Jordan Morris keeps proving his worth to the Sounders

The expectations surrounding the Sounders’ signing of Jordan Morris prior to this season were never going to be rational, realistic or patient. When Morris failed to find the net in his first few matches, there was a grumbling in certain corners of Seattle that maybe the 21-year-old forward wasn’t worth the hype.

The reality is that Morris was indeed just 21, had never played in a professional match before joining Seattle and was tasked with replacing Obafemi Martins, one of the best forwards to ever play in Major League Soccer. Very few players could ever meet those expectations.

Jordan Morris’ late goal gives Sounders 1-0 win over Vancouver

But even though he had a slow start to the season, Morris has now scored 10 goals in 28 appearances for the Sounders. For your average MLS forward, that’s a respectable (if unspectacular) tally thus far. But considering that the Sounders have struggled to create chances and score goals for most of the season, Morris has been absolutely vital to the team’s sliver of playoff hopes.

Beyond the importance of simply scoring goals, Morris has five game-winners for Seattle. His late goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday showed a maturity in his play and a steeliness to his nerves that wasn’t there at the beginning of the season.

Matched up against a very stout defense that Morris admitted was very difficult to break down, he struggled to convert a number of chances throughout the match. But as the clock dwindled down and Nicolas Lodeiro found the time and space to curl a ball into the box, Morris muscled his way into the defenders and scored with a brilliant diving header to rescue three points – and the possibility of making the playoffs – for the Sounders.

While it’s not as if Morris was particularly good (or bad) prior to the signing of Lodeiro, the Uruguayan was clearly the perfect acquisition for Seattle because he’s the perfect complement to the rookie. Whereas Clint Dempsey and Andreas Ivanschitz often had to tailor their creative styles (or lack thereof) to suit Morris’ game early in the season, Lodeiro’s creativity fits Morris’ skill-set superbly.

Having Lodeiro on the pitch gets the whole team to play to his style – because he’s simply that good. And when things revolve around him, he’s able to create the kind of chances that Morris likes. He puts in the perfectly-timed through balls and over-the-top passes to Morris – who enjoys playing off the shoulder of defenders and running onto such passes – and it clearly pays off.

Morris said that Lodeiro told him before their first match together that he would find him on the pitch. This has only produced three assists so far, but they’ve combined numerous times beyond that and their on-field rapport has improved with every match. Lodeiro even said after the Whitecaps match that he told Morris beforehand that he was going to score. This wasn’t a premonition; it was a promise. Morris notched one of his most impressive goals this season thanks to a curled pass that Lodeiro knew was perfect for him.

I can’t say whether or not the Sounders will make the playoffs this season. A lot of things have to go their way, both in their own matches and in others around the league. What I do know is that Morris and Lodeiro are contracted to Seattle for three more years. If they’re this good after just eight games together, how good will they be after 20 or 30?

If the rest of the team continues to be built around those two and the handful of other core young players, there’s no reason that Seattle shouldn’t contend for silverware in the years to come.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.