In the summer of 2023, Aidan Morris had to make a choice.
The Concacaf Gold Cup was approaching, and he was on the preliminary roster for both Canada and the United States. The USA had what seemed to be a deep midfield with established players such as Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie, and the emerging Johnny Cardoso and Tanner Tessmann. Canada, meanwhile, was rebuilding with many roster spots up for grabs as it prepared to co-host the 2026 World Cup.
No one would have blamed Morris, a native of Florida, if he decided to go with Canada, with which he holds citizenship through his parents. At the time, it seemed like his most promising path towards playing in a World Cup.
But Morris didn’t make the decision based on what country offered him the best shot at playing in a World Cup. Instead, he made his decision based on what country he dreamt of playing for the most. That led him to pick the United States.
“I just went with my heart and my heart lies in the U.S,” Morris said of the decision. “That will probably be more of a difficult journey and a process, but for who I am and how I represent myself, I am not going to shy away from a journey or a little bit harder of one, because I think that’s what shapes a man and brings out the best.”
International soccer hasn’t been easy for Morris, mostly due to circumstances beyond his control. The COVID-pandemic canceled the 2021 U-20 cycle that would have included Morris. In 2023, after he decided to play for the United States, he was forced to withdraw from the Gold Cup due to personal reasons after the second game.
Most recently, the 22-year-old was not released to play for the U.S. Olympic team at the 2024 Paris Games after transferring from the Columbus Crew to Middlesbrough in England. He had been playing with the team consistently for the year leading up to the Olympics.
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” Morris said of missing the Olympics this summer. “As an American, it’s always your dream to play in the Olympics. But I think in what we do, sometimes we sacrifice. In leaving Columbus, I had to sacrifice the comfort and the friends and the family. I think that’s similar to the Olympics. I had to sacrifice that to chase my dreams in Europe. Maybe next time I could be that overage player. That’d be cool [laughs].”
For many reasons, things are now different for Morris.
First, Morris is in the middle of a great year. After the Gold Cup, he became one of the Crew’s best players as it won MLS Cup. Then in 2024, Columbus continued to play well both in Concacaf and in MLS. The club enjoyed a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final, advancing with second leg wins away against Tigres and Monterrey.
Aidan Morris won MLS Cups with the Columbus Crew in 2020 and 2023. (Photo: Columbus Crew)
In June, Morris sealed a transfer to English second-tier Middlesbrough, which has high expectations to be in EFL Championship race for promotion to the Premier League.
Morris arrived with a purpose and adjusted quickly. He has started each of the team’s first four games while earning very positive reviews.
“When you’re at a big club like that, especially Middlesbrough, there’s always going to be pressure to perform,” Morris said. “Right now, we are in a position where we need to get promoted, and then when we get to the Premier League, there’s going to be a pressure of staying in the Premier League to do well. There’s always going to be pressure. At big clubs like that and we have big players, it kind of brings out the best in us. A lot of us are in the positions we are in now because we thrive on pressure. It makes us perform a little bit better.”
Morris credits Columbus and its head coach, Wilfried Nancy, for helping prepare him for the transition into the Championship.
“Wilfried and his entire staff were so good with me in my time there in Columbus,” Morris said of Columbus. “And they constantly pushed me to grow and put me in uncomfortable positions to force me to grow. With that, the play over there was moving at 1,000 mph and I was playing in a style where I was able to control the presses, and go into hostile environments, especially in Concacaf, and be able to play our style.”
“Going into the Championship, it’s been kind of a smooth transition because of that,” he added. “The Championship’s a very chaotic league where everyone’s running 1000mph, tackling. Being able to feel calm and composed through it all is a big kudos to Wilfried and the staff. And Michael Carrick and all the guys over there have been great.”
Morris’ central midfielder role at Middlesbrough is similar to his task at Columbus but not identical. Carrick has given him a little more freedom to roam and find ways to influence the game. With Columbus, he was partnered with playmaker Darlington Nagbe in the middle.
Aidan Morris. (Columbus Crew Photo)
“It’s never going to be exactly the same,” Morris explained. “Wilfred was probably a bit more, I guess you can say, detailed, with what he wanted me to do — being in certain positions at certain times. He wanted me to dictate the play. That’s the same over there, but just probably a little less detailed, more free and just able to roam around and get on the ball.”
The situation for Morris and the U.S. national team midfield is also different than when he made his U.S. debut in January 2023.
The midfield isn’t as settled as many figured it would be. Adams is injured again. Luca de la Torre is in a murky club situation that jeopardizes his minutes. The same can be said of Gio Reyna. McKennie had a poor Copa America and while he eventually signed a new deal with Juventus, his minutes are also tough to forecast.
Promising players like Tessmann, Cardoso, and other Olympians like Jack McGlynn and Gianluca Busio still do not have a firm grip on U.S. roster spots.
When you combine the unsettled pool with the fact that the U.S. team is in the middle of a coaching change, with the heavy favorite being Mauricio Pochettino taking the job soon, Morris has found the perfect time to be playing well. Of all the team’s midfielders on the roster, he arguably has the most momentum.
So far, his first week has worked out well.
“You can tell with this group that they know each other so well with soccer and just life in general,” Morris said of the first week of camp. “I haven’t been around these guys a lot. So it’s just about building relationships with them and letting them know the type of player I am — and also figuring out them a bit. It’s been really cool getting to meet new people, hear about everyone’s stories, and seeing their level in person has been cool. There’s so much talent out there. In terms of the guys, they’ve all been great.”
“I don’t think I was surprised,” added about receiving the news of his call-up. “I always feel like I put myself in the best opportunity. I’m glad that they noticed that. I appreciate Mikey believing in me.”
The stage is teed up nicely for Morris. The first step could come Saturday afternoon against a Canadian team that made an aggressive push to add him into their player pool just a year ago. Morris insists that turning down Canada will give him no extra motivation, but instead he is happy that their program is doing well.
“Growing up, half of my family was Canadian,” Morris said of Canada. “I used to watch the Winter Olympics, watch hockey, and support Canada. It was a tough decision for me, but I went with my heart. It’s been super cool to see the growth of Canadian soccer over the past few years. It’s cool that there’s an unspoken rivalry with both these teams. So, I think it should be a fun game. Both of us are talented teams.”
Then on Tuesday, the U.S. team will host New Zealand in Cincinnati, giving Morris an opportunity to return to Ohio, where he blossomed as a player across the state in Columbus.
“It’s tough, especially when you’ve been there for seven years and all your friends and family are there,” Morris said of his time in Ohio with Columbus. “Especially with Wilfried and the staff and my best friends like Darlington and leaving that environment was never easy. But people who know me know I’ll step outside my comfort zone to see new things and force myself to grow to set myself up for opportunities like this.
“Going back to Cincinnati, I’m excited. I have a lot of hotel visits coming and hopefully I’ll pop back to Columbus for a night or half a day after.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 09:47:00
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