Orlando City
2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Thomas Williams
The Homegrown product spent the majority of his time with OCB but did get a few minutes with the senior side.
Thomas Williams joined the Orlando City Development Academy all the way back in 2015, and has been in the club’s infrastructure ever since. The center back signed a Homegrown Player contract on June 15, 2021, when he was just 16 years and 10 months old, making him the youngest player to do so at the time, although he’s since been surpassed by Gustavo Caraballo. He signed a contract extension in January that sees him signed through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027.
Williams made his first-team debut during the 2022 season in a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew on April 22 of that year, when he entered the game as a substitute in stoppage time. He went on to make five appearances that season, three of which were starts, but since then has spent the bulk of his time either with Orlando City B or as an unused bench option for the senior team. That was the case again this year.
Let’s look back on his 2025 campaign.
Statistical Breakdown
As mentioned earlier, Williams spent much of his season with Orlando City B at center back, where he played in 24 games, all of which were starts. He totaled 2,117 minutes with the Young Lions. Defensively, he recorded 44 clearances, 35 tackles, 31 interceptions, 25 blocks and 33 aerial duels won. He committed 27 fouls while picking up seven yellow cards and suffering seven fouls. He passed with 91% accuracy while completing three key passes and contributing one assist, and he took 14 shots with six of them finding the target.
For the senior side, Williams was limited to one appearance from the substitutes’ bench for a total of 10 minutes in the regular season, and he did not appear in any other competitions. He contributed three clearances, one tackle, and one interception on defense while also committing a foul. He completed his lone pass but did not record any offensive statistics.
Best Game
The circumstances mean it isn’t hard to pick Williams’ best game, as we only have one to choose from. In Orlando’s 0-0 road draw with CF Montreal on April 19, Williams entered the fray in the 80th minute for Luis Muriel with the Lions down a man after Rafael Santos’ second yellow card. Oscar Pareja went defensive in an effort to escape Canada with a point, and Williams helped to see the game out successfully. He compiled a stat line of one interception, one tackle, and three clearances, with one foul committed. While he put in a solid performance, his 10 minutes on the field were not enough for him to earn a grade.
2025 Final Grade
Since Williams fell short of the 450 combined first-team minutes (regular season, playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup) necessary to qualify for a season grade, The Mane Land staff has given him an incomplete rating for the 2025 season.
2026 Outlook
For the second season in a row, Williams finished in the top five when it comes to minutes played for the Young Lions, and he started each of the 24 games he played. That being said, he has yet to make the jump to really compete for first-team minutes, and the 10 he got this year were his first since the 2022 season. Still, he’s only 21 years old and there’s still time for him to develop and become a more useful piece for OCSC.
We know that Williams is under contract through next year, so he’ll still be with the club next season, although unless he makes a big leap, the center back will most likely spend the bulk of his time with OCB once again.