With a series of knee injuries behind him and a big FA Cup match scheduled for tomorrow, the Reading midfielder has his eye on promotion to the EPL and a return to the U.S. national team.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

March 06, 2015

2:18 PM SHARE THIS STORY



for professional athletes, but German-American midfielder Danny Williams has endured more than his fair share of bad luck in the past year.

In March 2014 the Karlsruhe, West Germany, native injured his knee while playing for the U.S. national team and was unable to contribute fully to Reading's push for promotion to the English Premier League. Agonizingly, Reading fell one point short of the playoffs that could have seen the team move up to the next tier.

To make matters worse, the injury also cost Williams any chance of making the United States' 2014 World Cup team.

With his Premier League dreams temporarily dashed and the Brazil World Cup fading in the rearview mirror, Williams' balky knee flared up once again during the 2014-15 preseason. He underwent surgery, missed three months of action, and an already injury-plagued Reading got off to such a poor start that any hopes of promotion were quickly extinguished. In fact, the ambitious club is currently in 18th place in the 24-team league and needs to play well over the next few months to avoid a relegation battle.

It's not all bad news, however. Reading has advanced to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup and has a very winnable match on Saturday against Bradford City. Williams considers this development a silver lining in an otherwise cloud-filled season.

“This season started off frustrating because a lot of important players for the team were out injured,” Williams told American Soccer Now from England. “We had to rely on a lot of young players and they did a great job but obviously the Championship is quite a tough league. A lot of people don’t realize how tough it is. That was a bit unfortunate but thankfully we have the FA Cup and I think that is the only way we can rescue this disappointing season for us because everyone in England knows that the FA Cup is a really big thing.”

“Who thought we were going to make it to the quarterfinal and would be one win away from Wembley after this disappointing season? We’ve also won all of our games away from home. So that makes it more exciting. I hope we really give our fans something to look forward to.”

Since his return from injury, Williams has done his part to try to right the ship at Reading. Playing in his normal defensive midfield position, Williams has been fantastic, completing 88 percent of his passes—fourth best in the league. A tenacious tackler, Williams has delivered in the defensive half of the field as well.

Next week Williams will turn 26 and he is currently in his fifth season as a full professional. He made his debut in 2010 while playing for Freiburg in the Bundesliga. In 2011 he moved to Hoffenheim where he continued to be a mainstay in midfield. In 2013, he decided to leave Germany for the first time to play for Reading. The differences are noticeable but he believes the Championship plays to his strengths as a player and that is why he is one of the league’s better defensive midfielders.

“I would say the speed in the midfield,” Williams said comparing the Bundesliga to the Championship. “Here you don’t really have much time with the ball. You have a lot more pressure. It’s a lot more physical and it’s faster. That would be the main difference. In Germany they have a technical game.

"I can’t speak for the Premier League, but in the Championship it is a bit rougher. There are fouls in Germany where every referee would blow the whistle but in England you just keep playing. For me, it fits my style.”

When Williams signed for Reading, it was an opportunity for him to join a club that could contend for promotion to the Premier League where it last played in the 2012-2013 season. The club has been considered a contender to return to the top flight but injuries have slowed that progress.

In December, Reading fired head coach Nigel Atkins and replaced him with Steve Clarke, who previously led West Bromwich Albion. Prior to that Clarke served as an assistant at Liverpool, West Ham, and Chelsea.

With a solid FA Cup run and a strong finish to the season under Clarke, Williams hopes that it lays the foundation for a promotion campaign next season.

“We all know that when everyone is fit, we have a squad that can fight for promotion,” Williams said. “Almost everyone is an international player with experience. We have very good players and it was a bit unfortunate to have so many injuries. With the new manager, he was under Mourinho for five years. He experienced Liverpool and West Bromwich. He has a lot of experience and he’s a great manager. When he get what he wants in the summer for the transfer window and decides what he wants to do, I think he wants us to go up as soon as possible. "I am looking forward to the challenge.”

While it has been more than a year since Williams last played for the U.S. national team—and it has been even longer since he was a consistent contributor—he is determined to get back in the picture. He still maintains contact with Jurgen Klinsmann and has discussions with the coach every other month or so.

Williams misses the players who he got to know well when he burst onto the international scene in 2011. Williams made his first-ever visit to the United States that year and now comes back as frequently as possible. He watched the U.S. national team play at the 2014 World Cup from Los Angeles and New York. He says his frequent trips to the United States “will always be the case now” and he is excited for the growth of Major League Soccer—a league he knew little about as a young player.

“I am happy to see them do well and I see more and more MLS players coming through—which I think is very exciting,” Williams said. “You can tell MLS is getting stronger and stronger and more popular as well. So I keep following them.”

Beyond missing his American teammates and enjoying his newfound strong connection to the United States, Williams primarily wants to get back with the squad because he believes he can help the team win. He now feels 100 percent fit and is quick to point out while he missed a large period of time, due to Reading’s busy schedule in league and cup play, he has already made 23 appearances this season—which is the total number of league games all Bundesliga clubs have played so far this season.

“Obviously I am eager to get back to the national team,” Williams said. “I am desperate to do it because like I always said, when I am fit and healthy, I think I can give a lot to the team. When I first played for that team, it was just over three years ago. I was younger. I think I’ve developed a lot as a player and I would love to show Klinsmann what it meant for me to step outside of my comfort zone and develop away from home."

"I’ve gotten a lot stronger mentally as well—not only physically.”

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter