I'd say. But Bremen has been really floundering since Allofs and Schaaf left. The Eredivisie clubs have had a lot of financial problems over the years, what with the AZ owner going broke (and to jail?), Twente being dinged 3-points for financial instability, Vitesse being found in violation of FFP, Feyenoord just recovering from massive debt, etc. Plus, add the Euro decline vs. the dollar and the minimum non-EU wage in the whole league is now around $350,000. Kids under 8 get in free (meaning that the U-20's like Rubin get 50% off the top, though it's only a minimum). Did you happen to see the first post of the "2016 winter transfer" on WyScout (an Italian based scouting service that purports to have every registered player in its catalog)? IMO, everyone knows of everyone else. It's just how aggressive an agent is. And some agents are more than willing to take whatever MLS offers.
Well, he's fast and he's strong. However, according to a poster who saw his first USMNT practice his shooting was better than anyone else in the practice.
He's not a very notable dribbler, per se. It's one move and then if he can he blows by you. He won't find these opportunities very easily in the bundesliga. That's very good and plenty of soccer players have earned contracts on that alone, Morris is tactically lacking in a lot of areas. He's quick minded and decisive when going to goal but he is not the skilled natural goal predator Dempsey is or the all around cerebral player that Donovan was.
Indeed, Herzog is behind all this: http://www.kreiszeitung.de/werder-bremen/nationalspieler-morris-wird-belek-getestet-6010018.html
I'm hearing that the behind-the-scenes manuevering on Jordan Morris' future is wild - hope we get a 30-for-30 style treatment of it someday.— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) January 6, 2016
My early and tentative take on Jordan's best case scenario--He will develop into a classic American attacker. By that I mean dangerous on the counter against even the best of opposition, but rather pedestrian in possession but not the greatest and breaking player's down on the dribble. A stronger Cobi Jones type would be an outstanding outcome.
Interesting quotes from Google Translate: ""That's my best striker", says the Austrian over the 21-year-old who has already played in the senior team. Under Jurgen Klinsmann. "Our goal is to bring as many players as possible to Europe," said Herzog, who is also Klinsmann's assistant coach. That is why he has made contact with Werder." Herzog has a similar take as mine on his abilities, and also impressively states that Werder has no other player like him: "Offers are plenty. The Seattle Sounders want to bring the 21-year-olds in the Major League Soccer, who offered him a very good contract. But the striker tried his luck once at Werder. "It is the question of how he can assert itself in the same league as in Germany or England," Herzog says openly. At the same time the 47-year-old but also raves about Morris: "He is very fast, intelligent, power has no end, is a beefy player. In one-on-one defender usually has a disadvantage. Werder has not as a player. But his qualities must be sure yet refined. "
I laugh at the countless articles that claim that Seattle Sounders have offered him a lucrative contract. Since when is $250K a lucrative contract. It might be a lot higher than for any homegrown player, but a lucrative contract is in the $7-10 million dollar range. I'm sure if he impresses in Werder the same writers will write that they offered him an "astronomical" contract, yep $500k-$1 m.
Interview with Herzog in kicker http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...rzog_morris-passt-zu-werder.html#omsmtwkicker [my quick translation] kicker: Did you make Werder aware of JM? Herzog: Of course I spoke with my people at Bremen. But JK also has good contacts at Bremen. kicker: What kind of player is he? Herzog: A fast and dynamic striker, who is also very strong. kicker: Would he fit in at Bremen? Herzog: No doubt. That's why we made the contact because we want our players to play at the highest levels in Europe. Werder doesn't have a player like him. He would be a good complement to Ujah, Pizarro and Johannsson. He definitely the fastest of that quartet. kicker: Has he played with Johannsoon? Herzog: Yes, both are A-National teamers. kicker: What kind of person is he? Herzog: Very intelligent person who studied at Stanford. Great parents. Father and Mother are doctors. kicker: Tell us about the level he played at in College. Herzog: (Explains scholarships). They just won the National Championship. kicker: Can he come on a free? Herzog: That is the advantage for Werder. They really can't make a mistake here. It would be good business for both sides. Bremen get a player with a lot of potential who is not completely developed. And Morris will fit in at Werder. kicker: Can he be successful in the Bundesliga? Herzog: I think he can. He made the jump from college to the national team against Mexico. JK was criticized a lot for that. That had never happened before. We defeated Mexico 2-0, and Morris scored the opening goal. kicker: What's his future right now? A-National Team or Olympic team? Herzog: He will play for both. In March the Olympic qualifier against Colombia. Then the Copa America in June.
Not even close, average salary of a championship player is closer to $600,000. That's just the average, the decent players earn over $1 million a year.
About $750,000, according to the Daily Mail article of about a year ago. Top players are in the $3,000,000/year range. I figure Seattle can go up to $300,000/year or so, which would make him the highest paid Home Grown ever, but then the MLS Player Union rank&file will begin to ramble if he at a DP level right away. For Werder, the key is the absence of a transfer fee, which eliminates the bulk of the downside if his signing doesn't work out. Think of what's best for the player in question rather than an outside business entity (moreover, a business entity that already has three DP wage strikers on its books).
Or hedging their bets, or calling his bluff. Olic is 36. Martins, Valdez and Dempsey are all in their early 30s. After that, it's basically prospects on the roster. It wouldn't necessarily be so bad for Morris to be a titular #3 striker, maybe with some minutes on the wing, next season as they transition toward a next generation -- anyway, Neagle played more minutes than those three guys last season, and he's gone.
Dempsey, Martins and Valdez are all central players. Nagbe played wide. Kenny Cooper played centrally ... but no longer for Seattle. I saw Morris try playing wide in a diamond for the U-23's vs. Honduras. He was lost and void of ideas.
MLS is the one who want to sell a single team/situation to him rather than the entire league. MLS isn't being offered to Jordan, only Sea. And Sea wouldn't be that great a situation. Not in putting him behind two of the top forwards in the league with a poor tactical coach, little creativity in the midfield and a shit surface. Sea would simply be better than some situations in MLS but clearly not one of the better situations he could find in the league. MLS of course won't allow that so it becomes Werder vs Sea rather than Werder vs MLS. The whole idea our arguable top U23's best situation in MLS would or should be being pushed out of position while waiting for injuries to Clint/Martins on that parking lot of a surface is just foolish. MLS has its model which works for it in some respects but focusing on player development and allowing a player like Jordan to find the best situation for his development is not one of them. Yes, they find comfort in the anti-competitive single entity structure where they want a player who was largely developed by a non-MLS academy and Stanford to fall into their laps whereas globally elsewhere, as a FA they'd be competing for his signature against all other teams in the league, never mind abroad. If Jordan likes Werder and gets a contract, good for him. If he doesn't and signs with Sea, good for him. He's a FA with choices. Go find what you think is best for yourself. JK and Herzog are doing the right thing, presenting options to a NTer. Would help Jordan's transition abroad to have AJ there which I think it getting glanced over.