With 3 goals in his past 5 games, and being apart of one of the best defences in the MLS, Justin Morrow looks to be hitting his stride with Toronto FC. Yet why are some fans so harsh with their criticism of him?
Justin Morrow is a very curious case. Fans around Toronto are split 50/50 about his play. Some will say he is a great defender and makes smart runs, while others complain how he is always making mistakes and is always caught too far up the pitch. I, personally, am on the side of the former. I absolutely love Justin Morrow. Any game he plays you can see how he leaves everything on the pitch. Is he a perfect defender? No he isn’t, however he does a good job on the defensive end and helps out tremendously on the offensive end. I have yet to watch a player in the MLS who constantly involves himself in every third of the pitch.
I have found myself arguing with other fans on the importance of Justin Morrow to our back line. I don’t get why people have an issue with him. Morrow is beloved by the soccer media in Toronto, he is on a great contract , and most of all if you have seen the other full backs in the league, we could be doing a lot worse than Justin Morrow. Yet certain fans seem to feel like we need to move on from Morrow.
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Since Justin Morrow came over from San Jose back in the 2014 season I could argue that he has been one of the more consistent players on the roster. Just let his stats here speak for themselves. He has played over 2600 minutes in both full seasons at Toronto and is on pace for another 2600+ minute season. He has only 1 red card in his 3 years at Toronto which shows his discipline, and has been known to score a few times. Not to mention his past 5 games where he has scored 3 goals. Also fun fact of the day, he is tied as the 4th highest rated MLS left back on FIFA 16.
Now every time I find myself arguing with someone about this topic I always ask the same question, “Who would you rather?” Usually they think for a minute and can’t come up with a name, or say a player like Patrice Evra. When I ask them to name an MLS player they would rather, they look at there phones and then finally come back with Ashley Cole. That blows my mind. A player who back in 2014 rejected an MLS contract because he wasn’t ready to relax on a beach.
"I had offers from the USA but I'm not ready to relax on a beach yet," - Ashley Cole in 2014.
— Jimmy Conrad (@JimmyConrad) January 27, 2016
We call that the "Rafa Marquez" approach.
In 13 games has Ashley Cole been that good? He has 2 red cards, no goals, and no assists. Granted he has been playing well, but I wouldn’t say he has been playing better than Justin Morrow lately.
Not only has Justin Morrow been great for Toronto FC on the pitch, he has also been great in the Toronto community. From signing autographs after games, to going to schools and talking to kids, he has truly embraced Toronto as his home. He even initiated programs in Toronto schools to encourage reading and literacy. He is a real class act and we are lucky to have him as a member of TFC.
With some big games coming up for Toronto FC and a playoff push on the horizon, Toronto is going to need everyone playing their best and right now Morrow has been at the top of his game. He may have some doubters in the stands but I have no doubt in my mind that Justin Morrow will keep proving his doubters wrong.