Jordan Morris

PLAYER PROFILE: JORDAN MORRIS

By: PXI STAFF (@ProspectXI)

Position: FWD
Primary Role: Second Striker
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185
DOB: 10-16-1994
Nationality: United States
Preferred Footed: Right
Club: Seattle Sounders (MLS)
Twitter: @JmoSmooth13

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Made United States Men’s National Team Senior debut on November 18th 2014 vs Republic of Ireland. Has also played with US U-20 and U-23.

CURRENT STATUS:

Signed a Homegrown contract with Seattle Sounders (MLS).

PLAYING CAREER:

2012-2013: Sounders U18 (USSDA) – 32 games, 32 starts, 28 goals, 1 yellow
2013: Stanford (NCAA – D1) – 21 games, 19 starts, 6 goals, 6 assists, 30 shots on target
2014: Sounders U23 (PDL) – 4 games, 315 minutes, 1 goal, 5 total shots
2014: Stanford (NCAA – D1) – 15 games, 15 starts, 4 goals, 6 assists, 16 shots on target, 1 yellow
2015: Stanford (NCAA – D1) – 18 games, 18 starts, 13 goals, 3 assists, 30 shots on target

ANALYSIS

Morris is one of the most exciting player with the greatest potential playing at the NCAA Division One level in some time. So much so, United States men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann brought Jordan to the senior men’s national team and gave him his senior team debut against Republic of Ireland. Klinsmann said of Morris “He reads the game very well ahead, he sees the space in front of him and can take people on one-vs-one, at the same time he knows his path is a different one.”

Morris started his career with Eastside FC, winning three straight Washington titles while also attending Mercer High School before joining the Seattle Sounders USSDA U18 team in 2012. During the 2012-2013 season he was club captain and scored 28 goals in 32 games, winning the 2013 USSDA player of the year award. He also played four games with the Seattle Sounders U-23 PDL side, scoring a goal.

At Stanford, Morris hasn’t been as dominant as people who are aware of him would expect. In two years in NCAA-D1 he has played in 36 games, starting 34, scored ten goals, has 12 assists and 46 shots on target. He was named to the All-Pac 12 team and won numerous awards as a freshman. 2015 was a big year for Morris, helping lead Stanford to the National Championship and representing the US National Team, capping off the year with a outstanding 2 goal performance against Clemson in the final.

The most ambitious projection for Morris is a player comparable to England’s Wayne Rooney, due to Jordan strength and power on the ball. He is strong on the ball and he can run 1v1 against defenders as a winger or chasing the ball up front, showing his willingness to run down players without the ball. For these reasons, Morris might be better off as a winger than a center forward. He’s decent in the box, although being shorter than six feet puts him at a disadvantage against tall center backs on set play opportunities.

Following a trial with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen, Morris opted to sign a Homegrown contract with the Seattle Sounders on January 21, 2016. He made his senior debut for the club on February 23, 2016 in CONCACAF Champions League against Club America. With Nigerian forward Obafemi Martins being transferred to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, this has opened up more opportunity for Morris to be a top attacking threat.

HIGHLIGHTS

+ Made US National Senior Team debut
+ USSDA MVP scoring 28 goals in 32 games
+ Projected to be a MLS starter with interest from Europe
+ 2015 National Champions with Stanford
+ Trialled with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen
+ Signed Homegrown contract with Seattle Sounders