Jordan Morris provides update on injury rehabilitation

Jordan Morris was a surprise guest during Sunday’s Fox broadcast and provided an update on his rehabilitation process following a second ACL injury in three years.

“It’s pretty similar to the last one — 8-10 months is what they’re saying,” Morris said. “It’s going well so far. It’s definitely a grind and frustrating at points, but every day is getting better and a lot of rehabbing.”

The Sounders were already planning to be without Morris for at least the first half of the season and the feeling around the organization was that he was likely to secure a full transfer that would have kept him out of Rave Green for the foreseeable future regardless, so his on-field absence hasn’t been entirely unexpected. What has been a bit more surprising is how well the Sounders have managed without him, starting the season with a franchise-best 17 points through seven games while learning a new 3-5-2 formation.

“The mentality of this team is unbelievable,” Morris said. “Guys are moving into new positions like it’s no change.”

Perhaps even tougher than watching the Sounders play without him is knowing that this was lining up to be an important year for him on the United States national team. In addition to the Nations League finals that are coming up in June, the USMNT also have Gold Cup and then World Cup qualification. Morris will potentially be back in time to be considered for the final World Cup roster, but he won’t have much time to work himself back into form.

Still, it seems as though he’s still at least somewhat in Gregg Berhalter’s plans

“The coaches with the national team have been reaching out every once in a while and checking in; it’s been great,” he said. “It’s always good to catch up with them. Some really big games this year, so those will be fun to watch.”

After missing all of the 2018 MLS season only to come back an even better player, Morris is understandably excited about getting on the other end of this injury. But he’s also keenly aware that coming back before he’s fully healed won’t do him, the Sounders, or the national team any good.

“I think there’s definitely an itch to come back quick, but obviously I’m not going to rush anything,” he said. “We’ll see how things go down the line, but it’s still pretty early on. Obviously, there’s a lot of important games and you just miss playing. The itch is definitely there, but the most important thing is getting it right.”