CHESTER, Pa. – In the midst of the celebration following the Union’s first goal of the 2011 season, Philadelphia Union midfielder Kyle Nakazawa snuck a quick peek at the reaction from the Houston Dynamo.
“I saw some of the faces on Houston’s defense and they were like, ‘What’s this guy doing?’” Nakazawa told MLSsoccer.com. “No one expects to get scored on a throw-in.”
The guy who left the Dynamo back line befuddled is Union right back Sheanon Williams, whose ridiculously long throw-in directly led to the only goal of the Union’s 1-0 season-opening win in Houston on Saturday.
WATCH: Califf scores on Williams’ throw-in
In the opening minutes, Williams, who was signed midseason last year and started the final eight games of the 2010 campaign, launched the ball to the middle of the penalty area, where Sebastien Le Toux was waiting. Le Toux’s shot hit the crossbar, but Danny Califf scored on the rebound.
[inline_node:331733]“I actually re-watched it and, to be honest, it was a pretty long throw,” Williams told MLSsoccer.com. “I would say that’s one of my longest. Usually, teams stack the box and they seemed kind of light. Seba was standing right there, so I just aimed for him and it got there.”
If the Dynamo didn’t know about Williams’ unique skill set then, they certainly know about it now. And other MLS clubs have also probably received the memo to stack the box when the Union get a throw-in in the attacking third.
“I think if we do it quickly, it will catch some people off guard,” said Williams. “But I think teams, when preparing for us, will say something about it.”
While Williams’ throwing ability may no longer be a secret around the league, the evolution of his strong arm is still shrouded in mystery.
Williams didn’t play any other sports that involved throwing while growing up in Boston, and only learned how to do it when tossing a soccer ball with older brother Stephano in the neighborhood, from light post to light post. Now, Williams’ little sister is showing off the same kind of ability for her club team in North Carolina.
“It must be a family thing,” Williams said.
Wherever it came from, the Union defender is glad he can bring an extra scoring option to the table.
“It springs some attacks and it’s definitely another way to score when we’re in the attacking half,” Williams said.
Added Nakazawa, “That’s something we can put in our bag of weapons. It’s a good thing to have.”
