His jersey refuses to remain tucked. His stride defaults to a loping gait. When the play drifts far away, he walks; shoulders back, chest out. While toying with over anxious defenders – showing the ball, then stashing it out of reach – he seems to be working alone.
Whether consciously or not, Andy Williams emits prima donna vibes.
But those who have coached him contend that the shirt tail belies his willingness to listen, the loping gait contradicts his desire to win; the walking conceals his burst of speed and the dribbling misrepresents his team-first mentality.
Why then, did several of those coaches trade Williams, making him the only active player with five MLS teams on his resume (See chart on Page 22).
Answers to questions like this one are numerous yet inconclusive because of contrasting bits of evidence. The Chicago Fire has entrusted the 25-year-old Jamaican with its playmaking duties, and Williams wants to speak to his critics and former teams through his performance.
''His mannerisms might be read the wrong way,'' said Ed Bradley, Williams' college coach at Rhode Island. ''Maybe he walks one time and you say, 'Oh, he's lazy.' But he gets fast when the ball gets near him … And he's very coachable.''
Former teammates and coaches in MLS echo Bradley's assessment. Williams is never a disruptive force, but he does keep to himself. Octavio Zambrano acquired Williams from New England last spring but lost his job as MetroStars coach when the team failed to make the playoffs despite Williams' most productive season yet – 15 assists (third in MLS) and 19 points.
''He's a kid that never gets flustered, almost to a fault,'' Zambrano said. ''You almost want him to get upset sometimes. He has a fighting spirit – you'll see it when he loses the ball. Because he missed the pass, he will chase that guy down. But if it wasn't him that lost the ball … who knows. … If you don't really know him, you might think that he doesn't care, but I know him and he cares very deeply about the game and about winning. He listens and he wants to do well.''
Can a quiet guy who's been shipped around MLS still make an impact?
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. Andy Williams probably would have discovered soccer sooner, but his father, Maurice, steered him toward tennis. Maurice had played professionally and for Jamaica's national team, but suffered a career-ending knee injury.
Andy hardly played any soccer until age 7, when his mother showed him a photo album of his father's soccer exploits. Andy was instantly inspired and hardly looked back at the tennis court he left behind.
Williams never saw any film to show how his father played, but comparisons between the two came early and often.
''My Dad played when there were still laces on the ball, so it was quite a while ago,'' Williams said. ''He's considered one of the best left-footers to ever to play for Jamaica.''
His father's fame brought increased exposure. Williams ascended quickly to high-level clubs that served as the Jamaican national team's youth system and occasionally played in tournaments in the United States.
He was just 16 when he made his first appearance with the senior team in a friendly against the Colorado Foxes of the American Professional Soccer League. Several Division I coaches expressed interest, but only Bradley was willing to take him that year.
At Rhode Island, Williams helped the Rams earn an NCAA tournament berth in 1995, their first in 16 years, led the nation in scoring in 1996 and amassed 149 points, still a school record, in just over three seasons. He missed most of his senior season because of a broken collarbone he suffered while playing for Jamaica in World Cup qualifying.
He scored two goals in that qualifying campaign and played in Jamaica's opening match of the 1998 World Cup against Croatia. He has appeared sporadically for the Reggae Boyz since and in March he helped the team qualify for the Gold Cup.
Playing for the national team allows Williams to visit his parents, who still live in Kingston, and get a personalized dose of his father's soccer wisdom.
''He's always giving me advice,'' Williams said. ''He thinks I need to shoot more. I think he remembers me more as a forward, because that's what I played growing up.''
THE JOY OF PASSING. Dad's recommendation points to a topic that has bedeviled each of his MLS coaches – Williams' best position. He has played right, left and center midfield as well as forward. Chicago is using him behind two strikers with two holding midfielders behind him.
''For me, he is not a No. 10,'' Zambrano said. ''He does not bring other people into the game on a consistent basis. You look at Mauricio Cienfuegos, and he is always trying to make sure everyone is connected to the game. … To play that position, you need to demand the ball and you need to always be an option, and he doesn't do that enough.''
Zambrano fancies Williams more as a second forward, but with pure finisher ahead of him and an assertive central midfielder behind. Zambrano said he regrets having tried to convert Williams into a playmaker.
