After a surprise call-up from Stanford University to the US national team, former Seattle Sounders Academy star Jordan Morris (pictured above) did not end up making his international debut in Wednesday’s friendly against the Czech Republic. However, his mere presence on the roster can still be considered another milestone for a Seattle front office that has quietly put together a strong collection of Homegrown talent.
While Morris was getting set to put on a USMNT jersey for the first time, fellow Academy products Sean Okoli and Aaron Kovar were back in Seattle, continuing to make strides in their development for the Sounders. Okoli, from Federal Way, Washington, scored two goals in Seattle’s 5-1 MLS Reserve League victory over Arizona United on Aug. 25, with Seattle native Kovar assisting on one with a beautiful, arching cross into the penalty box from the right side.
While still in need of further development, 21-year-olds Okoli and Kovar have shown steady progress since being signed out of Wake Forest and Stanford, respectively, and were each named by head coach Sigi Schmid as players who could potentially see minutes with Seattle’s first-team in the absence of midfielder Marco Pappa, who is away from the squad on Guatemalan national team duty.
Okoli said the success of Seattle’s Homegrown crew can at least be partially attributed to excellent chemistry developed from years of playing together at the youth levels.
“We’ve all played together growing up throughout the years here. …We all know each other’s tendencies and what we like to do best,” Okoli said. “When we’re out with the first-team we just try and emulate that and just keep getting better at the things we’re good at and work on the other things as well. It all works out when we’re all together. It makes it easier.”
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The aforementioned trio of Morris (eligible to be signed as a Homegrown Player without entering the MLS SuperDraft), Okoli and Kovar does not even include DeAndre Yedlin, Seattle's biggest Homegrown success to date. Signed in 2013 after two years at Akron, Yedlin has vaulted from hometown prospect into one of the most recognizable faces in American soccer, making his mark on the international stage following a strong performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Sounders subsequently reached an agreemente for Yedlin's transfer to English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Seattle has plenty of additional prospects in the collegiate ranks, most notably University of Washington forward Darwin Jones, a senior who scored seven goals for the Huskies last year and netted twice to open the college season in a 4-0 win over Gonzaga on Aug. 29.
Schmid said part of his team’s Homegrown success stems from giving their young players ample opportunities to showcase their skills, something he says has helped Morris as he has evolved into a national-team prospect.
“I think the number one thing in our academy is just giving players an opportunity to play,” Schmid said. “Jordan is a good player. The academy did a good job in terms of allowing him to express himself and play. I think it’s a tribute to our academy and to the players of Washington state, who continue to develop.”
Though Morris did not see the field in the 1-0 US victory over the Czech Republic, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann told ESPNFC that the call-up was nonetheless an important step in the Stanford sophomore’s development as he decides his next career move.
“If he comes on the field or not, he got the introduction to our world, how we do things; he understands it better,” Klinsmann said. “He has the choice now to say, ‘OK, am I jumping on the Sounders track in January, or am I considering another year [of college], or am I considering maybe even going to Europe?’”
Schmid said that jumping into the deep end on the international level might be the perfect test for Morris as he tries to define his role with the national team moving forward.
“Is he mature enough, is he experienced yet to [perform] at the national-team level? Sometimes you don’t know,” Schmid said. “Sometimes you’ve got to throw players into the pool and see what happens.”
