Jordan Morris at Swansea (fricking on fricking loan)

Well Ives made it seem like it was a done deal with the Sounders.

Morris needs to ompete for first teams minutes immediately. What he does not need is to play reserve ball.

 

Love this kid and his zest for the game and his crazy natural ability. However, his soccer brain is no where near a Bremen level. Not sure what they would do with him, but hopefully they could plug him into the Matrix and download five years worth of tactical nous.

 

This is 100% true and why I think he will ultimately sign for Seattle. He's not 17, he's 21 and that's a big difference.

Over the past 15-ish years , the best careers by college players who have opted to bypass MLS began at a level considerably lower than the Bundesliga (Cherundolo to the 2.Bundesliga, Bedoya to Sweden, Onyewu to Belgium, etc). College players with an eye towards one of the top leagues in Europe are usually better served by getting immediate minutes in MLS and then moving abroad after a few years (Dempsey, Holden, Bocenegra, Mathis, Cameron, Edu, Yedlin - maybe*, etc) - and there isn't anything wrong with that.

Morris is good, but he'd most likely spend a considerable time with Bremen's U-23 team first. Is that really the best for a 21 year old? He really needs to play.

Europe will be there for Morris in a few years if he excels at Seattle.

 

I think this move is Morris shooting for the moon with an SS offer in hand.

 

Where exactly will Morris be training with Werder Bremen? Is the team currently in a warm-weather location for their winter break?

 

F isn't the kind of complicated rocket science that, say, CM is. There's a reason we see more 18-22 year old forwards showing at the top leagues relative to other positions.

Bremen's an interesting place. They are getting most of their scoring production from Ujah, who has speed in spades and is similar to Morris. Other than that, they're very limited in attack - they have Pizarro and Johannson, neither known for their speed today, and Junuzović, a free kick specialist. That's about it. Morris would almost certainly get a chance at the first team unless they brought in another forward as well. And from there, it could go a number of ways - he could not pan out and be relegated to the U23 team, he could be a consistent backup for Ujah, or he could displace him in the event of an injury or scoring spree. It's a risk-reward situation.

I'd be very surprised if Morris chose WB, but it certainly is the place with the better upside. There's the 21-so-he-needs-games argument, but there's also the he's-already-21-so-his-development-can't-be-further-slowed-by-weakish-competition argument, which could be a problem in Seattle where he'll be going against mostly MLS defenders with little risk of being pushed from his comfort zone once Seattle clears room for him on the roster. While Morris could learn alot from Dempsey and Martins, his game is far more similar to Ujah, and so maybe he could learn even more there?

 

Maybe there is more to the MLS pushed Yedlin to the EPL over Europe against his best interests and against Seattle's preferences angle and maybe Morris and his Dad had a bird's eye view for it. Maybe he's asking or some guarantee re future sale options.

 

See tweet above. Belek, Turkey.

 

This. We have seen where Morris excels (Speed, timing of runs, Shot Power, Passing), and we see his deficiencies (inconsistent first touch, weak foot, tactical efficiency). I think Bremen would be the perfect place to work on his game, while allowing his ability to shine through. He's shown he can make crafty runs, get in behind the defense, and finish. With the midfield Bremen has, he could become a solid threat.

 

Man, you guys are so hopeful.

 

You don't think playing against MLS defenders would already be a big jump after playing against NCAA defenders?

 

So, whom will he beat out for the job in Seattle - Martins, Dempsey or Nelson Valdez?

Or will he gloriously fight for a job in USL?

 

My guess is the one who departs to make room for his salary.

 

Bremen II currently plays in BL3 (they're 19th out of 20, level with Stuttgart II). It's not a great level, but it's not bad either; at 21 he'd be more effective than some of his rivals and more likely get PT (lot of teenagers in the attacking positions) and he would get better technical coaching than at the Sounders.

Still, I'd go for the Sounders. He'll be pretty sure of playing for the first team and that's where the pressure is - performing in games that matter - that makes you the Go-To man in a team.

Either way, he's got good options

 

Sure, but it's still a step down from his potential, and it isn't much of a step up from the YNT and friendly experience he's gotten over the past 2 years.

 

Guaranteed contracts are hard to get rid of. Besides, Morris will be a Home Grown + TAM type, so he won't take the cap space of the Seattle three DP's anyway.

And he won't beat out any of them either.

Now, cue in DMN's YA Bingo game.

 

I don't think a post that mentions risks and rewards is hopeful - particularly when it finishes with the expectation he'll pick Seattle anyway. Don't be unnecessarily pessimistic about a guy who has shown serious potential (just that, potential) in friendlies against top competition, even as he's stunted his professional development by staying in school.

 

I'd rather him be on the bench at Bremen than on the bench at Seattle

 

First, I don't think he'll have to "beat out anyone" given squad rotation and substitutions, unless the goal is to start every match off the bat. Dempsey will be 33 when the season starts, Martins is 31, Valdez is 32.

 

How about sub appearances for Seattle or sub appearances for Bremen II?

Not saying that is going to happen but who knows where he would fit in at Bremen at this point? I'd be willing to bet he plays quite a bit with Seattle.

 

Bremen's first team isn't stockpiled with world class forwards. They have the worst GD in the league & have only scored 17 goals this season (partially why they're in a relegation battle). Morris probably wouldn't be relegated to the reserves.

 

This would be their XI with Morris on the roster, I'd guess

----------------Frei-----------------------
--------Evans-------Marshall----------
--Mears-----------------------Fischer--
-------------Ozzie---Freiberg------------
-------------------Ivanschitz-------------
------------Dempsey---------------------
--------------------------Oba-------------
-------------------Morris------------------