Romario Williams does in fact take up an international slot

Atlanta United’s international slot problem is now a little worse than we expected. The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Doug Roberson confirmed earlier this morning that forward Romario Williams will be considered an international player.

When the Williams transfer was announced, it was unclear whether or not he would join the club as a permanent resident through means of a green card like teammates Harrison Heath and Tyrone Mears. It sounds like that isn’t the case.

The Jamaican international played for the University of Central Florida from 2012-2014, likely using a travel visa similar to German teammate Julian Gressel, who played at Providence from 2013-2016.

Since Williams was drafted by the Montreal Impact, an American green card was obviously never an option for the club. That’s an interesting aspect to consider when American MLS teams acquire international players from one of the Canadian squads.

Whether it’s through trading for more international slots or sending players out on loan, the Atlanta United front office has some work to do before the start of the inaugural season. March 5th is 24 days away, in case you weren’t keeping track for some reason.

As always, Dirty South Soccer will update with any further developments.