Kat Williamson is back.
The 25 year-old defender, who was a fixture during the Thorns' 2013 championship run, has returned to her old club. A November 6 trade sent midfielder Amber Brooks to the Western New York Flash in exchange for Williamson and midfielder McCall Zerboni.
"I honestly had no idea if [the trade] was going to happen or not, and when I saw [Thorns GM Gavin Wilkinson] calling me I was like, 'Oh my gosh! There's only one reason he could be calling,'" Williamson told PortlandThornsFC.com.
"I was ecstatic," she added. "Portland is Soccer City, USA, and I learned that my rookie season."
Williamson is grateful for her time with the Flash, but she says that she's happy to return to Portland.
"You feel a connection with the fans and the organization here," she said. "I'm so thrilled to be back."
During her first season in Portland, Williamson helped anchor the Thorns' defense en route to a 2-0 victory over the Western New York Flash in the inaugural season’s championship final. The championship was the first in both the club's and the league's history and, according to Williamson, remains the high point of her young career.
The club’s first-ever first round selection from the University of Florida in the 2013 NWSL College Draft, Williamson started all 22 regular season games in her rookie campaign. Despite the large amount of playing time she received that season, Williamson never expected how difficult the transition to the pro game would be coming out of college. She credits her experienced Thorns teammates for helping her adapt.
"On the field, it's just a different level of playing than college," she explained. "College is tough and the SEC was definitely a physical conference, but learning the game more and playing next to Rachel Buehler [Van Hollebeke] really helped me. Everybody on the back line really helped me and communicated with me and taught me a lot of things I hadn't experienced yet at the college level."
Throughout her first two years in the league, Williamson has played with and against some of the best players in the world. She attributes her growth as a player to playing with Thorns Christine Sinclair, Alex Morgan, as well as Flash forward—and fellow Gator alum—Abby Wambach, among others.
"It taught me a work ethic and what a competitor really is," she said. "I thought I was competitive and then you go into a training session and every single training session you lay it out on the line and you see it with your teammates. That was invaluable."
Williamson wants to bring that drive, work ethic, and experience to the team that drafted her. Her goal next season, she says, is to play whatever role head coach Paul Riley asks her to fill.
"The competition is high here [in Portland] and everybody wants to be a starter," she said. "I just want to fill a role that's best for the team, whatever that is, and hopefully I can bring some experience back here from playing with some of the girls that were on the back line from the championship team."
As for her former Thorns teammates, Williamson says that she's still very close with many of them.
"The amount of texts that I received after everybody found out [about the trade] was just so supportive. I'm excited to get back with them and train again," she said.
But what was did Williamson miss most about Portland?
Food, naturally.
"That's always number one," she said with a laugh. "Portland's food selection is out of this world."
The Texas native is happy to return to the place that she learned to call home.
"It's a big city, but it's small at the same time," she said. "You walk around and it seems so big, but it's beautiful here. I think I just developed a strong connection with it my rookie season and I'm thankful to be back in this place."
