TORONTO—He’s not going to win the team MVP award or be named to the MLS Best XI at the end of the year.
But Josh Williams has proven to be a solid mid-season pickup for Toronto FC, establishing himself as a reliable defender who now finds himself at the top of the club’s centre back depth chart.
Williams, a 27-year-old native of Ohio, has started and played 90 minutes in each of the last eight regular-season games, providing a much-needed steady hand in the Reds’ defence. Not bad for a player who hadn’t played a competitive game for several months before joining TFC on July 31.
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When Toronto claimed Williams off waivers from New York City FC the expectation was that he would slot in at right fullback, his natural position, and a problem area for the Reds. Due to a series of injuries, suspensions and players falling out of form, coach Greg Vanney has deployed Williams as a central defender.
To his credit, Williams hasn’t looked out of place in the middle of the defence, even when paired with different partners.
“The last three years I played as an outside back so when I came here I expected to play a right back. But I feel most comfortable at centre back, so the transition wasn’t too hard, and I’m surrounded by a bunch of guys who want to succeed and who’ve helped me out,” Williams said.
He later added: “I came into a playoff team, so to me I was just looking to bide my time and learn from guys. … Each week is just an opportunity for me to earn the right to play the next week.”
Williams said he played “around 20 to 25” games at centre back before coming to Toronto, so it wasn’t exactly new to him. The move to the middle of the defence also allowed him to ease into the team after effectively watching from the sidelines since May 10, his last game before joining Toronto.
“They push outside backs so high, so the fitness rate and your fitness levels have to be so much higher than a centre back. So it kind of allowed me to get back on the field a lot sooner because I didn’t have to be as fit. I could come in as centre back and not worry about getting up and down the field for 90 minutes; I could just control my area,” Williams explained.
“Now my biggest thing I’m working on is my vocal skills and being more a leader on the field.”
Vanney hasn’t been surprised with how well Williams has adapted.
“We knew he was good player. We though he was a hybrid between a right back and a centre back. Quite frankly, he’s come in here and been very consistent and very solid as a centre back,” Vanney stated.
“He grew up as a central midfielder and a player who played in the middle of the field, which (you see with) his calm and confidence on the ball, and his ability to get out of trouble. But then you get his big body, frame and size, and also winning balls in the air that I think make him a great centre back.”
The right side of defence still remains an issue for Toronto, with Marky Delgado recently called upon to play there. Williams, of course, could fill in at right fullback if needed, but Vanney admitted he sees the former member of the Columbus Crew as a centre back going forward.
“I thought this is a guy who could play right back for us, who could give us some real minutes at right back. But when I watched him as we were doing our assessments of him, I also told the guys he could pay centre back with the characteristics he has,” Vanney explained.
“I went back a few years ago when he was playing centre next to Chad Marshall at Columbus, and he was excellent in the games I watched. I thought he could really be something as a centre back in this league. He’s proving that. It’s still early days for him, but he’s been excellent.”
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