Fresh off scoring his second international goal in a friendly against Jamaica on Feb. 3, Seattle Sounders and United States forward Jordan Morris is still savoring his time on the national team.
U.S. head coach Bruce Arena called in Morris, 22, to January camp in Carson, Calif., along with Sounders teammates Brad Evans, Chad Marshall and Stefan Frei, who was sent home early after spraining his ankle. Arena brought Morris to each of the U.S.’ two friendlies before they resume CONCACAF 2017 FIFA World Cup Qualifying in March.
Morris came off the bench in the 74th minute against Serbia on Jan. 29 before starting against the Reggae Boyz. Morris’ second-half goal lifted the United States to a 1-0 win and has him a “likely candidate” for the WCQ’s next month.
Despite the club success Morris has had recently, the opportunity to play for his country remains the highlight of his young career.
“Even stepping on the field is such an honor,” Morris said on Wednesday. “Every time I wear the jersey and hear the national anthem before the game, it gives me chills. It’s crazy. It’s something I never dreamed of.”
Arena has continued to praise Morris, saying he “made a statement” after the Jamaica match. Morris said he still has the utmost respect for former U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who gave Morris his break while a sophomore at Stanford in 2015, but is excited about the prospect of continuing to play for Arena.
“Bruce was awesome, it was so great to come in and work for him,” Morris said. “He’s been so successful obviously, he made things light and made camp really enjoyable.”
Now that the U.S.’ final tune-up matches are behind them, their full focus is on a March 24 date with Honduras in San Jose, Calif. The U.S. currently sit in last place in the Hexagonal with zero points through two matches and are desperate for points against Los Catrachos and on the road at Panama on March 28.
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati made it clear when he appointed Arena manager in November that he was brought in to right the ship and help the U.S. qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The U.S. know they can’t make up their deficit all at once, so Arena has told them to stay focused on taking one game at a time.
“There’s eight games left, so plenty of time,” Morris said. “We’re focusing on that first game at the end of March and going from there.”
