SAN ANTONIO -- On a night when the US national team was reveling in their latest 2-0 win over Mexico, an unexpected contributor stepped up to write his name in the legend of the border rivalry.
Jordan Morris, the Stanford University sophomore and Seattle Sounders academy product, made his first start for the USMNT in Wednesday's friendly, and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to start the 20-year-old paid off with his first international goal, which was the winner against El Tri in the 49th minute.
Klinsmann's pride in seeing the youngster make an impression was evident after the game.
“To see a boy like Jordan Morris score his first goal [at this level] -- you jump for joy,” Klinsmann said. “Before the game, I told him to relax, and you saw as the game went on, his nerves settled down.”
Morris overcame his early nerves by scoring when it counted, as in the second half he made a run into the box and pounced on a deflected pass before accelerating and coolly finishing past Mexico goalkeeper Cirilo Saucedo. Despite not yet being a professional, Morris' skills impressed his teammates.
“He’s an athlete,” forward Juan Agudelo, who replaced Morris after 65 minutes and also scored in the match, said to reporters after the match. “He can jump and he is a fast, fast player. Defenders respect his speed.”
To mark his accomplished night, after the game he got a souvenir when US captain Michael Bradley gave him the pennant that had been given to him by Mexico captain Luis Montes before the game.
Perhaps fitting a college student, Morris appeared to show a mix of excitement and nonchalance about receiving the pennant from his teammate.
“I’ll probably just hang it in my room,” Morris said. “It or the jersey is my coolest soccer souvenir.”
In the 64th all-time meeting between the US and Mexico, the future of American soccer appeared to shine brightly, as a number of younger players, including Morris, came together to earn a victory that allowed the Yanks to push their unbeaten streak against Mexico to an unprecedented six games in a row.
Like many USMNT fans, Morris' national team coach was looking forward to the striker's development following an impactful showing against the Americans' big rivals.
“It was an enjoyable game,” Klinsmann said. “You got to see that [Jordan] has a positive path in front of him.”