''He has some of the qualities to do it, but it's not Andy's nature,'' Zambrano said. ''But he also has an explosiveness that most No. 10's in this league don't have.''
Williams, meanwhile, feels at home in the center of the field, trying to set up scoring chances.
''I get joy out of creating goals, more than scoring them,'' Williams said. ''Everybody's going to remember who scored the goal, but they're going to talk about the person who passed it to him. … I used to be a forward, so I just put myself in the forward's shoes. If I was him, where would I want this ball.''
Fernando Clavijo, who was removed as New England's coach just before the team traded Williams last year, believes he still has the potential to be an effective distributor, but needs to add vocal leadership and maturity.
''I think the biggest problem for Andy is that, as a full international, he needs to be more regular,'' Clavijo said. ''He was a great individual to have around. He never gave me any problems, but he needs to make the difference every game. Sometimes, I think that he lets himself go through the motions … That part, for me, was a shame because he had all the tools. He just needs to work on the mental aspect of the game to be able to do more and do it more often.''
'KICKED TO THE CURB.' The past three seasons, Williams has been on teams that missed the playoffs and lacked chemistry along the way. The question of his consistency becomes a chicken-and-egg problem when one considers his supporting casts, team and position changes and periodic relegations to bench duty. Tyrone Marshall, another Jamaican international and his former teammate in Miami, sympathizes.
''Every team that he plays for, whenever he has a good year, it seems like the following year he's gone again,'' Marshall said. ''It's like the previous year isn't worth anything again. … It's just really hard and discouraging to a player like that, to feel like you made a big contribution to the team and then all of a sudden you're just kicked to the curb and no one really wants you. … But every time he's been in the dirt, he has risen out of it to show everyone that he's still a good player.''
Williams does not seem to harbor grudges about his trades. He doesn't like making his son, Jordain and his wife, Marcia, who is expecting their second child, pick up and move so often. But he says coaches are entitled to choose their teams. He feels, however, that public perception of him may be overly negative.
''I'm not a Marco Etcheverry, a Peter Nowak or a Mauricio Cienfuegos. I'm not on that level, but I'd like to think I'm on the next level,'' Williams said. ''I want to be one of the best midfielders in this league. I've shown glimpses of it, but I haven't quite gotten there. Some people say I take games off, but every game I do the same thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.''
He theorizes that his college success and national team experience at such young age burdened him with unrealistic expectations. He would like to shed any reputation as a loafer.
''I wouldn't say I play a great defensive game, but people would say I was lazy when I was only doing what the coaches asked,'' Williams said. ''The coach would say, 'You're the attacking midfielder, help out when you can.' But I'm not listening to that anymore. If somebody on the other team is near me, going towards my goal, I'm chasing him. I don't want to be tagged with another name.''
ANOTHER NEW START. When Williams began training with Chicago in preseason, both parties were wary. Williams only knew the Fire as a rival.
''I didn't think I would like this team,'' Williams said. ''They are one of the toughest teams to play against and I just wasn't sure I'd be welcomed. But it's been completely the opposite. This is one of the tightest-knit teams I've ever been on.''
Chicago coach Dave Sarachan knew throughout the offseason that Williams would be floating free of the MetroStars and did some checking up.
''We talked to a lot of people that knew Andy and the common response was that he's a good guy and a quiet guy, very quiet,'' Sarachan said. ''I think he might be a little misunderstood because that might lead people to believe he's a moody guy.''
But Sarachan has been pleased with Williams attitude. After a pair of average performances in the team's first two games – both ties – Williams spearheaded the Fire's second half rally in a 3-2 victory in Kansas City with a goal and an assist.
''I still feel he's got talent,'' Sarachan said. ''Maybe [what he has done so far] is what we get, but I think it's worth the investment to see if we can get more.''
Williams status as a senior international contributed to his departures from Columbus and Miami. He completed most of his green card application process in 2000, but has been waiting to be called for his final interview ever since. He's ready to stay in one city for a while, but knows he must earn that privilege.
''I love it here in the States, no matter where it is,'' Williams said. ''I'm only 25. I've put in all this work here … something good is going to happen eventually.''
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns