JJ Williams

In his second match for the Hammers, Williams was sent off in the 72nd minute of a 2–0 defeat against Chattanooga FC after a collision with Chattanooga goalkeeper Greg Hartley.

He finished the season with five appearances for Birmingham.

Williams scored his first collegiate goal on October 5, a 73rd-minute strike in a 3–1 victory over Evansville.

He added his first NCAA tournament goal on November 20, albeit in a 3–2 loss to Creighton in the second round.

At the end of the season, he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team.

As a sophomore, Williams tied for the team lead in goals, with three, and added four assists in 17 appearances.

Jerome Williams Jr. (born January 4, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for USL Championship club Rhode Island FC.

He previously appeared at the semi-professional level for Birmingham Hammers, Reading United, and Dayton Dutch Lions and as a professional with Columbus Crew, Atlanta United, Atlanta United 2, Birmingham Legion, FC Tulsa, Phoenix Rising, and Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Although he was born in Clovis, New Mexico, Williams grew up in Montgomery, Alabama and attended Alabama Christian Academy.

After scoring 122 goals while in high school, he spent three years playing at the University of Kentucky.

Williams was a two-time All-Metro player of the year in Montgomery and was named as the 2016 AHSAA Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

At club level, Williams appeared for Vestavia Hills Soccer Club, winning three State Cup championships.

He committed to play college soccer at the University of Kentucky, one of seven members of the 2016 class for the Wildcats.

Following his high school graduation, and before joining the team at Kentucky, Williams spent time in the National Premier Soccer League with expansion club Birmingham Hammers.

He was not initially on the roster, but was added midway through the 2016 season and made his debut on June 12 against Nashville FC.

On August 26, 2016, Williams came off the bench to make his Kentucky debut in a 4–0 victory against Marquette.

He made 18 appearances on the season, tallying three goals and three assists while primarily coming off the bench.

He started just once on the season, but scored a penalty kick as part of a 1–1 draw with nationally-ranked Xavier on September 20, 2017.

Although the Wildcats were eliminated in the first round of the 2017 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament, Williams was named Third Team All-CUSA.

Williams broke out as a junior to become "perhaps the nation's top attacking threat", tallying 18 goals and eight assists in 22 matches.

He made his debut on May 13, 2017, playing nine minutes in a 3–1 victory over Lehigh Valley United.

Williams scored his first Reading goal on May 20, a tally two minutes into second half stoppage time in a 3–2 defeat against New York Red Bulls U-23.

He primarily appeared off the bench during the remainder of the season, closing his time with Reading with one goal from seven appearances.

Williams returned to the Premier Development League ahead of his junior collegiate season, joining up with Dayton Dutch Lions.

Williams was a first team all-American and the C-USA Men's Soccer Player of the Year in 2018.

He also spent time during the collegiate offseason with Birmingham Hammers, Reading United, and Dayton Dutch Lions.

He scored two goals in a match four times, notably against Louisville on September 4, 2018 and against Portland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The goals against Portland capped off a stretch of nine goals in nine games for Williams.

In leading the Wildcats to the C-USA regular season and tournament titles, he was named as the C-USA Player of the Year, Offensive MVP, and Tournament MVP.

His 18 goals were third-most in the nation and a Kentucky single-season record.

He was named as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy but lost out on the award to Andrew Gutman of Indiana.

Williams departed Kentucky following the season, ending his collegiate career with 24 goals and 15 assists from 57 appearances.

Ahead of his sophomore season at Kentucky, Williams joined Premier Development League club Reading United.

He debuted for the club on May 18, 2018, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 draw against West Virginia Alliance.

Williams signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer ahead of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and was selected in the first round by Columbus Crew.

He spent most of his rookie year on loan to Birmingham Legion before being waived by the Crew ahead of the 2020 season, eventually finding his way to Atlanta United.

Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Williams moved to Alabama as a child and grew up in Montgomery.

He began playing soccer at the age of nine, joining the Capital City Streaks youth club and playing for regional Olympic Development Program teams.

Williams attended Alabama Christian Academy, playing three years on varsity for the Eagles.

He combined for 57 goals across his sophomore and junior seasons before breaking out as a senior with 65 goals and 20 assists.