Werder Bremen on Tuesday confirmed that Sounders FC Academy product Jordan Morris will train with the German Bundesliga club later this month as he continues to weigh his professional options.
SI.com first broke the news that Morris, the 21-year-old Mercer Island native who was offered a historically lucrative Homegrown Player contract by the Sounders last spring, will travel to Germany this weekend after deciding to forego his senior year at Stanford. Morris led the Cardinal to the NCAA title last month and is one of three finalists for the Hermann Trophy Award honoring the top player in college soccer.
Morris officially announced he will turn pro on Tuesday after attending a season-ending banquet on Monday night in Stanford.
Werder Bremen’s statement revealed that Morris will train with the club “for a few days,” but there’s no indication that the club has made Morris an offer.
"It's a good opportunity to meet a player closer to us,” Werder Bremen Managing Director Thomas Gauge said. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
SI.com also reported Tuesday that Morris will take part in the upcoming U.S. national team's January camp in Carson, Calif. Morris has earned seven caps with the USMNT since head coach Jurgen Klinsmann first brought him into camp in 2014, and has figured prominently during the U.S. Under-23 team’s bid to qualify for the Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro.
Morris made his first World Cup qualifying appearance in November as a substitute in the USMNT's 6-1 win over St. Vincent & the Grenadines. He’s also expected to be one of the main points of focus for the U.S. Under-23’s, who face a two-leg series against Colombia in March with a berth in the Olympics on the line.
Werder Bremen are currently in 16th place out of 18 teams in the Bundesliga. They signed USMNT forward Aron Johannson to a four-year deal in August.
Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey, meanwhile, has said on numerous occasions in recent months that the Sounders are hopeful Morris will sign with the club, making him arguably the highest-profile Homegrown signing in MLS history. Morris is a member of the Sounders FC Academy’s Class of 2013.
