Wikipedia

Romario Williams

Romario Garfield Williams (born 15 August 1994) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a forward for USL Championship club Indy Eleven and the Jamaica national team. He is named after the legendary Brazilian footballer, Romário.[2]

Romario Williams
Williams playing for Charleston Battery in 2016
Personal information
Full name Romario Garfield Williams[1]
Date of birth (1994-08-15) 15 August 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Portmore, Jamaica
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Indy Eleven
Number 10
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 UCF Knights 51 (18)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014 Orlando City U-23 11 (7)
2015–2016 Montreal Impact 2 (0)
2015 → FC Montreal (loan) 7 (0)
2016 → Charleston Battery (loan) 27 (10)
2017–2019 Atlanta United 19 (2)
2017 → Charleston Battery (loan) 22 (15)
2018–2019 → Atlanta United 2 (loan) 12 (7)
2019 Columbus Crew 7 (1)
2020 Miami FC 16 (8)
2020–2021 Al-Ittihad 23 (5)
2021–2022 Qadsia SC 10 (3)
2022 New Mexico United 10 (1)
2023 Colorado Springs Switchbacks 29 (15)
2024 Hartford Athletic 11 (2)
2024– Indy Eleven 18 (2)
International career‡
2010–2011 Jamaica U17 4 (1)
2015 Jamaica U23 3 (3)
2016– Jamaica 24 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Jamaica
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Runner-up 2017 United States Team
CONCACAF Nations League
Bronze medal – third place 2024 United States Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 November 2024

Club career

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Youth

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Williams graduated from Kingston College in Jamaica and then attended university in Orlando.[3][4] He played college soccer at the University of Central Florida. With the UCF Knights men's soccer program, Williams recorded 18 goals and five assists in 51 games, 46 as starter. He was a unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference all-conference first team in 2014. He was also the 2013 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.[5]

Professional

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Williams was selected by Montreal Impact third overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft on 15 January 2015. He made his professional debut on 28 March 2015 in a 2–2 draw against Orlando City SC.[6]

On 11 December 2016 Atlanta United FC acquired Williams from the Impact in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.[7] On 7 April 2018, he scored his first career MLS goal in a 5–0 rout of Los Angeles FC.

On 1 July 2019, Williams was traded to Columbus Crew SC in exchange for $100,000 of General Allocation Money.[8] After one season with the crew, Williams joined Miami FC of the USL Championship in January 2020.[9]

In December 2020 Williams moved abroad to Egypt and joined Al Ittihad of the Egyptian Premier League.[10] On 16 August 2021, Williams moved abroad to Kuwait and joined Qadsia SC of the Kuwait Premier League.[11]

In July, 2022 Williams signed a contract with USL Championship side New Mexico United[12]

Williams signed with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on January 5, 2023.[13]

Hartford Athletic

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On 4 January 2024, Williams signed with Hartford Athletic.[14] In the season opener and his debut with the club on 9 March, Williams would slot in a penalty to score his first goal for Hartford and help them defeat El Paso Locomotive in a 1–0 win.[15] Williams made 12 total league and cup appearances for Hartford in 2024, scoring 3 goals.[16]

Indy Eleven

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On 14 June 2024, Williams was traded to fellow USL Championship side Indy Eleven in exchange for defender Younes Boudadi.[17] He made his debut for the Indianapolis-based club on 22 June, replacing Jack Blake at halftime in a 1–0 home loss to Orange County SC.[18][19] Williams scored his first goal for the club on 31 August in a 1–1 home draw against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.[20] He ended the season with two league goals and an assist for the club. On 20 November 2024, Indy Eleven announced that Williams would remain with the team for a second season.[21]

International career

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Williams has represented the U-17 level of the Jamaica national U-17 team, playing in three games at the 2011 U17 FIFA World Cup. He had previously started four of five games at the CONCACAF qualifiers. He also played for the Jamaica U-23 national team in March 2015.[22] Williams made his Jamaica senior national team debut in a 1–0 Caribbean Cup qualify win over Suriname on 13 November 2016.[23] He was called up for Jamaica's 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League A and scored the second goal in a 2–0 away win against Nicaragua on 10 October 2024.[24]

Personal

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Williams is named after Romário, Brazilian football legend who won the 1994 FIFA World Cup a month before he was born.[citation needed]

