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GM claims Morris said no to Bremen because he was homesick

Jordan-Morris-Werder-Bremen-Getty-Images

Jordan Morris appears ready to choose playing in MLS over playing in Europe, and the club he turned down is claiming the decision was made due to Morris feeling homesick.

Werder Bremen general manager Thomas Elchin told BILD on Thursday that Morris was already missing home during his brief training stint with the German club. Morris joined Bremen for two weeks and was reportedly offered a contract through 2019 this week, but turned it down to sign a deal in the United States, presumably with his hometown Seattle Sounders.

Nonetheless, Elchin said he will continue to monitor Morris because Bremen believes the U.S. Men’s National Team forward has what it takes to compete in the German Bundesliga.

Morris, 21, has yet to publicly comment on his future, but all signs continue to point to him signing with the Sounders. The MLS outfit has offered him the most lucrative Homegrown Player deal in league history, and is waiting for an answer.

What do you think of Bremen’s claim that homesickness led to Morris’ decision to turn down a chance to play in Germany? Think it’s that he is choosing to play in the U.S. or should he have just adjusted to being in a different country? See him ending up at Werder Bremen at some point in the future?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think we need to maybe take a step back on this kid, due to his mental weakness he has shown all the way through the ranks. It seems like he is unable to push himself and go outside his comfort zone to as far as he can. Kind of like with julian green, in a slightly different way. The players who are truly world class are constantly challenged and taken out of their comfort zone and become better players due to it.

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    • Lolz USA nats player. National champion at Stanford Herman trophy winner. Yeah. He’s got a mental weakness. I hope you’re not a coach cuz face it .. You don’t have what it takes. Leave the evaluation process to those who know what their talking about

      Bwahaha

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      • He lacks to push himself out of his comfort zone, yes he won many things in college, how many world class players played college ball? yeah tons of em right? He was playing against a majority of players with no professional football. He just lacks that push to go as far as you can, kind of that same push that donovan had, but he was truly world class from about age 19.

  2. To me, Morris looks more like a speed player than anything. Time will tell if there is more there than that. I’ll know he’s arrived when JK picks him to start with Jozy on the bench. Until that day, we can say, he has potential.

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    • This is the only thing that worries me. That Sigi will use Morris’ strengths, at the expense of his tactical development, like he did with Yedlin (granted Morris doesn’t have Yedlin-speed, so that isn’t exactly an ace up his sleeve). Hopefully having Dempsey and Martins there will help round out his game.

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  3. He shouldn’t be saying that unless he also releases the details of the offer they made to Morris. Maybe the kid was not homesick. Maybe he’s got the biggest ballz of all. And maybe, just maybe, the Seattle offer is more money and longer term. Morris has already shortened his professional career by starting late. His time-line to make money as a professional athlete is 10 years or less. He also runs a high risk of an injury that shortens that time-line even further. Rather than homesick, maybe Morris is intelligent and decided to take the better offer. As we will never know the terms of the respective offers it is all conjecture so putting a homesick label on him strikes me as unfair.

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    • I never saw an actual figure anywhere, but the general line in several different articles on different sites was “slightly more money than Seattle”, but I never saw anything about duration.

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  4. He could end up being the next Donovan, or he could end up being one more of the hundreds of MLS players that never amounted to anything in the world stage. His chances are not good.

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    • I think from my point of view going to Bremen would have been better for his development but it’s not like he’s turning down Barca here. What you say could be applied to most 21 year old players anywhere.

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      • Most 21 year old players didn’t turn down a contract with one of the best leagues in the world because they missed McDonalds.

    • Or he could end up doing what Bradley, Dempsey, McBride, and many others did, leaving MLS for a better opportunity. I am not sure signing with a team about to be relegated is better than MLS and if he does not get time with the first team, the reserve team is playing 2, maybe soon 3 levels down. He might not always start at Seattle, but he would almost certainly be on the first team and get significant playing time in a league about as good as 2nd Bund.

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  5. I’m sure that my grandfather was homesick when he had to go to Germany in his early 20s and run next to a tank along with the infantry during World War II, but that didn’t stop him from doing it because he wanted to do what was best for his country. What can’t Jordan Morris do the same?

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      • Didn’t notice your name until after I posted. It’s effective sarcasm because it isn’t that much different than what some people are seriously posting here.

  6. If I hada choice to get paid a nice 6 figure salary as a student coming out of college and my choices were to live in Seattle, WA or Bremen, I know where I would rather be

    Not Germany

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  7. Anyone speak German this sounds like one of those the words don’t exactly translate situations.

