Charlie Williams (soccer)

Charlie Williams (born 15 February 1944) is a Maltese former professional soccer player.

Charlie Williams

Valletta and Malta International Soccer Player Picture taken in 1963
Personal information
Full name	Charlie Williams
Date of birth	(1944-02-15) 15 February 1944
Place of birth	Valletta, Malta
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Valletta FC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1961–1967	Valletta FC	65	(9)
1967	Pittsburgh Phantoms	25	(0)
1968	San Diego Toros	2	(0)
1968	Dallas Tornado	3	(0)
1968–1969	Rochester Lancers	29	(0)
1970	Syracuse Scorpions	6	(0)
1971	Syracuse Suns	10	(0)
1972	Boston Astros	9	(0)
1973–1974	Syracuse Suns	19	(0)
1975	German Sports Club	22	(9)
1976–1977	Celano Italian Sports Club	37	(12)
National team
1964	Malta	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Williams learned to play soccer in the streets of Valletta. At the age of ten, he started playing organized soccer for the Valletta Lilywhites in the Valletta youth league. Williams entered Stella Maris College when he was 11 years old. He represented his school's top team on a regular basis.

During his playing days at the Independence Arena, Charlie was discovered by Valletta FC officials and was asked to join Valletta FC at the age of 13 years. At 16 years old, Charlie was the captain of the Valletta FC minors team, while also playing for the under-21 team and the Valletta FC reserves team on a regular basis.

The Malta Football Association (MFA) quickly picked him to represent Malta as a youth International. Charlie Williams made his Valletta FC debut at age 17, playing a midfielder. He scored many important goals for Valletta FC, notably against Norwich City FC. Another crucial goal was against Floriana FC 3 minutes from time to give Valletta FC their 1962/63 championship.

During his stay with Valletta FC, Williams won the League Championship, Scicluna Cup, FA Trophy and the Cassar Cup. He represented Valletta FC in European competitions, playing against Dukla Prague in the UEFA Champions League (formerly the European Cup) and against Real Zaragoza in the UEFA Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup Winners' Cup).

At the age of 18, Charlie Williams made his International debut playing for the Malta National Football Team against Italy C. He also played for the Malta National Football Team at the Liguria, Italy tournament where Malta finished in 3rd place, beating Italy and tying the Netherlands.

At the age of 23, first Norwich City FC, and then the newly formed professional soccer league in the USA, National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), were recruiting Williams. In 1967 Charlie decided to sign a professional contract to play in the NPSL, which later became the NASL. Charlie was a pioneer in North American soccer, as he was one of the first players to form the original founding teams. Among the American sides he played for were the Pittsburgh Phantoms, San Diego Toros, Dallas Tornado and Rochester Lancers. He also played for ASL sides Syracuse Scorpions, Syracuse Suns and Boston Astros.

When Williams retired from playing, he decided to take up a coaching career. In 1995, he was voted Best Coach in the State of New York. He also founded and operated his own soccer academy from 1993 to 2006. Charlie retired from soccer activities in 2010.