Jordan Morris’ hamstring strain not considered serious

SEATTLE — Jordan Morris’ body language — as it so often does — seemed to speak volumes. As soon as he pulled up on a run in the 49th minute, he punched at the air and yelled out an expletive. He fell the ground and was immediately tended to by the team’s medical staff.

He eventually made it over to the sideline, where TV cameras caught him looking quite upset and maybe even tearful.

After the game, though, things didn’t seem quite so dire. Head coach Brian Schmetzer suggested that the injury may not be all that serious, and certainly not as bad as the hamstring strain that effectively kept him out for nine weeks at the end of 2017.

“He’s a high octane athlete, so you’re always worried about the sprinters,” Schmetzer said. “That’s why we took Brad [Smith] out. Before the injury, Jordan was one of the guys on our list to get out. He’s a tough kid, he’ll be fine, he’ll be back. It’s a strain, not a pull like he had against LA a couple of years ago. Sometimes those guys with sprinter muscles are at risk more often.”

By the time reporters were allowed into the locker room, Morris, too, seemed to be feeling a bit better. Players with serious injuries are often still in the trainer’s room at that point, but Morris was fully dressed in his street clothes and didn’t seem to be moving with much of a limp.

When he’ll next play for the Sounders, though, is a bit more of an open question. He is scheduled to undergo a MRI soon that should reveal the extent of the injury, but the team already confirmed he did not travel for Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union. It’s at least within the realm of possibility that he could play in the Sounders’ following game on May 26 at Sporting KC. If he doesn’t, however, the Sounders might not get him back until the United States finishes with the Gold Cup, which will have its final on July 7.

Ironically, the injury could be good news for the Sounders. If Morris was already on the bubble for Gregg Berhalter’s roster, it’s entirely possible that he’ll now be left off. He might not be healthy in time for Seattle’s games on June 1 and 5, but he’d almost certainly be available for the June 26 game against the Vancouver Whitecaps.