New York Red Bull II had a fantastic 2016 in USL, winning trophies and setting multiple records. But with the end of the season came the inevitable annual adjustments to the squad, with several players from the Championship-winning campaign allowed to leave the team.
One of those players is Devon “Speedy” Williams. As his 2016 highlight reel shows, the central midfielder worked hard in NYRB II’s engine room, focused mainly on ball-winning and distribution.
Injury kept him out of the team for the final games of the II team’s run to the regular season title, and he was missing from the squad that played in the USL Cup final due to a typically selfless and effective decision taken during the Eastern Conference Final: toward the end of a tight game against Louisville City, Williams stopped a breakaway in its tracks, preventing a potentially match-winning scoring opportunity for Lou City and winning himself an entirely justified (but justifiable) red card.