Aidan Morris

Not to be confused with Aiden Morris.

Aidan Morris

Morris with Columbus Crew in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Aidan Zen Patrick Morris [1]
Date of birth	(2001-11-16) November 16, 2001 (age 22)
Place of birth	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.77 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Middlesbrough
Number	18
Youth career
2015–2017	Weston FC
2017–2019	Columbus Crew
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019	Indiana Hoosiers	21	(2)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020–2024	Columbus Crew	83	(6)
2022	Columbus Crew 2	3	(0)
2024–	Middlesbrough	5	(0)
International career‡
2018	United States U18	3	(0)
2020	United States U20	2	(0)
2023–2024	United States U23	4	(1)
2023–	United States	7	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 15, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 10, 2024

Aidan Zen Patrick Morris (born November 16, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough and the United States national team.

Youth career

Originally from Florida, Morris played academy soccer for Weston FC, and was recruited to the Columbus Crew Academy, where he played from 2017 to 2019. He attended Indiana University in 2019, where he scored his first collegiate goal on October 1 against Northwestern. ^[2] Morris was recognized as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week twice on October 8 and 29, ^{[3] [4]} and was later named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and won the 2019 TopDrawerSoccer.com National Freshman of the Year Award. After his lone college season, Morris signed as a homegrown player for the Columbus Crew. ^[5]

Professional career

Columbus Crew

2020 season

Morris was announced as a homegrown player signing by the Columbus Crew on January 14, 2020. ^[5] He made his professional debut in a July 11 match during the MLS is Back Tournament, coming on late in a 4–0 trouncing of in-state rival FC Cincinnati. ^[6] He made his second appearance for the Crew on July 16, coming off the bench for an injured Darlington Nagbe in the 67th minute of a 2–0 win against New York Red Bulls. ^[7] He made his first start for the Crew in October 2020. ^[8] Overall, Morris made eleven appearances for the Crew during the 2020 MLS season. ^[9] To cap off the season, on December 12, 2020, he became the youngest player in league history to start in MLS Cup as he helped guide the Crew to a 3–0 win over the Seattle Sounders. ^[10]

2021 season

Morris started the first game of the 2021 season for the Crew, a 4–0 win against Real Estelí in the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions League. Morris again started the second leg against Real Esteli, however, he left the game in the fourth minute of what was a 1–0 victory for Columbus with an ACL injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021 MLS season. ^[11]

Middlesbrough

On June 28, 2024, Morris signed a four-year deal with EFL Championship club Middlesbrough. ^[12] The transfer fee was reported by The Athletic to be in the region of $4 million. ^[13] He made his debut for Middlesbrough against Swansea City on 10 August 2024 in a 1-0 win.

International career

Born in the United States, Morris is of Canadian descent through his father. ^[14] He has made appearances for the United States under-18 and under-20 soccer teams. ^{[15] [16]} He made his senior debut in a 2–1 loss to Serbia on January 25, 2023. ^[17]

In May 2023, Morris was listed on both the United States and Canada preliminary rosters for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. ^[18] In June 2023, he committed to the United States, joining their roster for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. ^[19]

On October 8, 2023, Morris was called up to the United States under-23 national team ahead of friendlies against Mexico and Japan. ^[20]

Style of play

Morris is known for his athleticism and aggressive style of play as a defensive-minded midfielder. Morris possesses great defensive awareness, speed, and tenacity, which make him an excellent asset as a danger-mitigating midfielder. Morris has a high energy level and an impressive work rate, and he is not afraid to tackle or get involved in any part of the field, earning him the reputation as a player with a relentless engine. ^{[21] [22] [23] [24]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played September 15, 2024 ^[9]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Columbus Crew	2020	MLS	10	0	—		—		—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	0	11	0
	2021		0	0	—		—		2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	—		2	0
	2022		27	0	1	0	—		—		—		28	0
	2023		30	4	2	0	—		3 [lower-alpha 5]	0	6 [lower-alpha 3]	0	41	4
	2024		16	2	—		—		6 [lower-alpha 4]	1	—		22	3
	Total		83	6	3	0	—		11	1	7	0	104	7
Columbus Crew 2	2022	MLS Next Pro	3	0	—		—		—		—		3	0
Middlesbrough	2024–25	Championship	5	0	—		2	0	—		0	0	7	0
Career total			91	6	3	0	2	0	11	1	7	0	114	7

