The Mercer Island Magician is back.
In a span of five games, Jordan Morris has tallied four goals for the Rave Green.
“He's been on fire recently,” said forward Paul Rothrock.
Morris made sure he left Saturday night’s match with his name on the score sheet.
In the 28th minute, the veteran forward rose above a swarm of Loon players to redirect an Albert Rusnák free kick with his head and into the back of the net, kickstarting the Sounders’ 2-0 home win over Minnesota United.
“For us to get a goal early on, I think it helped open up the game a little bit and we created chances from there,” said Morris. “We're playing with more confidence and then the second one, obviously it was a killer for them.”
Morris’ contributions went beyond scoring as well. Within the first minute of the second half, the Seattle native nearly assisted Rothrock with a driving cross toward the back post, but his sliding shot rolled just wide of the goal.
Rothrock’s second attempt at a sliding finish was a success in the 57th minute, and he credits Morris’ initial goal for his confidence to push the lead to two.
“It took me a little bit of time to get into the game and I really thought [Jordan’s] goal helped me get my nerves kind of settled and then started to really play with the guys,” said Rothrock. “He was also constantly talking to me during the game, giving me positive feedback when I needed it in moments, so I appreciate that too.”
Morris’ assertiveness up top comes as no surprise. The Seattle native has been a dominant attacking player since his arrival to the club in 2016. In the 2023 season alone, Morris was the leading scorer for the Sounders side with 11 goals and currently ranks second this season (five), behind Raúl Ruidíaz with seven.
“Obviously happy to be scoring some goals but more happy with the team winning and I’m just going to go out and try to help the team win every time I play,” said Morris.
Saturday night’s victory was an exciting result for Morris and the Sounders, with the team earning a positive outcome at home for the first time since their 5-0 victory over CF Montreal back in April.
“It was a really good performance that's more like us, more what we know we can do so we just have to build on that,” said Morris.
The night was especially significant coming out on top during the 50th Anniversary Celebration match, in front of the people who set the standard of excellence at the organization: The 1974 inaugural team.
“It was important,” said Head Brian Schmetzer. “A lot of history…It was a perfect ending to a perfect night.”
Morris and the Sounders will look to continue their momentum from tonight’s dominant win as they travel to Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo (5:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV) on Wednesday, June 19.