    Second, they had just touted to their fans they were going to make this signing then poof it goes away. Sounds better to the fans than we tried to get him cheap (reportedly not much more than Seattle) even though there was no transfer fee and he walked.

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  8. If being “homesick” goes hand in hand with becoming one of the greatest American soccer players ever, I can only hope it’s contagious.

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    • Except if we are to progress as a soccer nation we need players to develop past Donovan’s/Dempsey’s level.

      I won’t comment about Morris’ homesickness, it’s his life to live; but we need to stop rationalizing some of the decisions our young prospects make and positively compare them to D&D; saying things like “When Donovan was homesick, turning to MLS didn’t hurt his development…” or “Dempsey turned pro at 21 after college and started in MLS also…” as if these are all positive signs of taking our nation to the next level. They’re not.

      Of course, Morris will probably end up having a pretty good career, and end up being a quality player just; his raw talent and a good head on his shoulders pretty much guarantees that. But Donovan/Dempsey should not be the pinnacle, but the minimum level our young guys should be striving for, and unfortunately I only see Morris getting to that minimum level now. Good level to get to, but not enough.

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      • Show me one player that went abroad and attained Donovan’s level, let alone surpassed it, and I’ll buy you a beer, maybe even two. All the heat about where he plays is overblown. Every person has unique drivers.

        We have bigger fish to fry, like how the USNT has regressed under Klinnsman, the highest-paid coach in US soccer history, and who we are stuck with until after the next World Cup

      • My goodness you completely missed my point. Donovan was a VERY GOOD player. Arguably (barely an aruguement, it all depends on what skills you value more) the greatest, most naturally talented AMERICAN ever. Key word there…AMERICAN.

        If we’re ever gonna get to the promised land, a guy of Donovan’s talent will be need to be a bench option, not a key player.

        WE NEED TO DO BETTER!!! WE NEED TO RAISE OUR EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS!!!

      • By the way, I don’t care where Morris starts his career. I really don’t.

        Also, be careful how you compare prospects choosing MLS to Donovan; remember, he DID go to Europe first. Almost 2 years before coming back on loan to MLS. If you don’t think he learned a thing or 2 there, at least what the standard for a club that just barely lost out on winning a treble in 2002, then you’re deluding yourself into thinking an MLS 1.0 was what solely developed Donovan.

      • we need ANY player to develop to Donovan’s level…any player. Not happened yet

        give me a team of players at LD’s level and the USMNT would kick a$$

    • You’d never heard Dempsey “instructing” a manager ahead of the biggest tournament of his life why he doesn’t want to practice or feel he needs to.

      Dempsey is a warrior. They don’t make many like him evidently.

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    • Some folks will never miss a chance to impune the greatest player this country has ever produced just because he didn’t choose the career path they want him to take.

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    • Dempsey went overseas around age 23 to an English speaking country to play with two of the USMNT/Fulham leaders McBride and Bocanegra. Donovan at 17 went to Germany to play professionally for the first time with a struggling Frankie Hejduk, was put the reserve team, was much younger than most of the other players and was pretty isolated. Not really the same thing.

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      • Iniesta was 12 years old when he left his small town in Spain! The issue is bigger than just a one-time case of homesickness. Because of the generally higher standard of living in the US compared to a rural town in Spain, for example, AND the white,suburban environment from which our soccer athletes have originated, our players don’t have the drive to succeed that soccer players in other countries. Klinsmann talked about this during the WC 2010. He said that in most countries soccer’s best come from the poorer classes, for whom motivation greets them every morning. In the US, due to our pay-to-play environment, we have excluded the potentially most motivated. When your entire family is looking to you to raise them up, homesickness is not a decision driver. Just look at basketball in the US. No matter how good LD was or JM might be, they will never have the fire in their belly that comes from growing up in or near the favellas of Rio or the poor inner cities of any large city.

      • I can find no evidence that Dempsey was ever offered the opportunity to go to Europe before he was 23 but based on the following, I’d say the odds are pretty strong that he would have gone and stayed!

        Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas, and, for much of his childhood, his family lived in a trailer park, where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with Hispanic immigrants.[8] In his teens, Dempsey maintained these ties playing in a local Mexican-dominated adult league.[9] Dempsey is of Irish descent on his father’s side.[10] His older brother Ryan was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, an elite youth soccer club, and brought Clint, who was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines.[11] Dempsey became a standout on the team at an early age but had to quit due to his family’s time and money constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player.[12] Several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club.

  9. I’ll say it again: American players just don’t have the ballz to make it big.
    This kid ran home as soon as he felt uncomfortable for the first time in his life.

