COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC today announced that the club has acquired forward Romario Williams from Atlanta United in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). Williams, 24, has earned 13 caps with the Jamaica National Team and scored two goals. The forward will be formally added to Crew SC’s roster upon the opening of the transfer window on July 9, 2019.
“We want to welcome Romario to Columbus Crew SC as he is a young forward who has already competed at an international level for Jamaica,” said Crew SC President Tim Bezbatchenko. “In addition to his international experience, Romario is a player who is familiar with MLS and will provide us with depth in our attack.”
Williams most recently played for Atlanta United, from 2017-2018, making 19 regular-season appearances for Atlanta and scoring one goal. The forward spent a portion of 2017 on loan with the Charleston Battery of the USL, making 22 appearances while tallying 15 goals and three assists en route to earning USL Second Team honors. That same season, Williams was also named the USL player of the month for the month of June.
Before joining Atlanta United, Williams was drafted by the Montreal Impact in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft with the third overall pick, making two appearances for the Impact. The forward spent part of the 2015 season on loan with USL side FC Montreal, making seven appearances and registering one assist. In 2016, Williams was sent on loan to the Charleston Battery, where he made 22 appearances while tallying 10 goals, finishing as the Battery’s leading scorer for that season.
At the international level, Williams has earned 13 caps for the Jamaica National Team and scored two goals. The forward made his debut with the senior side in a 2017 Caribbean Cup qualifier against Suriname in 2016 (November 13). Williams scored his first goal for Jamaica during a 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage match against Curacao, tallying the Reggae Boyz’s first goal in a 2-0 win (July 7). Notably, Williams was a member of the Jamaican side that reached the final of the 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup. Before debuting with the senior side, Williams featured for Jamaica at the Under-23 and U-17 level.
Up next, Crew SC travels to take on Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday, July 3 for the lone regular-season meeting between the clubs in 2019 [10:00 p.m. ET / Fox Sports Ohio, FOX Sports GO (Stream) / 97.1 The Fan & 971TheFan.com (English); ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish)].
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew SC acquires forward Romario Williams from Atlanta United in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) on July 1, 2019. The forward will be formally added to Crew SC’s roster upon the opening of the transfer window on July 9, 2019.
Name: Romario Williams
Position: Forward
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 180
Born: August 15, 1994 in Portmore, Jamaica
Hometown: Portmore, Jamaica
Citizenship: Jamaica
Acquired: Acquired from Atlanta United in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) on July 1, 2019
Previous Experience: Atlanta United (2016-2018), Charleston Battery (2016-2017), FC Montreal (2015), Montreal Impact (2015-2016)
