Chris Williams (Canadian soccer)

Chris Williams (born June 1, 1981 in Toronto, Ontario) is a former Canadian soccer player who played the majority of his career in the USL A-League. His most successful tenure was with Montreal Impact, where he won a USL A-League Championship, and a Voyageurs Cup. Williams also represented Canada at the international level with three appearances.

For the English player, see Chris Williams (English footballer).
For other people named Chris Williams, see Chris Williams (disambiguation).
Chris Williams
Personal information
Full name Christopher Williams
Date of birth (1981-06-01) June 1, 1981
Place of birth Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Defender/Defensive Midfielder
Youth career
1999–2002 Mobile Rams
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2002 Glen Shields Sun Devils
2003–2004 Montreal Impact 38 (0)
2005–2006 Toronto Lynx 39 (0)
2007 SK Kladno 2 (0)
2008–2009 Charleston Battery 48 (1)
2010 Vancouver Whitecaps 15 (0)
National team‡
2000–2001 Canada U-20 13 (0)
2003–2008 Canada 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 20, 2010
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of April 14, 2009

Career

Williams began his career at the college level while playing with University of Mobile in Alabama where he took home First Team All-American honours in the 2002–03 season. In 1999, he signed with the Glen Shields Sun Devils of the Canadian Professional Soccer League, where he played for the organization for four seasons. During his tenure with the Sun Devils he received a trial with Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga in 2002.[1] On December 18, 2002 he was drafted by the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League.[2] He would sign a contract with division rivals the Montreal Impact.[3] During his time in Montreal, Williams became a regular on the team, helping Montreal to win their second A-League Championship and also the Voyageurs Cup in 2003 and 2004.

After the 2004 season, Williams returned to the Toronto Lynx as a free agent.[4] He made his debut for the club on June 24, 2005 in a match against Minnesota Thunder.[5] At the conclusion of the season the team awarded Williams with the Fan Favorite award.[6] He returned to Toronto for the 2006 season.[7] During the 2006 season he helped the club achieve a 10-game team record undefeated streak at home and reached the finals of the Open Canada Cup, but lost the match 2–0 against Ottawa St. Anthony Italia.[8] For his involvement within the soccer community the club awarded him the Public Relations Award.[9]

In January 2007, Williams went abroad to Europe to sign with SK Kladno in the Gambrinus Liga of the Czech Republic. He played alongside compatriot and former Toronto teammate Dave Simpson.[10] He appeared in two matches for the club. In March 2008 he returned to North America to sign with Charleston Battery of the USL First Division. He made 48 appearances and scored 1 goal in his two seasons with the Battery[11]

On November 12, 2009 Williams signed a contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps.[12] He helped the Whitecaps finish second in their conference and clinched a postseason berth. On October 19, 2010, the Vancouver Whitecaps released Williams, along with five fellow players, citing their need to purge certain players in preparation for their upcoming promotion to Major League Soccer.[13]

International career

Williams played at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina, alongside Atiba Hutchinson and Mike Klukowski among others.[14]

He then earned his first senior national team cap on January 18, 2003 versus United States, where the match resulted in 4–0 victory for the States.[15] He would later record his second cap five years later against Martinique, where the Canadians would claim the game by a score of 1–0.[16] On November 19, 2008 Williams was called up again for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jamaica.[17]

Honours

Personal life

Born in Toronto but raised in nearby Scarborough, Williams is married to his Czech wife Darina and the couple have a son.

As of 2012, he is a contributor for RedNation Online.[18]

References
  1. "CPSL - Canadian Professional Soccer League". 2002-08-10. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  2. Irwin, Robert (2003-06-02). "Welcome To the Official Toronto Lynx Web Site". Archived from the original on June 2, 2003. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  3. "Impact Soccer • Voir le sujet - IMPACT PLAYERS MEET FANS AT COMPLEXE DESJARDINS". impactsoccer.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  4. Nutt, Dave. "June 21, 2005 USL Toronto Lynx upcoming week (from Lynx media release)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  5. Nutt, Dave. "June 24, 2005 USL Minnesota Thunder vs Toronto Lynx (from Lynx media release)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  6. Glover, Robin. "September 5, 2005 USL Toronto Lynx vs Minnesota Thunder (by Rocket Robin)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  7. VETERAN TRIO RESIGN FOR 2006 Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Glover, Robin. "September 24, 2006 Open Canada Cup final Toronto Lynx vs Ottawa St Anthony's Italia (by Rocket Robin)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  9. Irwin, Rob. "September 12, 2006 USL Toronto Lynx season wrap up (from Lynx media release)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  10. Kladno: další Kanaďan
  11. Whitecaps Add Chris Williams Archived September 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  12. Whitecaps add Canadian international Archived September 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Vancouver Whitecaps release six players as franchise clears room for MLS-worthy talent
  14. Record at FIFA Tournaments Archived July 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine - FIFA
  15. Five Canadian Players Make Their International Debut Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. 30.1.2008: Canada vs Martinique Archived July 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  17. 19.11.2008: Canada vs Jamaica Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "RedNation Online Contributors". Red Nation Online. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
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