New York City FC announces the acquisition of Josh Williams from Columbus Crew in exchange for allocation money.
A powerful, 26 year old, 6’2” defender, Williams joins the club after a successful stint with his former team, making 71 appearances since 2010.
Before joining MLS, Williams spent four years playing college soccer at Cleveland State University, garnering enough attention to be selected to play with the Cleveland Internationals in the USL Premier Development League.
Williams was invited to train with his boyhood team Columbus Crew in the spring of 2010, playing three exhibition matches before officially signing with the club in September later that year. During his final two seasons with Columbus he made 41 appearances until sidelined by illness in July 2014. He made a return to action during postseason.
Ohio-born Williams becomes New York City FC’s 8th signing and is excited at the prospect of joining the start-up franchise:
“This is a huge moment in my career. I’ve been with Columbus for four seasons and have loved my time there. Columbus was the team I watched while growing up, but to have the opportunity to take on a new challenge at New York City FC is very special and I consider it a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“I see my job as a player to get up and down the wing, I’ve played left back, right back as well as central defender. Fitness level is an important part of my game. I’ve played against Real Salt Lake when Jason was the coach and have a huge amount of respect for the way his teams play. He has a history of playing with outside backs so hopefully I’ll fit well into the system the coach may decide to play."
“The inaugural season is fast approaching and the roster so far looks fantastic. I’m looking forward to bringing my MLS experience to the group and also learning from the other players and coaching staff.”
Along with Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Jeb Brovsky, Williams becomes the third defender signed to the club.
“Having versatile players like Josh is very important”, said Head Coach Jason Kreis. "Josh could realistically play a number of positions along the back line. When you’re building a new roster this is a real benefit for a coach.”
“I've seen Josh play many times and have been very impressed with his work rate and ability to play at both ends of the pitch. He is an attacking defender but also has a great defensive instinct.”
“It's very important to have balance in the roster and have defenders that can play in different styles. This signing gives us a real boost heading into the expansion draft later in the week.”
