Snip: At Maryland, he is at a top college program that has produced U.S. World Cup internationals such as Clarence Goodson, Maurice Edu, Omar Gonzalez, and Graham Zusi. “Just knowing that the Maryland environment itself is pretty much like a professional environment,” Williamson explained. “I'm in no rush knowing that we're good hands with [coach] Sasho Cirovski. It doesn't have so much pressure on us knowing that Maryland is such a good program. “At the same time it's something we also think about. The U-20 is another place where I can open up a ton of doors. That's one of my top ambitions to go over to Europe. I'm a fan of MLS but I think the best step for me to develop as a player is in Europe. I think that's where I want to go.” http://americansoccernow.com/articles/young-yanks-gather-in-new-jersey-for-training-camp He's a current U20 pool player and a '97 who I believe is HG-owned by DC United. http://www.ussoccer.com/players/2015/01/27/16/08/eryk-williamson And: http://www.umterps.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=29700&ATCLID=210260693
He's on trial in Sweden with Hammarby (h/t to @gvsu): (In Swedish): http://www.expressen.se/sport/fotboll/allsvenskan/hammarby-ar-pa-vag-att-varva-u21-landslagsman/ And the translation proclaims he is an "US U20 landslayer." The US needs more landslayers. The translated headline worries me, though: Hammarby is about to beat the U20 national teamman
haha. According to the article he's arriving Monday. We have sort of a mixed experience with US players, Charlie Davies was of course a resounding success (after a slow start) while Baggio Husidic, Billy Schuler and, more recently, Gershon Koffie (not US but spent his whole career in MLS) have failed to make a mark. My gut feeling is that he's visiting several clubs where Hammarby is the first stop.
He should be fine. He's not a player who you don't know what you are going to get with him, he's a quality player, not much more, not much less. If it was a higher level (no offense), I might say that it might not work out well for him.
I'd advise our players who go straight to European pros to try Denmark instead because it's on the mainland, geographically close to bigger leagues they'd be naturally targeting playing in during the future. They could skip a step and years of toiling this way. It's hard to get noticed on the other side of the North Sea. Their transfers haven't been sexy in recent years. You don't know what you are going to get with him, because he is a 20 year old, who hasn't played a day of pro football, he's athletic, sometimes technical but can be erratic in that department, and his thought speed needs to pick up. A lot of his issues can be ironed out with finally getting regular reps. The guy is not lacking in potential.
I think it's pretty unclear how good he can be, and there's NT-level talent and potential as a two-way midfielder there if he ends up in the right environment in responds well to it. (I know that's not a Strong Internet Prediction, but nobody's paying me to make them.) Davies needed a good season or so in Sweden before he really figured it out and it's great (heck, it might have been what "made" him) that they stuck with him -- though I seem to recall they had really high expectations for him right from the start, and he was getting some pressure from the fans.
I just don't see big upside in his game. He's versatile, but what position is he great at? Can probably play every position in midfield or striker. He's athletic, a decent striker of the ball, good dribbler, good work rate, strong defensively, but I don't think he's exceptionally creative, he's athletic although not an incredible athlete, he thinks the game at a decent pace but nothing great, probably only okay technically. IMO, I think he's a very safe player. Will likely play at a decent level for a lot of years, but not a difference maker. I don't even know for sure what his best position is. I don't think he plays that similarly to Bedoya, but I think his general profile as a footballer will be similar. Maybe thats a NT player, I'd hope we will not have room in the team for Bedoya caliber players on the NT in 5 or so years.
haha. According to the article he's arriving Monday. We have sort of a mixed experience with US players, Charlie Davies was of course a resounding success (after a slow start) while Baggio Husidic, Billy Schuler and, more recently, Gershon Koffie (not US but spent his whole career in MLS) have failed to make a mark. My gut feeling is that he's visiting several clubs where Hammarby is the first stop. Media wrote up Davies quite a bit but I think fans had more modest expectations. You could see he had unique qualities pretty early on. The problem was that he created loads of chances, many on his own, but seemed completely incapable of scoring. Then, in the final game of his debut season - 2007 - he scored a hattrick and from 2008 onwards he delivered consistently. When Hammarby sold him the whole team collapsed and the team spent five years in the second tier.
Full disclosure, relative to the newly establishing U.S. player pool I'm not high on Williamson. He's really not even on my radar. I just don't see how his innate quality compares to the likes of Weston McKennie, Kelyn Acosta, Emerson Hyndman, or a slew of other American CM prospects under age 23. That said I expect his athleticism and tenacity to have a positive effect on the Allsvenskan almost immediately. He won't have the immediate, and possibly not the ultimate effect that Bedoya did years ago, but this a league that he is ready to compete it right now and I expect he'll find success if he has what it takes psychologically. I really like where our country's development platform is heading relative to 10 years ago when a guy like Williamson makes me say, meh.
I don't know about all the criticisms. Watching U20 qualifying, he certainly stood out to me as technically a level above. At U20, despite playing with pros, he fit in fine and I though looked a lot like Adams. So maybe he's not going to be a creative player, but the biggest gaps the US has in playing the top teams in the world are 1) top class strikers and 2) mobile box-to-box midfielders that can hold the ball under pressure and play their way out. EW to me is part of a new generation capable of being that 2nd type of player. He may never surpass Acosta, Adams, Hyndmann, McKennie et al, but I think he's close enough now that if they don't improve, he could.
Update: Well, not really an update. According to the reporter who broke the story about the visit he was here on Monday but if he was, nobody saw him. That said, category 2 is pretty much what we are looking for... (and what we didn't find in Gershon Koffie who was shipped back to the Revs after only three months at Hammarby). We have a pretty strong central midfield ATM though, so he wouldn't be able to expect 1st team football in the short term.
If that's what you were looking for in Koffie, then it makes sense you didn't find it. He's always struck me as a better fit as a deep-lying defensive midfielder, though with a decent shot and some range on his passing. I don't have a stake in whether Hammarby needs to sign or play Williamson tomorrow or whatever, but presumably they have a pretty good sense of what they get when they sign young American players straight out of college.
Pretty standard practice group for #DCU today. Though looks like Eryk Williamson's Scandinavian trials are over - he's here at practice.— Uncle Steve (@streffsoccer) August 1, 2017
Getting word Maryland junior attacker Eryk Williamson (U.S. youth intl) has signed with agent, turning pro. Weighing Euro opportunity or possible D.C. United homegrown contract. #terps #dcu— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) December 12, 2017 signed with an Agent. Certainly going pro now.
Lmao in the middles of finals week? I’m glad he’s going pro, but no contract should be binding during finals week. Last year I thought in my no sleep-over-caffeinated daze about dropping out to become a chef, I actually talked to my parents about it. I finished finals came home and litterally never thought about it again.
Hearing that former U of Maryland and U.S. U-20 World Cup midfielder Eryk Williamson is considering options abroad (Scandinavia, Germany) along with MLS to begin his career.— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) December 15, 2017
I don't remember much about Eryk Williamson, but would he really be good enough for that level? Maryland to Bundesliga is quite the jump.
He’s athletic, for sure. Don’t think he has the skill and touch to succeed in the Bund, but I’d love to be wrong. I think a poor man’s Tyler Adams is a good way to describe him. It’s funny that Schalke would be willing to take a punt on him, but crap ass DC won’t/might lose him for nothing
He's an attacking midfielder. If he's not playing the 10 he's a winger, he's nothing like Tyler Adams