Solomon Williams Reflects on U18 Opportunity
Solomon Williams Reflects on U18 Opportunity
The USA U18 men's team is assembling now in Amsterdam, set to play in the Corendon Summer Tour, and there are plenty of challenges ahead.
Games against the Netherlands, Canada, and Belgium loom over the next couple of weeks, and none of those games will be easy. As is usual with these types of teams, this will be an assembly of a bunch of players that don't normally play with each other, so building a team, quickly, is hugely important.
"Through academy teams I have already had the chance to play with players like Dom Besag and Riley Elliot," said Solomon Williams, who has led Thunder Rugby to a 6-0 record at the last two HS National Championships, winning the HS Club title and the Tier II title. "I also have had the chance to play against players like Jacob Bower. I am excited to bond and connect with the boys who I have yet to play with or against."
Such as ...
"One player who I can’t wait to play with is Ollie Cline. I was fortunate enough to play with him the past couple of weeks in New Zealand as a halfback and flyhalf combination; It will also be exciting to play with my Thunder teammate Aminae Amiatu, as well as my future teammates at Cal: Rand Santos and Cade Crist."
That's the attitude the team—more so than worrying about wins and losses—that the coaching staff will want to see in their players. Wins are nice, but not necessarily the main goal. There's the idea of just playing with and against new and different players.
"I am excited to play with the whole team and bond with all the boys while we get a job done," added Williams. "Personally, I want to play well, learn, and win. I want to help establish the foundation of this team as it works to be the best."
And there's that other thing: putting on the USA jersey.
"Like many of the boys, this has been a dream of mine since I knew what professional rugby was," said Williams. "To represent my country, the honor is massive and I am very thankful to be selected for this job. I really hope to be a part of the ascendance of USA Rugby."