USMNT and Jordan Morris: It might be time for the next step

Jordan Morris scored twice in the USMNT’s 2-0 victory over Cuba on Tuesday night. It is time for the Seattle Sounders winger to take the next step: test himself in Europe.

The U.S. Men’s National Team ended their Autumn fixtures on Tuesday night with a consummate 4-0 victory over Cuba, closing out the CONCACAF Nations League group stages atop the standings.

The win sees the U.S. scheduled to face Honduras in the semi-finals, though these will not take place until June, just as preparations for World Cup qualifying are heating up. While the Nations League is largely unvalued, for Gregg Berhalter and his players, these matches are good litmus tests for their readiness for greater challenges.

One individual who has flourished in these recent matches is Jordan Morris, the Seattle Sounders winger establishing himself as the best USMNT attacking player not named Christian Pulisic. And as he has done frequently in recent national team outings, Morris was again the source of goals against Cuba.

With a cut-up pitch and lacking atmosphere making the game scrappy and curiously understated, Morris’ opening goal was the one piece of quality that truly showed the USMNT were the superior team. Collecting Weston McKennie’s flick with an excellent first touch, Morris opened up his body and calmly slid a finish into the far bottom corner. He then illustrated his goalscoring instincts, adding his second by tapping home a deflected cross over the goal line after Cuba failed to clear yet another scrambled set piece.

This has been very much the manner of it for Morris and the USMNT in recent months. Even prior to Tuesday night, he had scored eight goals and provided eight assists in a little under 1,700 minutes. His goals plus assists per 90 minutes ratio, 0.87, was comparable to the great Pulisic, 0.91, and this is before scoring twice in 45 minutes.

Morris has also enjoyed a superb season for the Seattle Sounders. Named the 2019 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Morris scored 10 goals and provided seven assists in just over 2000 minutes of action. He notched a brilliant hat-trick in a playoff victory over FC Dallas and played a key role in the Sounders’ eventual MLS Cup triumph.

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However, with all this individual and collective success, the expectations begin to rise. Still only 25, and having finally adapted to a wide role that he now looks extremely comfortable in playing, developing a more rounded, throwback skill set that helps best exploit his physical qualities, Morris is only just encountering the best years of his career. And with that being the case, it might time for him to face his biggest test: European football.

While Morris’ decision to reject a Germany move out of college and sign for the Sounders has largely been vindicated, with his individual development still progressing well and team success now found, as well as patience shown during injured periods that might not have been found at a higher level, there is still for him to complete his career and challenge himself at the highest possible level.

Sounders fans may not like it, and MLS apologists may also struggle to accept it, but Morris will never be the best that he can be without testing himself in Europe. Unlike many American’s obsessed patriotism implies, the States is not the pinnacle of the sport. Not even close.

Next. USMNT Vs Cuba: 3 things we learned. dark

Morris is beginning to bloom. He is coming off the best season of his career, is now a crucial player for his country, and is steaming towards his prime years. There is now just one more step for him to take. Europe beckons.

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