A few minutes ago the Sounders sent out the following tweet:
Welcome Home. pic.twitter.com/5cY6rRUsEK
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) January 21, 2016
That’s Jordan Morris, and the tweet confirms what has been rumored the past couple of days. The Sounders just made one of the biggest acquisitions of the MLS offseason.
Morris is perhaps the United States’ most exciting young striker. The 21-year-old is already a member of the U.S. national team, putting on a number of promising displays. He just won the Hermann Trophy after leading Stanford to the NCAA championship as a junior.
Morris announced he was going professional following the NCAA season. Because he hails from Mercer Island, and because he was a member of the Sounders’ academy, he qualifies as a Sounders homegrown player, giving Seattle exclusive MLS rights to Morris.
However, it was possible Morris had already outgrown MLS. He spent the past couple weeks in Germany trying out with Werder Bremen, and U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has shown a preference for his players to play their trade in Europe, where the competition level is higher.
But Morris left Germany and decided his immediate future was in the U.S. Therefore, the Sounders receive a boon for 2016. Morris should add even more explosiveness to a Seattle attack that already includes Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.
The MLS season kicks off March 6 when the Sounders visit Sporting Kansas City. Morris’ presence will make the start of the season all the more exciting.
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