 1 of the draft, Williams announced his retirement from professional soccer on 5 December 2011.[3]

In 2014 Andy Williams joined the coaching staff for Real Salt Lake when new head coach, Jeff Cassar, named him as an assistant coach (Midfield coach) and in addition to his assistant coach duties. Andy oversaw and coached the reserve team for Real Salt Lake.[4][5][6] Williams became Head Scout at Real Salt Lake, and has since played an integral part in the signings of several players.[7]

International

Despite being something of a journeyman in Major League Soccer, Williams has been a stalwart for the Jamaica national team. He has 97 caps with the team and 13 goals, and was often the focal point of their offense, running the team from the central midfield. Williams played for his country in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, making one substitute appearance. Williams retired from the Jamaican team following their failure to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Despite his initial retirement, Williams was called in for a June 2008 friendly vs. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in which he played the full 90. Williams was also called in for Jamaica's 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and played five games, scoring against Canada in a 1–1 draw.

Personal life

Andy Williams was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, but grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. His father, Bobby Williams, played for the Jamaica national team in the 1960s.[8]

Honors

Real Salt Lake

Chicago Fire

Jamaica

References
  1. "Players With 40 Goals and 40 Assists". Division I Men's Soccer Records (PDF) (19th ed.). Indianapolis: NCAA. 10 August 2018. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. MLS Bio Year-by-Year Stats Archived 12 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Matthew Doyle (5 December 2011). "RSL's Williams hangs 'em up after 14-year MLS career". MLS. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  4. "Andy Williams named to RSL coaching staff". Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  5. "Coaching & Technical Staff". MLS. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  6. Sean Walker (1 May 2014). "RSL original Williams makes easy transition to coaching staff". KSL.com. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  7. "Coaching & Technical Staff". MLS. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  8. "Player countdown: Andy Williams". 22 January 2010.
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