Montreal Gazette

ALL SIGNS POINT TO DEBUT

Williams likely to play Saturday

- HERB ZURKOWSKY

The first- round draft choice has yet to play. The third- round draft choice has, but now Cameron Porter is sidelined for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. And Romario Williams is taking it all in stride.

Why not? The Jamaican forward is only 20, in the embryonic stages of his Major League Soccer career with the Impact. And if any palpable signs can be deduced from the tea leaves, Montreal and the Jamaican Federation reached an agreement this week, keeping the 5- foot- 11, 182- pound rookie with the Impact when he had been scheduled to represent his country for two friendlies, Friday and Monday, against Venezuela and Cuba.

That doesn’t guarantee Williams will see his first MLS regular- season minutes Saturday, in the Impact’s home opener ( 4 p. m.) against expansion Orlando at Olympic Stadium, but the circumstan­ces appear to indicate he’s close to getting on the pitch. Williams was an unused sub last Saturday, at New England.

“Absolutely, I’m not concerned. The season’s still young. It’s a long season and the team has been doing well,” Williams said following Thursday’s late- afternoon practice. “There’s a reason why the coaching staff brought me here. They saw something in me. At this point, I don’t think I have anything to prove.”

Williams was selected third overall in January’s MLS Super-Draft — one of five underclass­men available. It was on New Year’s Eve, while visiting family in Jamaica, that he received an email, saying he had received a Generation Adidas offer from the league, meaning his contract doesn’t count against the salary cap. He then declared he was leaving the University of Central Florida following his junior year, but likely had already made up his mind.

There seemed little left for Williams to prove at the collegiate level. He arrived at the Orlando school as a holding midfielder but left as one of the top attacking prospects available in the draft. In three seasons, he scored 18 goals and five assists in 51 games. That included 17 goals in 34 games in 2013 and ’ 14.

As a sophomore, he was named the American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year and was one of 29 finalists for the Soccer News Net College Boot Award, recognizin­g the nation’s top collegiate player. As his final act last year, he earned unanimous all- American Athletic Conference honours.

Williams has good size and skill and is considered versatile and consistent. He’s a physical player with pace and the ability to create a shot with either foot. So yeah, he can play. Of course, the optics of Porter playing over him, arguably, didn’t look good.

“Give credit to Cameron. He came in with his work ethic and surprised everybody. He took his moment. That happens,” Impact assistant coach Mauro Biello said. "It’s not how highly you’re rated, it’s the work behind it.

“He ( Williams) isn’t being written off. It’s a learning curve for kids coming in, understand­ing the pace of the game. You have to adapt. It’s about experience and learning,” Biello added. “We know he has a lot of qualities. His time may come sooner now. We’re a little light at that position and he’s a forward. He needs to be ready. We’re confident.”

If Williams is at all fazed by being supplanted — for now — by Porter, he keeps it well hidden. Indeed the humble and genuine Williams praised the fellow rookie for his play and ability to seize the opportunit­y. He said they have a close relationsh­ip and are good friends. They were able to drive and motivate each other

and, while both were competing for playing time, Williams said the competitio­n was friendly.

“He’s a third- round choice, but that doesn’t mean he’s a thirdround player,” Williams said. "You can see he’s a very good player — smart and intelligen­t.

“But now it’s time to write my own history.”

Williams comes from a soccer family — his father, uncle and two brothers played pro in Jamaica. Indeed, he departed at 17 to play at UCF, leaving friends and family behind, knowing the move was required to follow his career path.

If Williams came of age, the epiphany probably occurred last season, when he handled the pressure of carrying a team as one of UCF’s few offensive threats.

He discovered early he would be a marked man, shadowed by two or three defenders in his school’s opening game. He lost his composure, receiving a red card and knew he’d have to change his ways.

“It’s never good being marked by two or three defenders. That’s not easy for a striker. That first game, I definitely lost my cool. After the game, reality struck. Teams are going to do everything they can to get inside your head and get you off your game. You have to be mature, stay humble, cool and positive,” Williams explained.

“I definitely grew and became more mature. That helped with the transition here,” he said. “You go from being the known guy in college and come in as a rookie. It’s a new adjustment phase.”

Notes: The Impact announced on Thursday midfielder Louis Beland- Goyette has been removed from the roster and will play for FC Montreal in the USL. ... Defender Hassoun Camara also will play in FC Montreal’s inaugural match ( 12: 30 p. m.) this Saturday against Toronto FC II at Olympic Stadium. Camara received a red card against New England and is suspended for one game. hzurkowsky@ montrealga­zette. com twitter. com/ HerbZurkow­sky1

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 ?? J O H N MA H O N E Y/ MO N T R E A L G A Z E T T E ?? The Impact’s Romario Williams, may see his first MLS regular- season minutes on Saturday, in the Impact’s home opener against expansion Orlando.
J O H N MA H O N E Y/ MO N T R E A L G A Z E T T E The Impact’s Romario Williams, may see his first MLS regular- season minutes on Saturday, in the Impact’s home opener against expansion Orlando.
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