RSL may turn to Williams to help it get elusive win

Andy Williams is like a favorite book or movie. He's like an old standby, one that can't really compete with the pomp and flair associated with the latest summer blockbuster or the most recent wizard fairy-tale. At the end of the day, however, it's usually tough to beat the good ol' fashioned standby.

Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis admittedly came to some form of that realization following Thursday night's gut-wrenching loss to FC Dallas.

Partly because of injury but partly because of coaching decisions by John Ellinger and Kreis, Williams hasn't started a single league match this year. After suffering through what he termed a very disappointing first-half performance from his team Thursday, Kreis inserted Williams into the match after halftime, a decision that made an immediate impact.

Not only did the team seem more organized and more dangerous, but Williams set up the team's best scoring chance with a fantastic lofted pass over FC Dallas' defense, an opportunity that Alecko Eskandarian was unlucky not to finish.

If Williams is making such impact, why isn't he starting? That was a question posed to Kreis in Thursday's postgame press conference.

"He has come off an injury a few weeks back, a pretty serious injury to his ankle, so the biggest question with Andy at the moment is he fit enough to play 90 minutes and offer us what we need especially in that position, in left midfield," said Kreis.

After pausing for a brief second, Kreis acknowledged that it's probably time to find a spot for Williams in his starting 11.

"I think Andy, not in all of the games but most of the games that he's coming on, he's making a difference, and the team plays better," said Kreis.

For a team still searching for its first league win, if Williams is making such a difference it seems foolish to have him on the bench.

Williams' strength has always been keeping possession by holding the ball regardless of the number of defenders surrounding him. It's often said that Williams will get fouled or commit a foul himself before losing possession, a big reason he's the most fouled player in RSL's short history.

That ability to possess the ball in traffic was a big reason coach Ellinger was second-guessed for one of his substitution choices in the season opener against FC Dallas. Instead of inserting Williams into the match to help RSL ice away the victory, Ellinger opted to put unproven newcomer Luis Tejada into the match.