To Stanford head coach Jeremy Gunn, Seattle Sounders and U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jordan Morris’ rise to soccer stardom in the U.S. not only put the Pac-12 program on the map, but also showcased the talent college soccer has to offer.
Gunn was appointed head coach of an average Stanford soccer program in 2012, but has turned it into a force to be reckoned with while helping guide the Cardinal to their first NCAA championship in program history last season. A lot of the credit, Gunn says, goes to the players who made that happen, including the 5-foot-11, 21-year-old forward who scored two goals in the College Cup final against Clemson.
“I think that what Jordan achieved certainly raised the awareness of the program, there’s no question about that,” Gunn told SBI. “And obviously with raised awareness that does increase the opportunity for other players in the program. I think Jordan has truly raised awareness for college soccer as well.
“It’s been too easy for people to criticize a wonderful area of this sport, which is college soccer, and this amazing talent. While Jordan was working hard to do his best, I think all of the byproducts was to raise awareness of all of the great talent, not just at Stanford, but in college soccer across the board.”
Morris became the face of the college game in 2014, with his rise to prominence taking off after the USMNT played a friendly match against Stanford. He impressed in the scrimmage, leading to his eventual first cap against Ireland in Dublin that same year. He became the first collegiate player to accomplish that feat since Ante Razov in 1995.
“Jordan was a very, very good youth player and … the national youth scouts had seen Jordan playing with his club team and then for a year with the (Seattle) Sounders academy. And so (Jurgen Klinsmann and U.S. Soccer) were aware that he was a bright prospect, but we did have the wonderful honor of playing a practice game with the national team at the beginning of their camp here at Stanford,” Gunn said.
“Our team did a lot of hard work behind the ball, as you can expect, but Jordan played very well in that game, and so he had that opportunity to be compared against the nation’s finest at that point in time. Then, they got to look at him in a few more fashions as well during that camp because he got to fill in in a couple of sessions here and there as well.”
Morris continued to shine for Stanford and in the U.S. system during 2014 and into 2015. He scored his first goal for the senior U.S. team against rival Mexico during a friendly in April last year. He also recently featured for the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team during the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, and guided the Cardinal to an NCAA championship.
He seemed to have strengthened his resume after every game he played, and following the conclusion of his junior season, he announced his intention to turn pro. He traveled to Europe to train with German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen, but in the end, he chose to sign with the Seattle Sounders.
That decision was met with praise but also criticism. No matter what other people think about what’s best for the forward, Gunn says Morris’ decisions should be respected, especially since they have been working for him so far.
“Jordan was a very promising youth player in the Sounders setup, and the Sounders had been interested in signing for a while now, and I’m always quite positive they’ve had a good relationship,” he said.
“He’s always made it quite clear that he loves his family and that he loves Seattle,” he added. “I think that the right choice was, for Jordan, was to do whatever he wanted to do. Jordan staying on in college for longer than most people would have expected was criticized by some, but it was the right thing for Jordan at the right time, thus proved by how he has continued to be successful.
“I think there’s all different paths towards your future, and I think Jordan has proved that he can choose his path towards his future in whichever way. He’s made a decision that, I’m sure, he’s very happy with, and it’s not for me to say whether he’s better off in MLS or better off overseas. That’s really a Jordan decision that only time will tell with how he continues to move forward with it. We’re excited and hopeful that he can develop and can continue to move forward.”
All in all, though, the coverage of Morris at Stanford helped shed some light on some of the other talented players suiting up in the cardinal and white, and is arguably a big reason why fullback Brandon Vincent was called into the current U.S. January camp.
Vincent, selected by the Chicago Fire with the fourth overall selection in the 2016 MLS Draft, joins teammates Eric Verso and Tyler Thompson as the recent Cardinal players who have turned pro this year. Verso was selected 34th overall by the Montreal Impact, while Thompson was chosen 69th overall by the San Jose Earthquakes.
Including Morris, who left a year early, the Cardinal have four progressing to the highest level of pro soccer in the U.S. Turnover is a part of the college game, but that many players taking the big step is not the norm for a program like Stanford.
Stanford is not like other more storied programs across the country that seem to churn out talented players every other year — like Akron with Darlington Nagbe, DeAndre Yedlin, Perry Kitchen, Darren Mattocks and Kofi Sarkodie. The Cardinal’s most well-known player currently plying his trade in MLS is Chad Marshall, but Stanford alums in MLS are not a known commodity beyond him.
