TUKWILA – In case you were wondering, Jordan Morris has no regrets.
The Mercer Island native who decided to forgo opportunities to play for some of the best soccer clubs in Europe in favor of suiting up for the Seattle Sounders said walking out of the tunnel at CenturyLink field for the first time solidified that he’d made the right decision.
“I’ve been in the stands so many times, so I kind of knew the atmosphere a little bit, but it’s different on the field,” Morris said in an interview with Q13 FOX at Starfire Sports this week. “It’s exciting to be out in front of 40, 45,000 fans and friends and family.”
Morris, 21, was awarded the Hermann Trophy in January as the best player in NCAA soccer after three stellar seasons playing for Stanford. After much speculation that he’d sign with a club abroad, he instead signed with the Sounders on Feb. 21.
"It was surreal," Morris said. "Walking out of the tunnel it was pretty crazy, just looking around I saw my family in the crowd and it was pretty cool.
“I’m a family guy, a family man so it’s fun to be able to play in front of them, play in front of my friends in my hometown. So I’m really happy with my decision.”
He isn’t kidding about being a big family man – Morris decided to live with his parents when he settled in Seattle. He said he’ll spend what free time he has this summer taking his dogs on hikes – he’s also big on his dogs – and working with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Morris was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 9.
“I’m going to look to maybe get involved at (Seattle Children’s Hospital) in the diabetic area, go and talk to kids, stuff like that,” he said.
The Sounders play at Real Salt Lake on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on JOEtv.