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Jordan Morris watch continues. The once ignored, now touted United States National Team forward remains at Stanford, for now. But there are indications that his decision tree lost a branch. No longer is "generic team in Europe" mentioned as a possibility. Instead he is choosing between remaining with the Cardinal and signing with Seattle Sounders FC.
"My coach is always telling me it's better to have that decision than not have it," Morris said. - San Jose Mercury News
One of the concerns that Morris has is the amount of playing time he would get in Seattle. With National Team Captain Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins paired up-top and nine-goal scorer Chad Barrett on the bench, competition for minutes with the first team will be harsh.
"It would be tough to get some playing time," Morris said.
But there is the prospect of practicing with the first team, getting some minutes in the Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League (up to 10 non-league games in 2014) while also dropping down to Sounders 2 for more time. In only a half season with the Galaxy, Jose Villareal split 11 appearances between Galaxy II and the LA Galaxy for 453 minutes. They had no CCL or USOC during that time.
This season the third and fourth forwards earned nearly 2000 minutes of league play between them. Layering on two more competitions with the First Team and USL PRO time should get a player in that range about 2000 minutes of their own. Plus the training time with a coaching staff that regularly works with World Cup quality talent.
If playing time is his motivating factor the choice should be simple. It probably isn't just about playing time, but Seattle has that over Stanford. Seattle also likely has the HGP contract space available for a Gyasi-Zardes-size contract with school funded and more than six figures in the bank account.
Still, the choice is Jordan's, not the fans. Stanford is a great school and college as a college-aged student is very different than college for someone in their mid-to-late 30s.
The story also describes Morris and the way he deals with Type I diabetes. Give that part a read too.