Training compensation may have complicated Jordan Morris' move to Werder Bremen

Jordan Morris is no longer training with Werder Bremen and is apparently focused on starting his career in the United States, presumably with the Seattle Sounders. While not an entirely unforeseen development, the turnabout was rather sudden.

Werder Bremen's statement was somewhat vague, only acknowledging that Morris was pursuing a career in the United States. But at least one German media report suggested that, while Morris may have essentially made the final choice, there were some other factors that made the move a bit more complicated.

Chief among them appears to have been training compensation or solidarity payments. The report suggests that Werder Bremen would have had to pay out the equivalent of about $300,000. Even if the Sounders Academy were unable to collect their portion of the fee due to MLS's stance on training compensation and solidarity payments, Morris' previous club, Eastside FC, was supposedly in line for a nearly $200,000 payday.

In the grand scheme of European transfers, that might be seen as a bit of a drop in the bucket. But part of the attraction to Morris was likely his relative affordability, and having to pay nearly the equivalent of a year's salary in solidarity payments could very well have been a turnoff.

It's unclear if the Sounders would need to pay Eastside FC any kind of comparable fee, but MLS has never agreed to make such payments in the past.