Seattle Sounders’ failure to defend the MLS Cup wasn’t the biggest sporting shock of 2020 but the lackluster nature of their 3-0 defeat to Columbus Crew was unexpected to say the least. The team has reached four finals in the last five years and, while Seattle has won two of those encounters, that most recent failure might just spell the end of an era.
Coach Brian Scmetzer will be keen to regroup and use the next few weeks to tweak his squad and look to mount another challenge in 2021. The unscheduled break in the most recent MLS campaign means that there is a fast turnaround before the new season begins in March but, while the Sounders should be thinking in terms of useful additions to that roster, all the media talk surrounds a potential departure of one of their key players.
Pivotal Player
It’s fair to say that Jordan Morris has been crucial to the Sounders’ achievements since he first broke into the first team in 2016. In five seasons, the club have made it to the MLS final on four occasions and he’s played an active part in all of those successful campaigns. When Seattle did miss out on the season’s final game, the US international was forced to sit out the 2018 season with a long-term ACL injury.
In 2020, 29 games across three competitions produced 12 goals and that ratio is typical of Morris at his best. He may not be the most prolific in front of the net but he has a habit of scoring important goals and that factor has alerted some of Europe’s top clubs.
According to the bookmakers listed on sbo.net, Seattle are set to be among the favorites to claim their third MLS Cup at the end of the 2021 season but, if Morris departs and isn’t adequately replaced, their chances of success could take a severe hit. Other teams in contention as far as those betting markets will include 2020 Champions Columbus Crew and former winners Toronto FC. The tipsters have a busy time ahead but Morris could be pivotal to Sounders’ position in those MLS markets.
Where Next?
Discussion surrounding Jordan Morris’ potential switch to European football is nothing new and the forward was tipped for a move prior to that potential career-ending injury. Those rumours have just started to resurface but what are the possible destinations?
When we talk of big names within the USMNT roster, Christian Pulisic is an obvious standout. The striker is currently at Chelsea but he’s not the only member of the national squad to be playing in the English Premier League. With Zack Steffen, Chituru Odunze, and the Fulham pair of Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream all involved in the EPL, there could be potential for a switch. Robinson and Ream are extending a Fulham legacy laid down by the likes of Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller so perhaps we should be looking at this area of west London.
The German Bundesliga is another potential destination with Borussia Dortmund among a number of teams mentioned from the country’s top flight division.
Who will Follow?
Losing Jordan Morris would certainly be a blow to Brian Schmetzer but would the coach have to fight off moves for other members in the Sounders’ squad? Everyone has played their part in another productive season and, while Seattle may have fallen at the final hurdle, they have the quality to go one better if they can keep those key squad members at Lumen Field.
Nico Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz are among those who could come under a transfer spotlight and the coach will be keen to secure their futures.
The Right Time?
If Jordan Morris is to make that switch to a top flight club in Europe, now is surely the right time. At 26 and with four years of senior football behind him, the USMNT attacker risks moving past his sell by date if he commits himself to Lumen Field for much longer.
When he came back into the first team in March 2019, any interested clubs would have undoubtedly been monitoring his early progress to see if there were any lasting effects from that ACL problem. Nearly two years on from that return, Morris has surely proved that he is fit and ready for any potential step up. The pace that stood the player apart from many of his contemporaries hasn’t deserted him and that could also be a key factor in any final decision.
The player has come out and said that he is happy at Lumen Field but he failed to rule out a move to Europe and this is a crucial close season for Sounders fans.
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