While New England Revolution fans are waiting for the naming of their recently signed Designated Player, the Seattle Sounders have been busy signing arguably the best American soccer player anywhere.
On Thursday the Sounders officially unveiled Jordan Morris, the 21-year-old reigning Hermann Trophy winner and U.S. national team member, as their newest Homegrown Player signing.
Morris, who joined the Sounders FC Academy in 2012 before then moving on to play college soccer for Stanford over the past three years, turned down an offer from Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in order to return to Seattle earlier this week.
He is believed to have signed the most lucrative Homegrown Player contract in MLS history, although terms of the deal were not officially disclosed.
“We’ve been following Jordan for a long time and have been impressed with his athleticism, work rate and finishing ability,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “He’s also a guy with great character and a strong family who we know very well, so we think he’ll be a great fit for our team.”
Seattle Sounders General Manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey confirmed in November that Morris had been offered the richest HG contract in league history and so he is almost certain to have penned a deal that makes that official.
Morris will join Seattle for the preseason camp after finishing his duties with the USMNT in February and could make his MLS debut when Seattle host Sporting Kansas City on the opening weekend of the 2016 season.
