Jordan Morris seizes moment in U.S. soccer's friendly win over Mexico
SAN ANTONIO – That the United States beat Mexico 2-0 on Wednesday night should not necessarily be a surprise. It is a result and a scoreline that has happened often enough in recent years for American supporters to taunt their rival with chants and T-shirts celebrating "dos a cero."
Yet the architect of the first and what turned out to be the game-winning goal in this international friendly at the Alamodome could scarcely have been unlikelier.
Jordan Morris, a 20-year-old forward from Stanford University who has never played a game in Major League Soccer or any other front-line league, made the most of his first start in a U.S. jersey with the critical first strike in the 49th minute. Juan Agudelo, who replaced Morris in the second half, got another in the 72nd minute to give head coach Jurgen Klinsmann his first win in three games.
With respect to Agudelo, who as a teenager was thought to be the future of the American forward line only to see his career stall, the most memorable moment of this night belonged to Morris.
Morris, 20, was due to be back in class in Palo Alto, Calif., 18 hours after his goal. To illustrate to magnitude of his rise, the Stanford practice game he played in last weekend was watched by around 100 people, compared to a 64,369 sellout on Wednesday.
"It hasn't even sunk in yet," Morris said. "I don't even know what class I have got when I go back to school. I can't think straight."
Morris had put in plenty of effort but made little impact in the first 48 minutes and 34 seconds and, truth be told, had looked outmatched against the Mexican defense. Yet so much of being a successful forward is the ability to capitalize on a moment of opportunity at an instant's notice and in that regard he did not waver.
Despite the frustrations of the first half, when his contribution was impinged by bad bounces from a dire field, bad luck, and most likely his own consuming nervousness, Morris' nerve held when it counted most.
His chance came courtesy of a deflected ball from teammate Gyasi Zardes, and Morris did not disappoint, sliding his effort beneath fast-advancing Mexico goalkeeper Cirilo Saucedo before wheeling away in celebration.
"When you see a boy score his first international goal like that you jump for joy," Klinsmann said. "There is a constant kind of positive path with him. Does he need to mature and get stronger? These things will come over time."
This was not the biggest stage imaginable; a friendly game – as international exhibitions are known – can never be thus. However, when the U.S. and Mexico meet at soccer the term "friendly" is a misnomer, with bragging rights as the region's dominant team and a mutual loathing running through any match-up.
For Klinsmann it was a welcome outcome. There are many American fans who despair of the German's constant tinkering and experimentation and would prefer more familiarity, and less fresh blood, with the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifying process less than seven months away.
The wisdom of his approach will be entirely decided by what happens in Russia in the summer of 2018, not on occasions such as these. If nothing else, Morris' strike provided some welcome drama.
Morris had made two previous substitute appearances, becoming the first college player to appear for the men's national team in nearly two decades in the process, but this was undoubtedly the biggest night of his short career.
This U.S. team, with only a few exceptions, is virtually unknown to the wider American public, but Morris is the most unknown of them all. College soccer carries virtually no weight in this country, but Klinsmann had seen and heard enough of the Stanford youngster to give him a shot.
Klinsmann doesn't need public approval for his decisions, but he will gratefully accept the Morris goal, knowing it might just shift some skeptics to his line of thinking. Agudelo's strike put the game to bed, a low effort from the edge of the area following a pass from Michael Bradley.
"It is up to the young guys to step onto the field and make the most of the occasion," Bradley said. "They have the chance to enjoy it, compete, and let their personality come out."
For as those who prefer a heavier helping of superstar with their national team lineup, it is worth bearing in mind that with Landon Donovan retired, Tim Howard on hiatus and Clint Dempsey now 32, maybe the face of the team isn't a face at all, but a blank canvas, waiting for a star to emerge and front it.
One goal doesn't make Morris that man, far from it, and he has much work left to do. But by making what turned out to be the game-winning contribution it was a chance taken, both over the course of the night and in that split second that he will never forget.