Representing the United States Men’s National Team is always a special occasion for Jordan Morris.
A few months into his first full season back from a second ACL injury, Morris’ play with the Seattle Sounders has earned him a call-up to the USMNT for a series of friendlies and Concacaf Nations League games. It’s one of the final windows to impress head coach Gregg Berhalter and the rest of the staff ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November.
Morris, who has six goals and four assists from 18 appearances across all competitions with the Rave Green in 2022, is in a strong position to capitalize on this opportunity.
“Your form here gets you into camp and then you’ve got to perform when you’re there as well,” Morris said after scoring in Seattle’s 2-1 win over Charlotte FC. “But, like I said, I’m just excited and I always relish the opportunity.”
The first time Morris suffered a season-ending ACL injury in 2018, he felt like it took him until August the following year to really hit his stride again. He would go on to finish the season with 13 goals and eight assists across the MLS regular season and playoffs as the Sounders secured their second MLS Cup.
It should strike fear in every MLS opponent that Morris is so far ahead schedule in 2022. Despite not feeling like he’s reached his top form, the Mercer Island native is still putting up impressive attacking metrics. And let’s not forget that Morris scored and set up some crucial goals during Seattle’s run to become the first MLS side to win the Concacaf Champions League.
“I feel like I’m ahead of where I was last time, definitely,” said Morris. “But I know that there’s still things I need to get better at, a little bit sharper at. Things that come with continuing to just play games and working hard in training every day to improve.”
The Sounder currently sit 10th in the Western Conference, just two points shy of the Houston Dynamo in the final playoff spot. Seattle also holds two games in hand on every team above them in the standings, with the Rave Green playing four consecutive home matches in June.
Everything is setting up for the Sounders to replicate the dominance they showed in CCL play during the rest of the MLS season.
“It’s a fortress when we play here [at Lumen Field], and we want to continue to solidify that,” noted Morris. “You saw throughout Champions League how we played when we were at home. We want to convert that play into MLS form.”
The Seattle Sounders will host the Vancouver Whitecaps (7:30 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Prime Video, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) on June 14 following the international window.
