USL PRO Feature
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Since the start of the 2011 MLS season, Sheanon Williams has established himself as a key component at the heart of the Philadelphia Union’s defense.
Where Williams is now is a long way from where he was just a year earlier, though. Early in 2010, the young defender, still looking to sign his first professional contract, was getting ready to try out for the Harrisburg City Islanders.
Only it wasn’t for a defensive role.
“They asked me to come out for a tryout,” Williams said recently. “I came in as a defender, and they said, ‘well, we really need a forward,’ so I said, ‘OK, I’ll play forward’, and that’s how it went.”
From the moment that he turned professional with the City Islanders, however, it’s been nothing but upward movement for the former U.S. U20 international. Recently signed to a new contract that will keep him with the Union through the 2015 MLS season, the 22-year-old made 28 starts a year ago for Philadelphia, continuing to fulfill the promise many saw in him as a young prospect.
A member of the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team, who competed at the 2007 U17 World Cup, Williams went to the University of North Carolina, and then after one season to Europe to pursue his professional dreams. When a contract failed to materialize after trials at VFB Wolfsburg in Germany and FC Twente in the Netherlands, however, Williams returned back to North Carolina to try and get his young career on track.
“I had a great support system,” Williams said. “My family, my friends, everybody told not to quit. There were some times when I wanted to hang it up, and they didn’t let me, so I thank them for all that they did for me at times when it didn’t look so bright.”
Williams signed with the Carolina Dynamo for the 2009 PDL season, and excelled. Playing on a side that also included future professionals Zach Loyd, Corben Bone, Cody Arnoux, Brock Duckworth, Chris Estridge and the late Kirk Urso, Williams earned All-Eastern Conference honors after scoring six goals and adding four assists in 12 games, helping the Dynamo reach the playoffs.
From there, he arrived in Harrisburg, eager to make a difference no matter where he was on the field. If the City Islanders needed a forward, a forward he would be
“At the time it was play forward, or play nothing,” he said. “I’ll play wherever anybody needs me to play, as long as it means that I’m on the field.”
Williams quickly earned fans in the stands on City Island, missing just one game that season as he claimed the club’s Rookie of the Year award. In addition to strong play in the league, Williams also put in solid work as the City Islanders reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup, defeating the New York Red Bulls before falling to D.C. United.
Getting the chance to not only play, but go up against top-tier opposition, gave Williams the chance to get back on the radar of MLS clubs, particularly the Union. Following the season Philadelphia first brought Williams in on trial before signing him to a contract. After making eight appearances at the tail-end of Philadelphia’s first season in MLS, he has continued to grow while being joined by others from Harrisburg, such as Chase Harrison, at PPL Park.
With the Union’s ties to the City Islanders’ now being closer than ever thanks to the ground-breaking partnership agreement struck by MLS and USL PRO this offseason, Williams believes more players will be able to benefit from what was already a fruitful agreement between the two clubs.
“From my own experience, it was extremely valuable,” he said. “If you’re not playing in the first team, that’s what you want. You want to get games, you want to get minutes, you want to get experience, so to be able to go down and do that, and for us to have a partnership with them has really been good.”
Williams had the chance to return to Harrisburg in 2011, playing against some of his former teammates in an exhibition game that has been an annual event for the past three seasons. He remains friends with a number of players at the club, and talks warmly of City Islanders coach Bill Becher and the fans who have continued to follow his career since he signed with the Union.
Most of all, however, it appears there is a sense of appreciation for how far he has come in the past three years.
“It’s been crazy to think that three years ago I was with Harrisburg, and I finally got an opportunity here and I haven’t really looked back,” Williams said. “I thank Harrisburg for the opportunity they gave me, and I used it as a springboard to try and get on the Union, and it’s worked out.”