Jordan Morris omission best for Morris, USMNT

Jurgen Klinsmann certainly likes to stir the pot.

Never exactly known for shying away from controversy the United States Men’s National Team coach sent shock waves across American soccer on Sunday by announcing his 23 man roster. Although there perhaps as many surprises as there have been in the past one particular name caused a very large uproar among USMNT supporters: Jordan Morris was left off of the roster.

Morris, who has made nine appearances for the senior national team, was considered a near lock for the Copa America given his pedigree and hype. While his teammates will be playing Colombia, Costa Rica, and Paraguay in under two weeks time Morris will be at home in Washington state training with his club Seattle Sounders FC.

Assuming that the USMNT forwards avoid another injury and Morris is not included ( at which point hopefully all commenters read the date when this column was published) let’s take a look at this decision.

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On the surface it appears as if it is another decision where Klinsmann has punished a player for choosing to go to MLS over Europe. Given that Morris chose his hometown Seattle Sounders FC over Schalke 04 it may be a bit easy to make the assumption that this was some sort of blowback for that move. It would certainly lend credence to the conspiracy theorists who believe that Klinsmann hates MLS.

But lost in this line of thinking is a bit of reality: it was Klinsmann who first went against the grain to select Morris for USMNT duty while he was at Stanford. It was also Klinsmann that trusted Morris in a friendly against Mexico. If Klinsmann were to truly harbor that much of a grudge it would make him the pettiest of petty managers which would certainly say something in the world of soccer.

One has to wonder how much the injury to Jozy Altidore played into Klinsmann selecting Chris Wondolowski and ultimately leaving out Morris. Although Altidore has not exactly been lighting the world on fire recently he along with Clint Dempsey would have provided Klinsmann with two experienced forwards to mesh with the likes of Morris, Bobby Wood, and Gyasi Zardes. Without Altidore, Wondolowski at least gives him someone with experience in international competitions (although it is debatable if that experience is good).

There are plenty of positives to having Morris stay with the Sounders. First, it will give him a chance to breathe. It has been a whirlwind year and a half for Morris, going from Stanford University to the Germany to the Sounders all while making appearances for the USMNT. In this modern era players rarely get a chance to rest which can often lead to fatigue and exhaustion. With the Sounders having eighteen days off between their May 1st encounter with D.C. United and a road match on June 19th against New York Red Bulls Morris should get a chance to recharge.

Second, with the chance to take a break also comes a chance to refocus. Although Morris’ form has improved in recent weeks (four goals in six matches) he has not exactly played like one of the best players in the league. Perhaps there was a bit too much pressure lopped on him at the beginning of the season and only now is he able to figure out exactly where fits in it Sigi Schmid’s system. Whatever the case may be Morris will have the time to learn more about the Sounders style of attack and ultimately come out of it a better player.

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Being taken off of the Copa America Centenario roster is also not the end of the world. Remember this is not the same Copa America that takes place in South America and is considered to be one of the top tournaments in the world. It was a tournament that was jammed into a crowded international schedule to fill the coffers of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. With Neymar missing the tournament, Colombia and Ecuador playing a mostly experimental roster it is not as if Morris is the only player who will not be showing up.

If Morris can take this opportunity and use it as a chance to recharge and continue to grow he should come out of it as a better player. No player ever wants to miss a tournament and certainly players like Woods and Zardes could use this opportunity to show that they deserve more opportunities to crack the USMNT starting XI.

But Morris has shown in his brief professional career to be someone who can step up when the pressure is on. In soccer, the best strikers are those that can take a knock like this personally and play with a chip on their shoulder. If Morris can turn this experience into a positive he will come out of it as a better player which will be to the benefit of both his club and his country.

So enjoy your break Jordan. You have earned it.