The Seattle Sounders had to make due without Jordan Morris during the stretch run last season. It appears they will now have to do the same for much of 2018.
The 23-year-old forward has suffered a torn ACL that will sideline him 6-9 months, Fox Sports reported on Saturday.
Terrible start to the weekend for #USMNT and @SoundersFC fans:
Hearing Jordan Morris torn right ACL and will miss 6-9 months. Tough run for Morris- hamstring end of 2017 and now ACL.
Really sad to see and hope to see him back on pitch soon.
— Stuart Holden (@stuholden) February 24, 2018
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Morris was injured late in Seattle’s CONCACAF Champions League loss to Santa Tecla, and limped off the field in the 85th minute of the 2-1 defeat, unable to put pressure on his right leg.
The Sounders have yet to confirm the report, and as of Saturday had yet to publicly address Morris’ injury.
If the report is accurate, the news will come as a big blow for the Sounders a week before the start of the new MLS season. Morris has been a regular starter and key part of the club’s attack since his rookie year in 2016, and his absence will rob the Seattle of a dangerous weapon with blazing speed.
Morris saw the end of his 2017 largely wiped away by injury after missing the final three months of last season and most of the Sounders’ playoff run to the MLS Cup Final with a hamstring injury. He finished 2017 with just three goals and one assist in 23 league appearances, a drastic drop-off in production a year after he helped Seattle win its first MLS crown with 12 goals and four assists in 34 matches. Morris won the Rookie of the Year award for his performances in 2016.
The Sounders were already short on forward options, and will need to hit the open market to secure some reinforcements soon with the MLS season kicking off in a week, and the return leg against Santa Tecla looming on Thursday.