1. Includes U.S. Open Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup Playoffs
4. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions Cup
5. Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

As of match played September 10, 2024 ^[25]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States	2023	4	0
	2024	3	0
Total		7	0

Honors

Indiana Hoosiers

• Big Ten men's soccer tournament: 2019 ^[26]

Columbus Crew

• MLS Cup: 2020, 2023

Individual

• Top Drawer Soccer Freshman of the Year: 2019 ^[27]
• MLS All-Star: 2023 ^[28]

References

1. "National team roster – 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals: USA" (PDF). CONCACAF. May 19, 2023. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
2. "No. 8 Hoosiers Earn 3–1 Road Win at Northwestern". Indiana University Athletics.
3. "Morris Crowned Big Ten Player of the Week". Indiana University Athletics.
4. "Morris Collects Third Award of the Week". Indiana University Athletics.
5. "Columbus Crew SC signs Crew SC Academy product Aidan Morris". ColumbusCrew.com. January 14, 2020.
6. @ColumbusCrewSC (July 12, 2020). "Homegrown 🏡 Now in the match: @sebaberhalter & @AidanZMorris #Crew96 | #CINvCLB | 0–4" (Tweet). Retrieved July 12, 2020– via Twitter.
7. "Recap". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
8. "Aidan Morris provides a bright spot during the Crew's recent slump". massivereport.com. Vox Media. October 10, 2020. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
9. "USA – A. Morris – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Soccerway.
10. "Columbus Crew's Aidan Morris youngest ever to start, register assist in MLS Cup". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. December 12, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
11. Myers, Jacob (April 17, 2021). "Crew unfortunate to lose bright, young player Aidan Morris, potentially for the year". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
12. "US International Aidan Morris Joins Boro". Middlesbrough FC. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
13. Bogert, Tom (June 11, 2024). "Middlesbrough agree deal to sign Morris from Columbus Crew". The Athletic. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
14. "USMNT midfielder Morris admits he's considering Canada switch". May 20, 2023.
15. U.S. Soccer (February 2, 2018). "Two Crew SC Academy players called-in to U.S. U-18 Men's National Team | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
16. "New U-20 MNT Head Coach Anthony Hudson Kicks Off 2020 With 24-Player Training Camp, Two Games vs. Mexico". www.ussoccer.com.
17. Vertelney, Seth (January 26, 2023). "Untested USMNT shows promise, inexperience in Serbia defeat". Pro Soccer Wire. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
18. "CONCACAF drops stacked Canada preliminary Nations League roster with some surprise names". Canada Soccer Daily. May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
19. Murphy, Patrick (June 14, 2023). "Crew's Aidan Morris chooses the United States over Canada, following his heart". Massive Report.
20. "Twenty-three Players Called to U.s. Olympic Men's Soccer Team Training Camp as Preparations for Paris 2024 Kick Off in Phoenix". ussoccer.com. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
21. Johnson, Bailey. "'Never an off day': Inside the intense mindset that drives Crew midfielder Aidan Morris". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
22. Chairez, Marcus (February 22, 2022). "MLS 2022 — Top 25 American U21s – Chasing A Cup" . Retrieved May 13, 2023.
23. "Who were the best young-player performers in MLS Matchday 2? | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
24. Johnson, Bailey. "Why Wilfried Nancy wants Aidan Morris to 'be more composed' for the Crew in 2023". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
25. Aidan Morris at National-Football-Teams.com
26. "2019 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament". Big Ten Conference . Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
27. "2019 Men's Division I Postseason Awards | College Soccer". TopDrawerSoccer.com.
28. "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.

External links

• Aidan Morris at Major League Soccer
• Aidan Morris at Columbus Crew
• Aidan Morris at Indiana Hoosiers
• Aidan Morris at Soccerway
• Aidan Morris at FBref.com