The Seattle Sounders FC and Major League Soccer (MLS) got their man on Thursday as Jordan Morris turned down Europe for America. By signing, the young striker got himself minutes and a chance to develop with Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins surrounding him. He also heaped pressure upon himself to succeed as soon as possible in MLS.  

On Thursday, the 21-year-old Seattle native was announced to the public as the latest Homegrown Player for the Rave Green. The U.S. under-23 international signed the richest Homegrown Player contract in MLS history. Goal USA reported in Dec. that the former Stanford Cardinal forward was offered a contract between the range of $250,000 and $300,000.

Earlier this week, the American international shocked the world by turning down a contract offer SV Werder Bremen to come back home. It is clear that Morris wants to have a breakout year in 2016, and he believes that Seattle is the right place for him to start his professional career.  

Morris speaks out

"It was a great experience [SV Werder Bremen], but I always knew that I wanted to come home," Morris said in his introductory press conference. "My time over there was a good experience and a cool one, but it reaffirmed that I wanted to play in front of my hometown - in front of the 45,000 fans at CenturyLink."

The 21-year-old enters a club in the middle of a transitional phase. Many veterans left the club at the ending of 2015, which means that manager Sigi Schmid will be turning to youth next season.

That would have helped to make Morris’ choice to come home the easiest he will ever have to make in his life.

Seattle wanted him. Badly.

It also helps that the Sounders desperately want the former Cardinal striker in their organization.

"We’ve been following Jordan for a long time and have been impressed with his athleticism, work rate and finishing ability," Schmid said. "He’s also a guy with great character and a strong family who we know very well, so we think he’ll be a great fit for our team."

However, now Morris will need to produce quickly with the Sounders. If he is not able to get on the field for the Rave Green then his decision to come back to the States will be regarded as a failure.

In Bremen Morris might have gotten some playing time, but the experience for him in the Bundesliga would have been more educational. Morris might have told the Bremen’s general manager Thomas Eichin that he was feeling homesick. However, the main reason he choose to come home was the desire to play regularly with the first team.

Big year ahead for Seattle

This year is going to be busy for the Sounders, and for the national team. Seattle will begin the year competing in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal round against Club America.

The first leg of the quarterfinal will be held at CenturyLink Field on February 23rd. The second leg will be at the famous Azteca Stadium on March the second. That will be Morris' first chance to make some noise in the Seattle uniform.

Involvement with the National Team?

After that, Morris has the entire MLS regular season to worry about, which will give the 21-year-old forward plenty of time to get some minutes. If he has good start to the season and scores some goals for Seattle, then the U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann should reward him with further call-ups.

Barring injury, Morris will play for the Under-23 national team in March when the Yanks face Colombia in a two legged playoff series. The winner will qualify to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio this August. If the United States beat Los Cafeteros it is a safe bet that Morris will be representing the U.S. in Brazil.

Besides that ,the 21-year-old could find himself playing in four World Cup Qualification matches this year. In September the US will play against Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago to close up the fourth round before the fifth round of qualifications in November if the USMNT qualifies to the Hex. Morris might even get to participate in the Copa America Centenario, which takes place in June in the United States.

However, all this can only happen if he performs in Seattle. In the Bundesliga, Morris would have received more slack from Klinsmann for not being a consistent first team member. The German coach has shown mercey to struggling Americans in Europe before. The names Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood, DeAndre Yedllin and Julian Green spring to mind. 

With the Sounders, he'll need to regularly be on the field and performing well. When asked how he feels about that, the 21-year-old replied in the same vein which so excites the Northwest for his arrivle.

"No, I don't look it as pressure," the 21-year-old striker said. "I look at it as an opportunity to continue to grow in an environment that I am comfortable in. I think it is great to be surrounded by family and surrounded by such a great organization because I know that I will be comfortable."

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About the author
Jorge Belon
My name is Jorge Belon. I’m a writer for VAVEL USA and VAVEL UK. My focus is on soccer. Throughout the years I have created different blogs all revolving around soccer. My first was Mr. JB Soccer in 2012. Now I currently operate Belon Soccer News (BSN), where I cover soccer mostly from North America and international tournaments. I am a college at Los Angeles Valley College. I was a part of the college newspaper, The Valley Star for two years. At the Star I held the position of Sports Editor, News Editor, Managing Editor and Editor in Chief. I have been writing about soccer for the past three years. I have covered: Major League Soccer, Gold Cup, Under-20 Men’s World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Men’s World Cup and many more.