Jordan Morris has signed with the Seattle Sounders. More importantly for everyone involved, Jordan Morris will play in MLS. Only time will tell whether he continues to grow and become a better player and maybe a great player, or whether he becomes the next great American soccer hope to flame out from pressure or just lack of overall talent. In the long run of his career, though, choosing the Sounders over the Bundesliga will most likely not be the determining factor.
Special case
This isn’t really about Morris, because up to this point in his playing career, there really hasn’t been any player like him who has gone through the college ranks in the style that he has. There’s a good chance that in the long run he’s more of the exception when it comes to college players going to professional soccer than the rule. Most will have to drag themselves through the combine process regardless of their talents. This also isn’t really about the Sounders, because they just happened to be at the right place at the right time for him (regardless of what your opinion is as to whether they should get his rights or not, that’s a separate conversation).
About the league as a whole
MLS is the focus, because if the higher-ups of MLS take a step back and look at the big picture, the Morris move could be one that should either begin or increase talks about how the league chooses to use their money for the long term. Everyone knows the stars that play in MLS, partly because MLS drives them down your throat. Yet if the 2015 MLS Cup Final showed you anything, or reminded you of anything, it’s that a collective team is needed to win in soccer. It matters not how much or how little they make.
So as much as MLS continues to grow and they want to increase their exposure to not only the American public, but also get the eyeballs of the world, how much is too much? Didier Drogba is a case in point. In the long run, was it really worth it? Did he increase the American or Canadian interest of the game more than it had already been by the time of his late midsummer arrival? Sure, the Montreal Impact were able to increase a few single season ticket sales, sell a few jerseys, but was there any long term impact?
The league needs to find a healthy balance
That’s the question and balance MLS needs to take a serious look at when it comes to investing their money into the ground floor of the league and building from the bottom up. Instead of spending millions on former European and South American stars in their late and mid-30s, will this prompt them to invest in youth scouting and coaching to look for long term growth rather then instant short term impact?
As that is said, if MLS is able to continue to get younger, quality players as Sebastian Giovinco and Giovani Dos Santos, MLS should still go out and grab those who can produce for clubs for years to come at a high level.
Yet if MLS used the millions it does on trying to bring in older players and instead invested it inwards at the clubs themselves, on their youth products and facilities, those results could mirror a bit in the way Liga MX uses their U-17 and U-20 to grow and build. Then, there’s a much more organic and sustainable product to be used. Where someone like Morris ties in is in the fact that there has been such an emphasis on him coming out of college and MLS isn’t spending more than $200,000 a year on his salary compared to those big names for whom they have to shell out millions a year.
What would youth investment mean?
By investing in their youth teams and building from the ground up, MLS could take the same format that Liga MX uses and have their youth teams of U-17 and U-20 (Or whatever age MLS chooses to use) play the same schedule as their first team. Because of the way MLS is structured, this could yield better results in the long run since there is no relegation in MLS. These youth products can continue to grow and increase their chances of getting first team minutes. It also helps with the production of the US Youth National Teams, because they keep struggling on the world stage at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels.
It’s a radical as well as overwhelming change in terms of the way people see the league. Yet, the combination of how super star filled teams such as Toronto FC, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, and the Sounders have all failed to lift the MLS Cup (LA Galaxy are of course the exception). Additionally, the continued struggle at the youth levels and in the CONCACAF Champions League, it might be time for MLS to take a step back and see the Morris signing as a chance to improve the league all around and build better and younger depth.