Josh Williams Q&A

Columbus Crew right back Josh Williams is off to a flying start this season.  The Black and Gold came out of its first four matches with a solid 2-1-1 mark, thanks in part, to Williams’ stellar play.  Not only is #3 leading the team in scoring with two goals, but he is also ranked fifth in the entire league in the Castrol Index – stunningly, he’s the only defender in the top 20!!  I conducted this Q&A with Williams at the Columbus Crew’s home opener.  Here are his responses to various questions about his time with the Crew, growing up playing soccer in Northeast Ohio and taking his game to the next level.  

Q – Talk about your progress to this point in your first team career.  What’s this year like for you compared to last year?

Josh Williams – This is my first opening day start, so that’s exciting.  I think last year it was against Montreal, I got in the game but I didn’t start.  It was a real cool experience for me.  This is my first time, so when I woke up this morning, it was like Christmas day.  I couldn’t wait to get to the stadium.  It’s just fun.  Right now, I’m still young, even though I’m a veteran on this team and my career is only going up from here, so I’m just going to keep working hard and grinding it out and we’ll see where it can go.

Q – Talk about your roots growing up playing soccer in Copley.  Did you play travel soccer and then get into club?

JW – I started off with the Copley Cosmos and I played with them for a couple years and then I linked up with the Cleveland Internationals and I was with them when I was nine and I played with Chris Korb and Mike Nanchoff.

Q – Was Korb wearing the same shin guards back then that he wears now?  

JW – I think he was, man!  [laughs]  You’ve seen those then, obviously?  Those things are Dixie cups, I always joke with him.  And he keeps those socks so low, looks like he’s not wearing anything…  yeah, Korby’s actually been my best friend since pretty much that first day (at Internationals).  We kind of linked up then and the rest is history.  I was with them from age nine until about 17.  A lot of my time playing premier was with Internationals, playing with Justin (Morrow) and (former DC United player) Barry Rice.  We had a really good team.  We had a lot of guys who had successful college careers and a lot of guys who are playing in MLS now were on that team.

Q – Talk about how that prepared you for making the jump to college?

JW – I actually stopped playing (year-round) when I went to high school.  I played baseball and basketball, so I quit playing club soccer.  So that didn’t really prepare me all that much.  It prepared me for the high school seasons, but that was it.  Cleveland State prepared me, along with my work after college.

Q – Talk about Cleveland State.  What was it about your time there that helped get you ready for the pros?    Was it the atmosphere, the training sessions, working under a former pro soccer player?

JW – Yeah, all of those things.  But also the individual hard work that I put in.  We started off kind of rocky.  Kaz (Head Coach Ali Kazemaini) and TJ Kolba were trying to get things together my first year.  We were 0-17-1 the year before I came in and he brought in a bunch of local guys to go about changing the program locally, but we were able to turn it around.  We were a part of that.  There were a couple of rough years in there, but my junior and senior year we started to pull it together and we ended up having a lot of success, reaching the Horizon League Championship Game (in 2008).  I think that’s when the tables started to turn and I could see a future for myself in soccer.

Q – What challenges have you set for yourself in this, your second season?

JW – Dominate the right side, is mostly what I want to do.  I’m a defender first, so I want to shut down the right side and always post a shutout.  I want to get forward too.  Bobby likes me getting forward, so let’s see if I can turn things around and get some goals this season.  I was kind of unlucky with that last year, but I like to get forward and contribute some goals and some assists to help out the offense.  I want to be an anchor back there on the right side.

Q – Have you played at the back all your life, or is this position something that you’ve been growing into now in the pros?

JW – Obviously, growing up if you’re a skilled player they stick you up top or in the middle.  In high school, I played mostly forward and center mid.  At Cleveland State I played mostly defensive mid and then when I came here they moved me to the back.  I’ve played mostly center back and wing back with the Crew.

Q – You’ve been a Crew fan all your life.  Who’s your favorite Crew player of all-time and why?  

JW – Brian McBride.  I grew up as a forward, so I would always love going to the games to watch him.  I loved watching the more athletic guys and no one was better at that time in front of goal than he was.

* PHOTO CREDITS:  Korb – dcunited.com; Williams – csuvikings.com/sports; McBride – mlssoccer.com