Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Seems we have dueling threads going both discussing what will happen with Andy Williams. Having no, none, Zippo knowledge of his status, I will make this radical prediction. Andy if done? at RSL will be sent out in the most gracious way possible. He may even (please no) have his number retired by our owner.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I don't know, it might detract future players from coming here who covet the 77.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Has an official announcement been put out? I feel they shouldn't let Andy go. He would be a player that Real could depend on off the bench.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I bet you there will be no official announcement until after the expansion draft. this is a great game theory scenario. is he retiring or not. how would this impact Montreal's decision.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I can't see Montreal taking Andy. We have other unprotected that are younger and more valuable to them than Andy.....just my opinion.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Dude... posting a picture of a Vietnamese monk engaged in self-immolation in protest of the war in the 1960s is not cool. That was an extreme act of self-sacrifice to call attention to injustice. There are tons of other riot pictures out there, just pick one.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Easy. It wasn't my intent to be disrespectful - I admire that kind of pacifism to be honest. I was just using an extreme to be sarcastic about the cries of injustice on this thread. I apologize if I pissed you off. I treat very little as sacred and sometimes that crosses lines.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Thank you, I appreciate your perspective, too. I treat very little as sacred, also. One thing I do treat as (more or less) sacred is individual acts of extreme selflessness. The lone man standing in front of a tank in Tianamen Square, the monk self-immolating, the grandmother standing before police to say that things are not right, the soldier rescuing his/her injured comrade, the firefighter charging into a burning building to save a child, etc.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I like that you said you treat little as sacred then had a pretty long list that ended with "etc" Andy isn't going to get picked up by Montreal. If he does, no way in hell he is moving there. He played for Jamaica when he could have played for Canada for a reason...
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? LOL! Yes, I see them as acts of extreme selflessness... though not comparable to the ones I listed, of course...
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? What a ride! Hoped to see Andy walk of the field one last time! Your the best Bomma! An RSL legend and a key part of the team. Thanks for all the great memories. Glad your staying! You will only continue to do great things. Onward and upward. My best to you and the family!
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Curious to know if you still think RSL is "classless" and treated Andy badly? One constant in life is that all of us will reach the point where we're too old to continue to do our jobs (or we'll die first - now there's a pleasant thought). Andy wasn't going to play forever. When most of us retire, it will be a clean break from our employer - neither party will have any more to do with the other. I'm sure I won't be kept in any role when I retire. Yet RSL found a way to do this with Andy. Personally I think he got treated about as well as a retiring player can be.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Kinda bummed about this. I wanted to see Andy go out in the same fashion Keller did. Have a whole season to savor his final touches, and having a tribute game, etc... Oh well.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I don't know the details about what AW was offered as a player v. what he was offered to be a scout, but... ... in his Kall700 interview he didn't sound like someone who WANTED to stop playing. AW made some pretty good point that he played a lot of minutes last year and came through unscathed. It also kinda sounded like Bill & Spence were convincing him that he should be happy to have a job on the technical staff. I don't know AW, so I don't know how to read the emotion in his voice, how he was parsing his words, etc., but that's how it sounded to me. Sounds like "reality" wasn't entirely wrong. Regardless of how it went down, I'm glad that AW is staying with the RSL family.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? If by not entirely wrong you mean almost completely right, then I would agree. I think it's pretty hard to ask a 35-year old player to take a significant salary cut. I think it's likely that he'll make more as a scout than he would have next season as a player. On that note, I think it's great that Checketts, et al, created a position for him. However, I think this came down to the team wanting to use the roster spot on a younger player.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Yeah, woops! My statement sounds like a back-handed compliment when that wasn't intended.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? I dunno, "The front office decided not to offer a talented and well-liked but aging and slowing player an expensive contract, but brought him in to work in the front office when he decided that he'd rather retire than move somewhere else to play for one or at most two years" sounds quite a bit different than "ZOMG THE FRONT OFFICE ARE A BUNCH OF ASSHOLES AND SECRETLY THEY ALL HATE ANDY WILLIAMS AND ALSO EVERYONE ELSE AND ANDY'S GOING TO HAVE TO DRAG HIS CHILDREN TO SASKATCHEWAN JUST TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE YOU GUYS." And that's why you don't feed the trolls.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Has an MLS team ever had a testimonial game for a player? I think it would be a fitting tribute to Andy....
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Wow. Sad day. So many great memories, beginning with being named the team MVP in 2005, his rocket goal from the 43 yard line in 2007, going the full 120' in MLS Cup 2009, his strong play this year, and everything in between. It's the end of an era. I say retire his (long-sleeved) #77 jersey.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? there is little question in my mind that Andy has scored RSL's most spectacular and most creative goals. the johnson GOTY and mathis' rocket volley get a lot of attention, but throughout the history of RSL Andy has provided the teams most amazing goals without a doubt. i can remember several from the highlight videos i put together, the ones you mentioned as well as a beauty volley against New England, the free kick curler from the 18 box corner also against New England are a couple more.
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? This. 100% this. Invite whoever he wants from among former teammates, make him captain of both teams (even though he plays for one), charge $5 and get 7500 people there. Andy Williams Testimonial Match. Make it happen . . .
Re: Andy Williams Retiring? Or bring in his original Jamaican team as a international friendly and let him play a half for both sides. charge $10.00 and get 5000 people their.
