Brian Sciaretta catches up with the defensive midfielder, who is looking to move from a part-time player to a key cog in Jurgen Klinsmann's World Cup 2018 plans.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

November 04, 2015

11:25 AM SHARE THIS STORY



The United States national team starts World Cup qualifying next week, and Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad has many questions and few answers after a string of poor performances over the summer. Those questions, however, create an opportunity for players. With the U.S. preparing to face St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday, Danny Williams wants to be part of Klinsmann’s solution.



The midfielder, 26, first played with the national team in October 2011 only days after securing his first American passport. Since then, he has drifted in and out of the national team, earning 19 caps and scoring two goals. Injuries prevented him from competing for a roster spot before most major tournaments, including the 2014 World Cup.



Williams sees a team in transition following the disappointing fourth-place finish at the Gold Cup and the 3-2 loss to Mexico at the CONCACAF Cup. While he did not play against El Tri, he started against Costa Rica a few days later in a 1-0 loss in New Jersey.



"The Mexico defeat made us all sad," Williams said. "It was such a big game and the build-up was big. People were saying it was one of the biggest games in U.S. Soccer’s history, and there is such a rivalry between the U.S. and Mexico. We really wanted to win the game. That would take a lot of pressure off everything. Unfortunately we lost it.



"Then with Costa Rica, maybe we still had it on our minds,” he added. "It was just two days later and we traveled from West Coast to the East Coast. But no excuses. Our performance against Costa Rica was not good. It wasn't it good for myself; it wasn't good for the team. We're all disappointed. I was disappointed because I was given the chance again to start a game. But we lost both games."



Following the string of defeats, Klinsmann stressed that he wanted the team to get younger and would look at newer players. While Williams is not new to the team, he has never been a first-choice starter. There could be a spot for him. Central midfielders Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman are both 33. Other defensive midfield options like the New York Red Bulls' Dax McCarty lack Williams’ international experience.



The timing for Williams is good. He has been healthy for an extended period for the first time in years. He's a regular starter for a Reading team that is expected to be in contention for promotion to the Premier League.



Williams has an urge to show American fans that he can be an important part of the national team moving forward.



“After my injury I really wanted to show the people what I can do,” Williams said. “The most important thing to do is to stay fit. I am well at the moment and I have to perform for my club. That’s very important because that is where I get my fitness that I have to prove week in and week out that I have enough quality to be on the national team. Then when I am there, I obviously want to perform. It’s always my aim to start every game and I have to show it to the manager.”



This weekend Williams will travel with Reading for a key Championship matchup against Cardiff City on Saturday. Afterward he will likely head to the United States for World Cup qualifying. A sold-out crowd will await the team in St. Louis, but there is undoubtedly growing angst among the fans about the direction of the team.



Williams acknowledged the pressure, but with years in the Bundesliga and now in the Championship, he has learned to put it out of his mind and focus on the game. He also says that his last bout with injuries and Reading’s struggles last season only made him more confident and mentally stronger. He insists that he and U.S. team have a point to prove and are ready to help turn it around.



“Obviously when the results are not going well, there are always people questioning the manager or the team,” he said. “When you don’t win, there are always bad vibes. 2015 hasn’t been that great of a year, especially after the Gold Cup. As a player I don’t really feel that pressure because I just try to focus on the game whenever I am playing – I think all the other players do as well. I just try to win every game and get it out of our head what might happen or what could happen. That’s not in our hands. We can only do our best about what happens on the pitch and plant everything aside.



“Now we have to make things right for the World Cup qualifiers.”