USMNT Vs Uruguay: Jordan Morris stakes his claim
Who should start opposite of Christian Pulisic? It is one of the biggest decisions USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter must make. With his performance against Uruguay, Jordan Morris staked his claim to be top of the pecking order.
Christian Pulisic is the U.S. Men’s National Team best player. You will find very few people trying to debate that point. And Gregg Berhalter knows it.
That is why he attempted to use him as a central attacking midfielder during the Gold Cup. Berhalter wanted Pulisic on the ball as frequently impossible, such that he could impact the game on a regular basis. The logic was sound, but it reduced the number of situations that Pulisic could unleash his best skills in: dribbling at a defender in one-on-ones.
And so, this September, Berhalter moved Pulisic back to the flank, where the American may receive the ball less often but will have the opportunity to dribble at and past exposed defenders with speed and skill. That consequently leaves just one wing position open.
What was evident in the summer’s Gold Cup was the lack of convincing wide options that Berhalter had available to him. He was relying on a solid-MLS-level Paul Arriola to create chances and score goals. That is never going to go very well. But with Pulisic now starting on one wing, Berhalter must select just one of his other options to complete his front three.
The obvious candidates are Arriola, Corey Baird, Jonathan Lewis, Tyler Boyd and Jordan Morris. None are especially complete in their styles and they all have fairly obvious limitations at the international level, but they are now no longer relied upon to provide the true injection of creativity and speed with Pulisic on the other side. That will help, hugely.
And, in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay, it was Morris who staked his claim as the best of the rest. Playing off the left flank with Boyd on the right, Morris was the USMNT’s primary attacking threat on the night. He scored the U.S.’ only goal of the game, although it was a little freakish, beat defenders at will with his frightening shimmy and shake, and flashed several excellent crosses into the box, one of which should have been converted by Boyd at the far post.
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More pertinently, though, Morris is the most physically capable of these other options. His touch can be a little inconsistent, as can his end product and movement off the ball, but as a physical specimen, he is phenomenal, with a terrifying size-speed combination. And given the role that this secondary winger will play opposite of Pulisic, that is a vital advantage.
Pulisic will demand attention from opposing defences. He is the U.S.’ best player. If you are constructing a game plan to contain the USMNT, your first thought is how to stop Pulisic. That will create space for others in the team, especially the opposite winger who will likely be left one-on-one with the opposing full-back.
While questions can be asked of Morris’ technical and tactical acumen in small spaces where guile and attacking nous is required to break down opponents, if you provide him with space, he can be lethal.
Next. USMNT Vs Uruguay: 3 things we learned. dark
What Berhalter does opposite of Pulisic remains to be seen, but with his recent performances and his stylistic advantages, Morris has staked his claim to sit atop the pecking order, for now.