That could change in the future, though, due to players like Morris, Vincent and Verso. The coach told SBI that fresh faces for the upcoming fall season should be announced later this week. He added that five out of 11 starters from last season have moved on, but the legacy Morris and company created at Stanford will keep the program in the spotlight for years to come.
“I think it’s a great testament to the hard work that those individuals have put in,” Gunn said. “It’s a great testament to the entire program in the environment that we endeavor to create. We have the simple goal we want for each player is to become the best player they can be.
“Now, whether that means being an incredible college soccer player, graduating and then going to work in the world of finance, that’s wonderful. Or if it means being a wonderful soccer player in college and going on to being a pro, that’s wonderful too. So as long as we fulfill our goal of pushing ourselves to the max while they are here, it will allow those people who aspire to become pros to become pros. And for other people, it will allow them great lessons from this environment.”
My issue with college soccer is that the motivation for college coaches is not geared toward developing better, more technical players. Just as in the entire current youth soccer environment, the way to keep your job is to win and the easiest way to win is to go for the big, athletic player and then play route one soccer. Obviously there are exceptions, Caleb Porter for one. But the problem is they ARE exceptions. “Development” vs “winning (keeping your job)” — not an easy problem to solve.
I have no problem with the college game existing or being an option. I just wish it would adapt to a more reasonable setting than the YMCA format it currently exists within.
Sometimes I hate when you’re snarky; sometimes I love it and laugh out loud.
I don’t doubt there is some other really talented players scattered throughout college soccer. I mean, what if Klinsmann chose to do the world cup camp in DC, and scrimmaged Maryland or UVA, or some other close by D1 school. Would he have found another Jordan Morris? The only problem with college soccer is the rules laid down by the NCAA that limits their training time and season. Maybe Coach Gunn should round up some colleagues and press the NCAA for change. Imagine if the college coaches could train and play their kids year round. It could transform college soccer into a true feeder system for MLS (or beyond) much like basketball and football. It would increase the talent pool of American players by a really large number. I can dream anyway…
Oh man, my dream too. It doesn’t have to be year-round, but at least longer. I’m optimistic though, because I think there’s a lot of momentum behind this dream.
Yeah, one out of thousands doesn’t really change the odds that much. College’s still a talent wasteland.
Maybe he should have said Herr Klinsmann raised the profile of college soccer. But that would just blow the minds of all the people who accuse him of euro snobbery.
I think this is an excellent point.
Wishful thinking. No more than a handful of college players in each year’s draft can even hack in MLS. The process of steering our elite players away from this development wasteland is well underway and the sooner it’s completed the better.
Meanwhile just this week Matt Miazga joined Chelsea, EPB is on his way to Porto and Pulisic made his debut at Dortmund. Good thing none of those guys wasted time in NCAA ball.
Like it or not, college soccer will only get bigger. The players are getting better and they are getting more international players. Think of it like the academies: most academy players “can even hack in MLS.” But college is becoming the ultimate second chance for global soccer players to prove themselves and make it into a professional side
yep and most pro clubs don’t have athletic facilities and resources that can compare to a Div 1 college
I’m fine with those changes to college soccer but, increasingly, our best players are turning pro before college and that’s by far the best way to develop. We may get an occasional outlier player who plays NCAA ball but soccer in this country we will never get where we want it to be if our top players are all playing college ball from ages 18-22.
College soccer serves a purpose. Although it is not necessary for players of a certain level who can already play at a high level professionally, it is a good option for players that are not clearly national team or even MLS star quality to hedge their bets. I think Morris going to a school like Stanford (same quality as my Ivy League undergrad) was a good move until it became obvious that he had a real star quality (sophomore year). I have a hard time telling a kid that is good enough to get to Stanford, Duke, Brown, Princeton etc to skip the free education where the median pay in some majors 2 years out of school is equivalent to the MLS median pay. IMy pay 2 years out of school was higher than the MLS median pay at the time.
College is just another path for some players to take and for some players its likely more beneficial. Also Colleges already have the infrastructure in terms of gyms, fields and staff to advance soccer in the US especially as soccer becomes more popular and more kids and parents decide to pick soccer over football due the issue of concussions.