Andy Williams (Jamaican footballer) facts for kids

Andrew Williams (born September 23, 1977) is a former professional soccer player from Canada and Jamaica. He used to play as a midfielder for teams like Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.

Andy Williams' Soccer Journey

Playing in College

Andy Williams played college soccer for the University of Rhode Island. He was an amazing player there! He still holds the record for the most goals scored for his team, with 52 goals. He also made 45 assists, which means he helped his teammates score many times.

Williams is one of only 22 college players to achieve a special record called the "40-40 club." This means he scored at least 40 goals and made at least 40 assists during his college career. He was the most recent player to join this club as of 2018.

Professional Soccer Career

After playing for a couple of years in his home country with Real Mona, Andy Williams joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1998. His first MLS team was the Columbus Crew, where he played for two seasons.

In 2000, he moved to the Miami Fusion, but he stayed there for only one year. After that, he joined the New England Revolution. Williams played for New England in 2001 and at the start of 2002.

Later in 2002, he moved to the MetroStars as part of a big trade involving six players. He played for the MetroStars for half a season before being traded again. This time, he went to the Chicago Fire, where he played for two years.

Joining Real Salt Lake

In 2004, Andy Williams became one of the first players for a new team called Real Salt Lake. He was their very first pick in the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft. This made him the first player in MLS history to play for six different teams! During his ten years in the league, Williams scored 27 goals and made 78 assists.

In 2008, Williams helped the Jamaica national team win the Caribbean title. The next year, 2009, was tough for him because his wife was very ill. Despite this, Real Salt Lake won the MLS Cup in November 2009. This was a huge win for the team! Happily, his wife's health improved in late 2009 and early 2010. In 2010, Williams returned to Real Salt Lake feeling strong and ready to play.

Williams' contract with Real Salt Lake ended after the 2011 season. He decided to retire from professional soccer on December 5, 2011.

After Retirement

In 2014, Andy Williams returned to Real Salt Lake, but this time as a coach! The new head coach, Jeff Cassar, named him an assistant coach, specifically for the midfielders. Williams also helped coach the reserve team for Real Salt Lake.

Later, Williams became the Head Scout for Real Salt Lake. In this role, he has been very important in finding and signing many new players for the team.

Playing for His Country

Even though Andy Williams played for many different teams in Major League Soccer, he was a very important player for the Jamaica national team. He played in 97 games for his country and scored 13 goals. He was often the main player who helped their offense, controlling the game from the middle of the field.

Williams played for Jamaica in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which is one of the biggest soccer tournaments in the world. He came into one game as a substitute. He retired from the Jamaican team after they did not qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

However, he returned to play for Jamaica in June 2008 in a friendly game. He also played five games in Jamaica's qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, scoring a goal against Canada in a 1-1 tie.

International Goals

Here is a list of the goals Andy Williams scored for the Jamaica national team. The score column shows the score after each of his goals.

List of international goals scored by Andy Williams

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	21 February 1997	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Bermuda	1-0	1-0	1997 Caribbean Cup qualification
2	11 May 1997	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica	Costa Rica	1-1	1-3	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	18 May 1997	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	El Salvador	1-0	1-0	1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	8 February 1998	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States of America	Guatemala	2-1	3-2	1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
5	22 February 1998	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Nigeria	2-1	2-2	Friendly
6	16 January 2000	Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China	New Zealand	2-1	2-1	2000 Four Nations Tournament
7	3 September 2000	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1-0	2-0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	26 January 2001	Orange Bowl, Miami, United States of America	Bolivia	3-0	3-0	Friendly
9	15 May 2001	Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima, Trinidad and Tobago	Martinique	1-0	1-0	2001 Caribbean Cup
10	10 June 2001	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Cuba	3-1	4-1	Friendly
11	26 March 2003	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Saint Lucia	1-0	5-0	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification
12	25 May 2003	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Nigeria	3-2	3-2	Friendly
13	15 July 2003	Orange Bowl, Miami, United States of America	Guatemala	2-0	2-0	2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
14	28 April 2004	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Venezuela	2-1	2-1	Friendly
15	17 November 2004	Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, United States of America	United States	1-1	1-1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
16	26 November 2004	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	U.S. Virgin Islands	5-0	11-1	2005 Caribbean Cup qualification
17	20 February 2005	Barbados National Stadium, Saint Michael, Barbados	Trinidad and Tobago	2-0	2-1	2005 Caribbean Cup
18	22 February 2005	Barbados National Stadium, Saint Michael, Barbados	Barbados	1-0	1-0	2005 Caribbean Cup
19	8 July 2005	Home Depot Center, Carson, United States of America	Guatemala	3-2	4-3	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
20	20 August 2008	BMO Field, Toronto, Canada	Canada	1-1	1-1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
21	5 December 2008	Jarrett Park, Montego Bay, Jamaica	Grenada	3-0	4-0	2008 Caribbean Cup

Andy's Personal Life

Andy Williams was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, he grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. His father, Bobby Williams, was also a soccer player and played for the Jamaica national team in the 1960s. Andy married Shauna Williams on April 24, 2021.

Awards and Achievements

With Real Salt Lake

• Major League Soccer MLS Cup (1): 2009
• Major League Soccer Eastern Conference Championship (1): 2009

With Chicago Fire

• MLS Supporters' Shield Supporters Shield (1): 2003
• Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1): 2003

With Jamaica National Team

• Caribbean Cup:
  • Winner (2): 2005, 2008

More to Explore

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps

See also

In Spanish: Andy Williams (futbolista) para niños