In February 2018, Williams received a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[25]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 3 November 2024[26][27]
Club Season League Playoffs[a] Cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Orlando City U-23 2014[28] PDL 11 7 – – – 11 7
Montreal Impact 2015 MLS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2016 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
FC Montreal (loan) 2015 USL 7 0 – – – 7 0
Charleston Battery (loan) 2016 USL 27 10 2 0 1 0 – 30 10
Atlanta United 2017 MLS 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 0
2018 17 1 0 0 2 1 – 19 2
2019 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 4 1
Total 19 1 0 0 3 2 1 0 23 3
Charleston Battery (loan) 2017 USL 22 15 1 0 1 0 – 24 15
Atlanta United 2 (loan) 2018 USL 7 4 – – – 7 4
2019 USL Championship 5 3 0 0 – – 5 3
Total 12 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 7
Columbus Crew SC 2019 MLS 7 1 – 0 0 – 7 1
Miami FC 2020 USL Championship 16 8 – 0 0 – 16 8
Al-Ittihad 2020–21 Egyptian Premier League 23 5 0 0 0 0 – 23 5
Qadsia SC 2021–22 Kuwaiti Premier League 10 3 0 0 0 0 – 10 3
New Mexico United 2022 USL Championship 10 1 0 0 0 0 – 10 1
Colorado Springs Switchbacks 2023 USL Championship 30 15 1 0 1 0 – 32 15
Hartford Athletic 2024 USL Championship 11 2 – 1 1 – 12 3
Indy Eleven 2024 USL Championship 18 2 1 0 0 0 – 19 2
Career total 225 77 5 0 7 3 1 0 238 80
  1. ^ All appearances in the USL Cup Playoffs
  2. ^ All appearances in the U.S. Open Cup

International

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As of November 18, 2024[29]
Jamaica
Year Apps Goals
2016 1 0
2017 10 2
2018 3 0
2019 0 0
2020 0 0
2021 1 0
2022 0 0
2023 4 1
2024 5 1
Total 24 4
Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first.[30]
International goals
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 9 July 2017 Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States   Curaçao 1–0 2–0 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2. 20 July 2017 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, United States   Canada 2–0 2–1 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3. 12 October 2023 Kirani James Athletic Stadium, St. George's, Grenada   Grenada 1–0 4–1 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League A
4. 10 October 2024 Nicaragua National Football Stadium, Managua, Nicaragua   Nicaragua 2–0 2–0 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League A

Honours

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Jamaica

Atlanta United

Individual

  • AAC Offensive Player of the Year: 2013

References

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  1. ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: Jamaica" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 9. Retrieved 21 May 2019 – via Bernews.
  2. ^ Tenorio, Paul. "UCF forward Romario Williams a top prospect in next week's MLS SuperDraft". Orlandosentinel.com.
  3. ^ "CONCACAF Q&A: Romario Williams (Charleston Battery and Jamaica)". Concacaf.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  5. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Regular Season Awards". TheAmerican.org. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Recap: Montreal 2–2 Orlando". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Atlanta United make roster moves during active MLS half-day trade window". Atlutd.com. 11 December 2016.
  8. ^ Crew SC Communications (1 July 2019). "Columbus Crew SC acquires forward Romario Williams in trade with Atlanta United". ColumbusCrewSC.com. Columbus Crew SC. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. ^ Russo, Ken (2 January 2020). "Miami FC sign Romario Williams".
  10. ^ "Reggae Boy Romario Williams off to Egypt". 8 December 2020.
  11. ^ "الجامايكي روماريو خامس المحترفين في صفوف القادسية". 8 December 2020.
  12. ^ "United Signs Goal-Scoring International Striker Romario Williams".
  13. ^ Cutler, Tyler (5 January 2023). "Switchbacks FC Sign Forward Romario Williams". switchbacksfc.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Veteran Goal Scorer Romario Williams Signs with Hartford Athletic".
  15. ^ "RECAP: Hartford Beat El Paso 1-0 in Season Opener". hartfordathletic.com. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  16. ^ "2024 Player Stats". Hartford Athletic. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Indy Eleven Acquires Romario Williams from Hartford Athletic". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Orange County 1-0 Indy XI (Jun 22, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Recap - IND 0:1 OC". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Recap-IND 1:1 PIT". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Indy Eleven Announces Returnees for 2025". Indy Eleven. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  22. ^ Joey Strizzi (10 March 2015). "Romario Williams with National Team | Montreal Impact". Impactmontreal.com. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Boyz clip Suriname 1-0, progress to CFU semis - Sport - JamaicaObserver.com". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  24. ^ "Jamaica 2-0 Nicaragua (Oct 10, 2024) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Atlanta United secures green card for Williams". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  26. ^ Romario Williams at Major League Soccer
  27. ^ Romario Williams at Soccerway. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  28. ^ "Romario Williams – 2014 PDL statistics". USLLeagueTwo.com. Premier Development League. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  29. ^ Romario Williams at National-Football-Teams.com
  30. ^ "Williams, Romario". National Football Teams. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
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