There had been no shortage of frustration for Indy Eleven forward Romario Williams to start the 2025 season.

Sidelined due to surgery at the start of the campaign having put together a bright preseason, the Jamaican international had yet to start a contest for the Boys in Blue when his name got called after half-an-hour against Hartford Athletic with the hosts at Michael A. Carroll Stadium looking for a spark.

With his first two goals of the season, including the equalizer in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, Williams delivered in a thrilling 4-4 draw that saw the side rally from a two-goal deficit to claim a point in dramatic fashion.

“I think just coming off the bench, it was just adding a sense of urgency, adding energy to the group, and just giving the group something to feed off,” said Williams. “Obviously going down 3-1 at home is never ideal. It’s never a situation you want to be in. So, I think there was just a sense of urgency, pride, showing a bit of character.”

For his outstanding performance, Williams has been selected as May’s Prinx Impact Sub of the Month, a new series highlighting key substitutions that have changed the course of a game this season.

Since his debut in the Championship a decade ago, Williams has been one of the Championship’s most prolific goalscorers. His 62 regular season goals are tied for 17th in the league all-time and have come at a strike rate of a goal every 163.9 minutes.

He’s also had success at the national team level, with his play for Indy a season ago earning him a recall to the Jamaica Men’s National Team last November for the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinals against the United States Men’s National Team.

That progress made the injury and subsequent surgery that sidelined Williams earlier this year all the harder.

“It’s extremely tough as a player, as a competitor,” he said. “It’s never easy to be out with an injury, watching the guys. You want to be out there with your guys. You want to fight, you want to scrap, you want to battle with them and have the team get wins, have the team get results.”

Against Hartford, though, Williams became the first player to record two goals as a substitute for Indy since the club joined the USL Championship in 2018. With that under his belt, he’s eager to help the side make a move in the Eastern Conference standings.

“I've made a full recovery now,” said Williams. “I think it’s just more trusting my body and getting back to full fitness. That will come, that will take time, but I’m getting there.”

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