Men's Soccer | 11/28/2025 3:00:00 PM
Another member of the York University Lions men's soccer team is turning pro – and doing so right in his own backyard.
Lions goalkeeper Michael Williams – the OUA West's first team all-star keeper and a U SPORTS championship all-star – was selected by Inter Toronto FC, which rebranded from York United FC on Thursday, in the second round, 12th overall in the 2026 CPL-U SPORTS Draft Presented by Degree.
Williams, the pride of Kingston, Ont., is coming off a stellar first season with the Lions after transferring to York from Utah Tech of the NCAA. Williams made nine appearances during the regular season and started two of the Lions three OUA playoff games. He went undefeated in the regular season, going 7-0-2, while going 1-1 in the postseason.
The business and society student was superb for York in the U SPORTS championships, helping guide the Lions to their first national title in a decade. Williams went 3-0, beating Dalhousie, Montreal and Mount Royal – all of whom were conference champions – on the road to glory. Williams stopped all but one of the 21 shots he faced, earning clean sheets in the semi-final – a 2-0 win over Montreal – and the final – a snowy classic for the ages which the Lions won 1-0.
Williams becomes the ninth Lion to be selected in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft since its inception in 2018, and is the seventh member of the Pride to be selected by the club with which they share York Lions Stadium, joining Daniel Gogarty and Emmanuel Zambazis (2018), Soji Olatoye (2022), teammates Christian Zeppieri (2024) and Matthew Fischer (2025), as well as Luca Accettola (2025).
