Nothing has ever gone exactly as planned during Jordan Schweitzer’s soccer career.
Not even the announcement of the signing his first professional contract.
When the Everett native signed with Seattle Sounders FC in January the reaction from the fanbase was not about who Schweitzer was, but who he wasn’t.
At the time the Sounders were embroiled in the will-he-or-won’t-he saga with exciting young forward Jordan Morris, with the national team member and Mercer Island product weighing signing with the Sounders against playing professionally in Germany. So when the Sounders signed a homegrown player named Jordan, the fans reacted not with joy, but with letdown.
“I remember the tweets,” Schweitzer said with a laugh Wednesday afternoon following the Sounders’ S2 team’s training at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. “Schweitzer? What about Morris?
“I even thought about changing my Twitter headline to, ‘The other Jordan,’” Schweitzer added. “It was pretty funny when it happened.”
It was also a metaphor for the hiccups Schweitzer has faced throughout his soccer journey. However, Schweitzer has always tackled adversity head on, and for him the trials and travails of trying to make it as a professional soccer player are just the latest obstacle to overcome.
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It’s a sunny and pleasant day at Starfire Sports, and the S2 team is doing seven-on-seven scrimmaging. Schweitzer is a defensive midfielder by trade, but on this occasion he streaks up the middle to receive a through ball, takes a delicate first touch, then flicks the ball with the outside of his right foot past the onrushing goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.
It’s the type of finish more fitting of a player who’s primary job is to score goals rather than trying to prevent them.
“Don’t expect all of those to go in,” Schweitzer said with a smile.
But it was an indication of why the 22-year-old graduate of Jackson High School has a chance of making it at the top level of American professional soccer.
Schweitzer is currently plying his trade for S2, which serves as the Sounders’ reserve team and plays in USL. After missing the first four games of the season because of injury, he’s appeared in nine of the team’s past 10 contests, playing alongside the likes of Sounders first teamers Dylan Remick and Oalex Anderson. He’s even donned the captain’s armband on multiple occasions.
“We like him as a player,” S2 coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “We like what he does as a player, we like the ground he covers in the defensive-midfield position. He’s been hampered by some injuries, so we’ve been having to manage his time and his opportunities on the pitch. But I think he’s probably turned a corner now and he’s somebody we look forward to seeing more playing time from throughout the season.”
But had everything gone to script, Schweitzer wouldn’t be playing with S2, he’d be playing with the Sounders’ first team.
When the Sounders originally signed Schweitzer following a stellar four-year career at the University of Denver, it was to a first-team contract. However, on the second day of preseason training Schweitzer pulled his hamstring. After a brief period of time off he tried to come back, but quickly reaggravated the injury. The inability to show what he could do during preseason resulted in his release in March.
“We sign players who we think have a very good chance of making the first team, and Jordan was one of those,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid explained about the decision. “The hamstring injury kind of put him behind the eight-ball because he wasn’t able to train. We had to make roster decisions and couldn’t hold onto him, but we wanted him to stay in the organization.”
Schweitzer immediately signed with S2, but it meant his MLS dreams had to be put on hold.
“It’s tough,” Schweitzer said. “But that’s how things go. I don’t think anyone has an easy ride when they want to reach the next level or they want to achieve their goals, whatever those may be. It was about dealing with the frustration of it and understanding the frustration was normal, but refocusing and attacking the new challenge I had.”
And tackling challenges is nothing new for Schweitzer.
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Schweitzer’s time as a youth player didn’t necessarily suggest professional soccer was in his future.
Yes, Schweitzer was a standout. He was an all-Wesco player at Jackson, and he was invited to play for the Sounders Academy teams, which made him eligible to be a Sounders homegrown player. But he was never the star performer who grabbed the headlines.
“From a very early age there was never a team where I felt I was the best player on the team,” Schweitzer said. “I was never a player who was talked about in a really high regard. I knew I had growing to do.”
That growth happened at Denver. It was there where Schweitzer honed his skills further, developed his body, and learned how to be a leader.
But even his time at Denver got off to a stuttering start. When Schweitzer was a youth player he was primarily a box-to-box midfielder who not only helped hold down the middle of the field, but also got involved in the attack. But the Pioneers saw Schweitzer as a defensive midfielder, something Schweitzer needed time to accept.
In addition, Schweitzer wanted to be a pro, and early on at Denver he thought playing collegiately was a hinderance to that goal.
“I didn’t really appreciate what college soccer meant until maybe my sophomore year,” Schweitzer said. “Right from the start it was, ‘I want to be a pro. Today.’ When you go to college I think part of you is let down — at least I was. I thought maybe my opportunity to be a homegrown was done.
“But I started making the switch to, ‘I’m not a pro today, but every day now is a chance to become one, to work toward that goal,’” Schweitzer added. “So I took on a different approach: ‘Here’s what I’ve gotten better at, how can I continue to grow as a player and a person?’”
That growth resulted in Schweitzer being named an All-Summit League first-team selection three times, as he led the Pioneers to three straight NCAA tournament appearances.
It also resulted in his first pro contract.
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Though Schweitzer is now playing for S2, it doesn’t mean he’s completely removed from the Sounders’ first team. Schweitzer has been called upon to train with the first team several times, and Schmid said he’s keeping a close eye on everything that’s going on with the S2 team. That means Schweitzer has every opportunity of convincing the Sounders he deserves a promotion.
The question is: How close is Schweitzer to being an MLS-caliber player?
“At the end of the day that’s not my decision,” Schweitzer answered. “I think there’s things that I do well that would fit in at the MLS level, and there’s things I need to work on. I knew, regardless of whether I was going to be with the first team or second team, I was going to need to continue to develop.
“I don’t ever want to become stagnant,” Schweitzer added. “I don’t even want to become comfortable with where I’m at. I think it’s on the horizon. Whether it’s soon or in a couple years, that’s not my decision. I hope to make it a hard decision, but it’s definitely within reach.”
What do Schweitzer’s coaches think?
“We sign guys who we feel in one or two years can be in the first team,” Hendrickson said. “So coming in, that’s the plan for him. Now it’s a matter of him. Injuries and stuff can set that back, but as long as he performs well and stays on that trajectory we think he’s on, then he’ll be fine.”
Said Schmid: “There’s a lot of guys close to it. Sometimes it’s timing, sometimes it a bit of good fortune, sometimes it’s players being ready to push themselves to the next level. He’s a player with the potential to play in MLS. Now the other things need to fall into place.”
And if history is an indication, it won’t be long before Schweitzer puts all those pieces into place where he’s gracing an MLS pitch.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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