TUCSON, Ariz. — Caleb Porter’s first addition to the Crew roster is looking for another team.

The Crew has waived forward JJ Williams, the club announced Thursday. Williams has not been with the team since they arrived in Tucson, nor was he with the team in Cancun, Mexico, earlier this preseason.

"As we assessed our roster throughout this preseason, given our depth at the forward position, we believed it would be difficult for JJ to find important and regular first team minutes at the MLS level, which are critical for his development," Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a club statement.

"We want to thank JJ for his contributions to the club during the 2019 season and wish him well."

The Crew now has Gyasi Zardes, Fanendo Adi and Jordan Hamilton at the striker position. The Crew’s 2020 SuperDraft first-round pick Miguel Berry is unsigned, but still in camp with the club.

Porter said as the club adds more players to any position, inevitably that means a player will dip lower in the depth chart. In this case, the club felt like have five forwards was too many.

"We had the opportunity to work with JJ for a year, and obviously with Gyasi and Adi and Jordan and Miguel Berry now, we feel like we have a really strong group of (forwards)," Porter said. "Five (forwards) is too much. Four means probably two aren't dressing."

Williams was the Crew’s first-round draft pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft out of Kentucky where he was a finalist for the men’s collegiate player of the year.

Williams played in seven Crew games last season and made three starts. He played primarily with Birmingham Legion in the USL Championship on loan in 2019.

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