Depends upon what you mean by "help" and also the role Bradley expects him to play. Bradley runs a clear system (of course, it benefited from having a Nowak) that mean very limited players (like Jim Curtin) could be successes. Also, ABMOD is a superb practice player--he brings it every time and will fight teammates if they half-step or don't take it seriously. And, he's a pretty good destroyer, will hustle, annoy, trip, chase balls and never quit. And now he's cheap. That said, he never had technical ability and the league has gotten better (and he hasn't). If you count on him to help distribute or start attacks, you're in deep kimchi. He's short and not very athletic (many players are faster than he is and he doesn't have much of a vertical leap). He is absolutely no offensive threat and has very poor vision on the field (he'll make more square passes than the rest of your team combined). While he's not a dirty player, enough league players know him so his game doesn't throw a veteran A-mid off (like it did initially) and he won't get a break from the refs (who assume if an A-mid goes down it was b/c ABMOD grabbed someone breaking away from him). That said, you'll love the anguish it produces in Columbus fans every time they lose to a team with Richie Williams on it. My guess is: he and Moore are a terrible pair (two destroyers). ABMOD and Clark are a better fit (if you play a 5 man mid) with Clark as the H-mid and ABMOD as the D-mid. But that means you're expecting a rookie (a very good rookie) to be a key attack catalyst and distributor plus you wouldn't have Clark at outside mid. If you play a 4 man mid, Richie is, well, a stop-gap until next year when Clark moves into the D-mid role. And Clark (in time) will be superb at that role.
JoeW, as always good points, but to say that Richie is without skills is to compare him to the echelon of players like Mike Burns and Matt McKeon. Interesting that for the past few seasons, those two were in the starting eleven of the league's most boring side...... All too often, MLS fans are in awe of players who bring tons of flair and style to the game, but to say that a player is not technical who does not dribble through a defense or juggle down the fall is faulty. Williams rarely makes a bad pass or is caught in a bad position; combine that with his feistiness, aggressive nature, hard work ethic and leadership and Williams is the consumate team player and valuable and extremely under-rated. Williams knows his role and accepts it. So many observers are overwhelmed because Andy Williams can put his head down and dribble throw a cornacopia or defenders before being taken off the ball-all the meanwhile missing the easy through pass to set up an opportunity; others applaud the play of Winston Griffiths who can make a fake over move on the ball but holds onto it too long to be productive. Richie isn't caught in those situations, but because he is a work man and not neccessarily a pretty player, we discredit him. We overlook his off the ball runs, smart passes, good touch, willingness to move the ball north-south as well as east-west, holding onto possession under pressure and sure grit. All to often in our search for talented seals, we have players who can dribble the ball on their noses but don't know what to do with it. So give me the unspectacular Richie Williamses and Billy Walshes.
my two cents sweeper has hit it in the head. i am sure most coaches would go for a player who is dedicated, humble, and hard working over those that are cocky any time. im sure richie williams will make positive contributions to his team this year. Im sure teams in the A-league would be interested in him if he is no longer wanted in MLS... that is all, sincerely, iowa007
Sweeper, I agree that fans have a tendency to focus on the fancy skills and technical virtuosity while ignoring the spear carriers and guys who do the dirty work. Have no doubts--Richie Williams will be a superlative team player. I do disagree with a couple of points you make. --I have seen him make numerous bad passes and poor touches. This isn't about a player who is good but not fancy. This is a player who is weak technically in my opinion. If Bradley goes with a 4-man midfield (which I doubt), then Richie is here just one year before Ricardo Clark gets enough experience and confidence to take over. --I don't think he makes smart passes. That's my point about square balls. I was always taught to never play the ball square (it increases the chance of interception and doesn't create danger--unless you're switching play). Richie does a lot of things well. Vision of the field, through balls, destructive passes are not any of those things. I'm not saying he's dumb or doesn't concentrate out there. He'll pay attention, mark like crazy, try to anticipate plays. But he's weak with the ball and on the attack. Fortunately for DCU, Arena never asked him to play any of those roles. --control under pressure: sorry, that's not him at all in my book. He has terrible close control. I like Richie personnally. If cap wasn't an issue, I wish he was still DCU. I defended Arena inviting him to National team camps (b/c of the kind of practice player he is). That said, he is very good at some things and terrible at others. I think McKeon is better technically than he is. I'm not trying to bash ABMOD, only offer an assessment of someone who respects him as a player and cheered him on when he played for DCU (on both tours). In my book, the issue with Williams isn't that he's unspectacular. The guy who is going to replace him with DCU (not really replace b/c Nelsen will be the D-mid and Kovalenko a H-mid), is Ryan Nelsen. Nelsen is about as unspectular as you get. And he has his limits (not fast, not technical, not quick). But he's a better finisher, faster, better ball skills, stronger in the air, and better at holding the ball than Richie. And none of that has to do with spectacular. Richie is just limited as a player. I think the saving grace is that Bradley should know his game well and probably the two best things to say about Bradley is/are: (a) he runs a well-organized team with a clear system (which makes it easier for younger players to develop and people know what are expected of them); and (b) he does a good job using limited players (can you say: David Vaudreil? Jim Curtin? CJ Brown?) effectively. --
Did I miss anybody say he was an attacking player? He's never been an attacking player, and I'm sure he's the first one who would tell you he's a d-mid. I like richie. ABMOD? What's that mean? With such a young team I think it's important to have a guy in there who's not going to choke under pressure, and can provide leadership on the field. With Richie, you always know what you're going to get. And he can mark the ************ out of the other team's playmaker.
This hits the nail on the head but it also describes Williams' strength and weakness in one sentence. With the retirements of Nowak and Valderrama and the dimished abilities of Etcheverry there just aren't that many "playmakers" left in MLS. Teams like Colorado, San Jose, Dallas, NE, and possibly Chicago are going to play with midfields that lack a true "playmaker". Instead, they'll field 4-5 mids that can contribute offensively and defensively. I'm not really that worried about Williams as a liability because we have Ricardo Clark. Williams will give Clark the time and tutoring he needs to get up to speed.
1. ABMOD, to give credit where credit is due, was supposedly first coined by a fan on one of the Columbus websites who, after losing to United and seeing Williams play, coined the acroynm ABMOD. That stands for either "Ankle Biting Monster of Doom" or "Ankle Biting Midget of Dispair" depending upon who's version you believe. DCU fans have come to refer to him as ABMOD (and that isn't meant as a term of derision). 2. Yes, he's a pretty fair marker. He's not that fast (and consequently, there are highlite films of Nowak and Donovan outrunning him). But he's like a very annoying misquito that won't go away for most opposing A-mids. He never stops hustling, tugs shirts, gets the boot in and will leave the field with his kit being covered with more dirt than anyone else 9 times out of 10. In short, a guy everyone likes to have on their team. And, as I've said, his value in practice is totally underrated. Richie Williams only has one gear and it's the same for games and practice sessions. 3. If you put him in a role where he's not expected to do anything meanginful with the ball (ie: not handle it under pressure, not start the attack, not link to midfield) AND he has other help at D-mid so his lack of speed isn't exploited, he can be very effective.
HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA! Oh my god, that's so hillarious! What a clever acronym! Oh my god, i'm gonna pee in my pants!!! Why can't Metro fans be so clever? Let's go around making acronyms for all the players! It's soooo cool! And funny! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!
Two seasons ago I was one of the most vocal opponents of RW coming to Metro, and through the season my hatred of him diminished. He was generally dependable as a d-mid, much better positioning than Walsh and not mistake-prone. He also didn't commit nearly as many fouls in the opponents' offensive third as I and others predicted. He couldn't make a forward pass to save his life, but whatever. He had a role to play and he played it. Two years later, with a tighter cap and two extra years of wear & tear on his legs, I'm not so sure. He's in a position where we don't really need more players. I cannot imagine paying him anywhere near what he made last season, but if he can fit in at a diminished salary and teach something to some of the younger guys, I don't have a problem with him. But if he was cut I wouldn't miss him, either. I trust Bob's judgement on this one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/26/sports/soccer/27SOCC.html http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/story/62952p-58703c.html
He signed It was reported today on a national wire service this morning that Richie signed a multiyear contract to play for the Metrostars. You got him now.