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    • Maybe the soon to be relegated German club didn’t have a good vibe. Possibly Morris is poised to grab a better deal in Seattle. Could be that he’s smarter than all you folks give him credit for

      #EBFG mofos

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    • I guess it would take some “ballz” to make a bad decision like signing his rights to a soon to be relegated club. But it would also indicate a lack of brains. Turning down a Euro club isn’t always going to be a lack of ballz. WB is a bad choice right now. Aston Villa would be a bad choice right now. Anyone in the relegation zone of their league would be a bad choice unless you have the market power to insist on being a free agent if relegation happens.

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  10. That’s Elchin trying to rub out his hurt feelings. The kid has trained overseas before and lived away from home for years. Training for a couple of weeks isn’t going to make him homesick, and he wouldn’t have confided to Elchin if he did feel homesick. Jordy didn’t even have a chance to experience living in Bremen, which is, I’m told from those who have done it, an acquired taste.

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    • Yeah, not buying that Morris was homesick after a 2 week German vacation considering he managed 6 semesters at Stanford without getting homesick. GTFO

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    • It’s a different world in Europe. Little is familiar, including the language. Stores generally arent open on Sunday… TV is a wasteland. SO what would a 21-22 year old kid do when not playing soccer? Not much

      It is amazing that JK has often times been all over encouraging players to play at a higher lever (e.g Europe) tough in this case he was quoted in these boards as being “thrilled” he’s going to Seattle. Does anybody else see the change on this one? Maybe his little talk with Sunil had something to the sudden about face?

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      • Have u guys ever been to germany? If you can’t have fun there as a 21 year old u are an idiot. It’s a great country, great place to live. There’s a lot more to life than watching TV?? And if american tv shows are a gamebreaker for you, have u heard of this thing called the internet??

  11. Can we get someone with a little swagger and confidence (read BALLZ), I hope this is not true. I would lose a lot of respect for the man (or I guess he is just a kid)

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  12. Seems a bit like sour grapes from Elchin. Even if it’s true, there’s no reason to share what many would find embarrassing. It would would be just as true and easy to say he wanted to play for his hometown team. Elchin is obviously very sensitive and has rejection issues. Morris choosing to play elsewhere must bring up feelings of inferiority that make Elchin question his ability to run a franchise on the brink of relegation.

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    • I suspect it may be more than that. Bremen is not doing as well as it has done in the past and they have been very thin at the striker position. Also, AJ has been out quite a long time because of injury and they had probably counted on him to some extent. Now, if they fall to relegation, critics will probably point to their lack of scoring and, if Morris does well at Seattle, would begin to ask, why didn’t our GM sign that good young American. In other words, he is worried about future blame if Bremen goes down and he is trying to provide himself some cover for that possible future event. He doesn’t want to admit he failed, but the problem was with Morris.

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      • I was thinking along these lines too…plenty of GM’s will admit when they could not sign a player due to the money not being right and it’s a valid excuse for fans to accept. Based on the other article recently stating Klinsmann was thrilled to see Morris joining Seattle and his joining the MLS side was due to comfort and knowledge of the area, I’d have to say there probably is truth to this story.

    • Sounds like YOU are the sensitive one. What is so embarrassing about saying somebody is homesick or would rsther live closer to home. Landon was homesick, and I don’t think he was embarrassed to admit it.

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      • You got me Anthony, I’m actually Jordan Morris and it hurt my feelings. Seriously, having and sharing an opinion doesn’t make one sensitive. It was a petty remark by Elchin and I was sarcastically reflecting that in my comments. And your comparison to Donovan kind of proves my point as he has taken all kinds of sh*t for leaving Germany early in his career and people are still taking swipes at him for it, as evidenced in this comments thread.

      • It’s possible he isn’t being sarcastic. There’s nothing wrong being homesick especially after he just ended his college career and didn’t have the typical summer at home before moving out and into the job field. give the guy a break man

    • Anyone who has spent more than a couple weeks alone in a country where they do not speak the language knows there is something missing in human interactions, even if there is professional communications. I have spent time in Korea and China when I was the only native english speaker and times when I traveled with colleagues. The times alone were not much fun and even with colleagues, it can get fairly isolated. For a 22 year-old all that time spent not training and without a lot of human interaction can be tough (not to mention the added stress of being involved in a tryout). Morris is a smart kid and would probably pick up a language in relatively short order, but not in 2 or 3 weeks.

      The soccer world is littered with players who could not handle the off-field isolation, Jordon may be pretty self-aware if he decided he might not handle that well.

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