NATIONAL MIDFIELDER Andy Williams is now on the books of Chicago Fire of the United States Major League Soccer (MLS).
The 25-year-old committed himself to a three-year contract with the club two Fridays ago. Williams, a former Rhode Island University standout, entered the League in 1998 when he joined the Columbus Crew. Since then he has been to the now defunct Miami Fusion, New England Revolution and MetroStars where he had an outstanding second half of the season last year.
"My agent, Dan Segal, was talking to a number of teams and Chicago's manager approached him about my joining Chicago. I took time to consider because there were possible options of going to England," said Williams explaining his decision to join the Fire after he was not resigned by the MetroStars despite finishing in the top three of fouled players, assists and primary assists.
What also pushed him towards the Fire, Williams said, that all of the eight clubs which were interested in him in England wanted him to wait until the summer as his status with the MetroStars was decided much too close to the transfer deadline.
"Teams were telling me to wait until the summer but that would have left me out of a job which would not have been desirable at this point. This would mean that the coach probably would not have selected me for the national squad if I was idle," said Williams.
Williams said the fact that he has signed a three-year contract does not mean that he will be at the club or even in the MLS for that time. Major League Soccer contracts, he said, are renegotiated every year, and it was his intention to look elsewhere soon.
"I told my agent that this year I definitely want to go out on loan with the possibility of moving away from the States," said Williams. Among the teams he could be hooked up with are Division One Coventry and Rushden and Diamonds, the club of Onandi Lowe, and which by then should be in the Second Division. There was also an earlier offer from an Israeli team which was not taken up because of the tension in that side of the world.
In the meantime, Williams is at home in Chicago. "I only spent two weeks with them so far but it is great," he said of his experience with Chicago Fire.
"The coach has said that he will play either the 3-5-2 system or the 4-4-2 but said that whichever way he goes he sees me in his plans," Williams said of Dave Sarachan who was the United States assistant coach at least year's World Cup and who took over from current MetroStars coach Bob Bradley.
At the Chicago Fire, Williams will find himself playing alongside "a lot of American pool players such as Carlos Bocanegra, C.J. Brown, Damarcus Beasley, Chris Armas, Ante Razov and gaolkeeper Zach Thornton".
Jamaican forward Damani Ralph was picked in the second round of the recent draft and is already making a name for himself. In the pre-season he scored freely before sustaining a groin injury.
