SEATTLE ā A shift in role for Jordan Morris keyed the Seattle Soundersā 3-0 thrashing of FC Dallas in their Western Conference semifinal opener at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.
After deploying the rookie striker centrally as the lone forward at the top of Seattleās 4-2-3-1 formation for much of the latter part of the regular season, Sounders interim head coach Brian Schmetzer opted to start veteran Nelson Valdez in that role on Sunday, moving Morris to the left wing.
Morris didnāt score a goal. but the 22-year-old could make a credible case for being the best player on the field, using his dynamic pace and explosiveness to create multiple opportunities and tally the assist on Seattleās second goal ā a tap-in from midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro that gave the Sounders a 2-0 lead in the 55th minute.
āI liked it,ā Morris said of the role change after the game. āI was playing a little out of position and staying a little bit higher. I like it out there because thereās a little more space. You can get the ball and run at people.
āNelson is a more of a forward that likes to have his back to goal. Thatās not me as much. So he does really well holding the ball out there, and it was good to get some space out wide and try and take some people on and create some stuff.ā
Schmetzer noted Morrisā adaptation to the role after the game, saying he was pleased with how he executed the different responsibilities that came with it.
āHeās a smart kid,ā Schmetzer said. āWent to Stanford. He understood the tactical responsibilities that we gave him tonight and executed them very well. I was very happy to see him going at guys, picking out balls.
āI thought he was very, very good. Tactically, very sound.ā
Playing out wide isnāt an entirely foreign concept to Morris, who was deployed there to mixed results at points earlier in the season.
But if Sundayās match ends up being any sort of breakthrough, the Soundersā attack could become that much more dangerous as they look to parlay their recent momentum into a run at the franchiseās first-ever MLS Cup.
āWhen Iām playing out wide, itās different,ā Morris said. āYou can get the ball and take people on more. You canāt necessarily do that when youāre playing center forward by yourself up there. Having Nelson up there kind of occupies the center backs and lets me be a little bit wider and have the one-on-one situations. I think it was good.ā