Sheanon Williams
Encyclopedia
Sheanon Williams is an American
soccer player, currently playing for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer
.
and played club soccer for FC Greater Boston Bolts before being offered a place at the IMG Soccer Academy
in Bradenton, Florida
in 2005 as a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team Residency Program. He earned NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America honors in 2006 and 2007, and was named to the 2007 PARADE High School All-America squad.
Williams enrolled at the University of North Carolina
in January 2008, and subsequently played one year of college soccer
for the Tar Heels, before leaving school a year early to attempt to secure a professional contract in Europe.
Despite performing well on trial with teams such as Vfl Wolfsburg
, Williams was unable to secure a contract, and returned to the United States in 2009. He played with the Carolina Dynamo
of the USL Premier Development League
, earning All-Eastern Conference honors after scoring six goals and 16 points in 12 games.
club Real Salt Lake
during the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, Williams turned professional in 2010 when he joined the Harrisburg City Islanders
in the USL Second Division
. He made his professional debut, and scored his first professional goal, on April 17, 2010 in Harrisburg's opening day 2-2 tie with the Richmond Kickers
. After training with the Philadelphia Union, Williams eventually signed with the team on August 31, 2010. In Week 7 of the 2011 MLS season, Williams was named to the MLS Team of the Week for his performance against the San Jose Earthquakes
. He again gained Team of the Week honors in Week 16 of the season.
and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup
in Korea. He moved on to play for the US National U-20 team in 2008, and played at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
in Egypt.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer player, currently playing for Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.
College and Amateur
Williams attended The Rivers School in Weston, MassachusettsWeston, Massachusetts
Weston is a suburb of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Boston metro area. The population of Weston, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, is 11,261....
and played club soccer for FC Greater Boston Bolts before being offered a place at the IMG Soccer Academy
IMG Soccer Academy
The IMG Soccer Academy is part of the IMG Academies located in Bradenton, Florida. It is U.S. Soccer's full-time residency program for the United States' U-17 and U-16 mens national teams. Started in 1999, it has become integral in developing the United States' top youth soccer prospects...
in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
in 2005 as a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team Residency Program. He earned NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America honors in 2006 and 2007, and was named to the 2007 PARADE High School All-America squad.
Williams enrolled at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
in January 2008, and subsequently played one year of college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
for the Tar Heels, before leaving school a year early to attempt to secure a professional contract in Europe.
Despite performing well on trial with teams such as Vfl Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...
, Williams was unable to secure a contract, and returned to the United States in 2009. He played with the Carolina Dynamo
Carolina Dynamo
Carolina Dynamo is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home...
of the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, earning All-Eastern Conference honors after scoring six goals and 16 points in 12 games.
Professional
After training with Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
club Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
during the latter half of 2009 and early 2010, Williams turned professional in 2010 when he joined the Harrisburg City Islanders
Harrisburg City Islanders
Harrisburg City Islanders is an American professional soccer team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
in the USL Second Division
USL Second Division
The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...
. He made his professional debut, and scored his first professional goal, on April 17, 2010 in Harrisburg's opening day 2-2 tie with the Richmond Kickers
Richmond Kickers
The Richmond Kickers are an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
. After training with the Philadelphia Union, Williams eventually signed with the team on August 31, 2010. In Week 7 of the 2011 MLS season, Williams was named to the MLS Team of the Week for his performance against the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
. He again gained Team of the Week honors in Week 16 of the season.
International
Williams played with the US National U-17 team from 2005 to 2007, and was a member of the United States squad at the 2007 CONCACAF U17 Tournament2007 CONCACAF U17 Tournament
-Group A:All games were played in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.---------------------Group B:All games were played in Kingston, Jamaica.------------------------------------...
and the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup
2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 was held in the Korea Republic between 18 August and 9 September 2007. For this event, the number of teams had been expanded from 16 to 24, with the top two of each group and the four best third-place teams advancing to the Round of 16...
in Korea. He moved on to play for the US National U-20 team in 2008, and played at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, was the 17th U-20 tournament, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October, in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez and Ismaïlia...
in Egypt.