ASN: Lynn Williams Discusses MVP Standing, Sunday’s Remaining

Just a little-known striker on an unheralded NWSL squad claimed the league’s Golden Boot and MVP honors, and American Soccer Now columnist John D. Halloran spoke to her about, nicely, all of it. 

BY

John D. Halloran

Posted
October 06, 2016
7:55 PM

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A RELATIVE UNKNOWN by means of her collegiate and early skilled profession, American soccer followers are beginning to be aware of Lynn Williams.

Final yr, the Western New York Flash chosen Williams within the first spherical of the Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League draft, however the workforce struggled by means of its 2015 marketing campaign. Heading into this yr, and devoid of stars, few believed the Flash can be aggressive, not to mention a championship-caliber workforce.

Now, Williams and the Flash sit on the cusp of profitable an NWSL championship, heading into this Sunday’s last in opposition to the Washington Spirit (5pm ET, Fox Sports activities 1).

The Fresno, Calif., native has helped lead New York’s turnaround in 2016, scoring 11 targets in 19 video games on her technique to profitable the Golden Boot and league MVP honors. Nonetheless, talking to American Soccer Now, Williams gave a lot of the credit score for her success this yr to her teammates.

“There’s so many great forwards in this league, just to be considered one of them is amazing,” mentioned the Pepperdine alumna. “It shows all my hard work has paid off, as well as all my team’s hard work. I don’t score a goal without somebody passing me the ball, or our whole team working hard collectively. I like to think of it as I won the award on behalf of the team, not just myself.”

In 2015, Williams solely tallied 4 instances and the Flash completed with a 6-9-5 report. This yr, Western New York earned a playoff spot with a 9-6-5 report and final weekend battled its technique to a 4-3 additional time semifinal win in Portland to safe a spot on this weekend’s last.

Williams proved to be the hero in opposition to Portland, scoring twice in additional time in opposition to the stingiest protection within the league. As Flash captain Abby Erceg put it, “She’s our Get Out of Jail Free card sometimes.”

Williams factors to move coach Paul Riley for the workforce’s turnaround in 2016 and says he pushed all the correct buttons, convincing the gamers to purchase in to his workforce idea early on.

“Paul took us under his wing, he embraced us,” defined Williams. “He yelled at us when he needed to and he took us under his arm and gave us a hug when he needed to. The game plan and the belief in the team—he instilled a fighter’s mentality in us that we didn’t have last year.”

Williams additionally added that Riley supplied her with the instruments she wanted to enhance her particular person sport.

“Paul really helped me with my runs and sharpening my skills and my finishing,” she famous. “He really got me in front of the goal a lot this year at practice.”

Riley, for his half, couldn’t be extra complimentary of Williams. Amongst different traits, he praised his ahead’s willingness to be taught, her humility, and her dedication in follow to enhance all aspects of her sport.

“Lynn’s IQ of the game has improved, her athletic ability is second-to-none, probably, in the league. [Her] finishing has become better. She’s spent a lot of time in front of goal this year in practice,” Riley defined.

The coach additionally famous Williams’ focus and willingness to work onerous off the ball in matches.

“You could see her celebration after she scored the fourth goal [against Portland],” mentioned Riley. “If I had scored a goal like that I would have done nine somersaults, but she just jogs back and on we go again.”

“She plays both sides of the ball and not every forward does,” he later added.

Lovely ball from Mewis, adopted by a wonderful end from Williams.

Watch the purpose that sealed Sunday’s win ?? pic.twitter.com/MdSjwJXAnP

— WNY Flash (@WNYFlash) October 4, 2016

Williams mentioned one other consider Western New York’s success this yr is their workforce chemistry, stating the workforce is “one of the closest, tight-knit groups of people and one of the best teams that I’ve even been on.”

“We genuinely like each other [and] we hang out all the time,” she later added. “We’re so close that we can tell each other how it is without taking it personally, as well as praising each other on the field at the same time. Knowing you’re so close off the field helps you work harder for each other on the field.”

Earlier than her journey to New York, Williams performed for Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. Whereas the ahead led her workforce with 14 targets as a senior, she flew beneath the radar of many groups. Within the collegiate low season, she performed for the Pali Blues, a semi-professional workforce in Los Angeles the place she caught the attention of Blues’ head coach Charlie Naimo.

When that workforce folded in 2014, Naimo grew to become the technical director of Western New York and, recognizing Williams’ potential, helped carry her to the Flash.

“If I’m not seen by Charlie, I don’t think I get drafted,” admitted Williams. “I went to Pepperdine, which isn’t known as one of the top soccer schools. It has a great soccer program and the West Coast Conference is really tough, but nationally, people don’t see Pepperdine as one of those big, standout names.”

Many additionally credit score Naimo because the architect of the workforce’s 2015 draft class which included Samantha Mewis, Abby Dahlkemper, Jaelene Hinkle, and Sabrina D’Angelo—all starters on this yr’s squad.

After the 2015 draft, Williams headed to Spain to play for the U.S. U-23s, together with Mewis, Dahlkemper, and Hinkle. The workforce gained all three video games on the Six Nations match, beating England, Japan, and Norway—with Williams scoring two of the workforce’s 5 targets in Spain.

Now, the senior squad has come calling with Jill Ellis rewarding Williams’ glorious season along with her first nationwide workforce call-up. Nonetheless, Williams insisted her focus stays with the Flash in the intervening time.

“I just can’t focus on [the national team] right now. Last year, I had a hard year. I hurt my knee and had to rehab. I saw a lot of my friends called into camp. Mentally, that was hard,” she mentioned.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know if they want me.’ But, this knee injury is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me because I had to re-evaluate why I play soccer,” mentioned Williams. “It’s because I just love the game.”

“I still just love playing soccer. [Playing for the U.S.] is a goal of mine, but I can’t focus on it [right now] because then I take my mind away from Sunday and playing for my club which is just as important to me,” she added.

“Right now, I’m just focused on Sunday.”