ASN: Morris and Agudelo Share Highlight in San Antonio

Jordan Morris, 20, and Juan Agudelo, 22, took very completely different paths to final evening’s match towards Mexico on the Alamodome. However each strikers shared a sense of pleasure after contributing objectives within the 2-0 win.

BY

Brooke Tunstall

Posted
April 16, 2015
12:55 PM

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SAN ANTONIO—It was an entire workforce win nevertheless it’s not each day two completely different gamers of their early 20s rating for america nationwide workforce. 

So regardless of a sturdy effort by the backline, 90 minutes of soiled work from Gyasi Zardes, and one of many higher midfield performances in current reminiscence, all eyes—and microphones, tape recorders, and cameras—after the U.S.’s 2-0 win over Mexico have been on goal-scorers Jordan Morris and Juan Agudelo. 

Each gamers have prodigal expertise and each took uncommon paths to reach on the Alamodome final evening. 

Morris, a 20-year-old Stanford sophomore, famously turned down professional soccer to proceed his schooling. However due to his tempo, power, and ending capability he continues to earn call-ups to the U.S. senior workforce, one thing no different faculty participant has executed in 20 years. 

Morris can be a stalwart for U.S. youth nationwide groups, a task that Agudelo as soon as performed. Nonetheless simply 22, the Colombian-American striker scored in his senior workforce debut at age 17 in 2010 and performed for the U.S. 14 occasions as an 18-year-old in 2011. 

However due to accidents and an unsettled membership state of affairs, previous to final evening he had solely earned three caps within the three-and-a-half years since then. So his game-sealing objective wasn’t with out its share of emotion. 

“I was really thankful,” stated Agudelo, who regarded skyward throughout his objective celebration. “It’s the same feeling I had when I scored my first (national team) goal in South Africa (in 2010).”

Agudelo stated the objective meant rather a lot due to his journey but in addition as a result of it helped the workforce safe a win towards its archrival.

“It means a lot to me,” he stated. “First of all, it meant a lot for this game because it [reduced] the stress on our defenders to maybe give up a goal to tie the game, now we have a bit of a cushion.”

Agudelo’s potential has by no means been unsure, even when reaching it was generally a query mark. His teammates are hoping the run of fine type he’s on with New England and yesterday’s objective will spark a return to assembly the expectations that include his expertise. 

“Juan, obviously, has had a little bit of a tough stretch but he’s a talented guy,” captain Michael Bradley stated, shaking his head in awe as he referenced the expertise. “This is a kid who has something a little bit different. So for both of those guys to get goals, we’re all happy to see that.”

Whereas Agudelo’s response to scoring expressed the enjoyment of finishing an arduous trek, Morris’ was extra the sort of euphoria of lottery winner.

“It was a dream come true,” he stated. “I think I kind of blacked out.”

He does keep in mind scoring, taking a deflected go from strike associate Gyasi Zardes. “I made a diagonal run and then the ball just popped up.”

Morris’s state of affairs is exclusive amongst fashionable American soccer in that he turned down a homegrown supply from the Seattle Sounders so he may return to Palo Alto for his junior season. And he’s nonetheless “100% dedicated to that,” he stated. “We’ll see where it goes after this year.”

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann stated Morris has proven progress in every camp and with Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey unavailable, he performed a hunch.

“You say, ‘Why not give him a chance?’ He trained very well. We see his improvement. When Jordan was doing his shooting before the game, he was pretty much missing everything. I told him, ‘Just relax.’ And you saw as the game went on his nerves settled down,” Klinsmann said. “To see a boy like Morris rating his first worldwide objective, you bounce for pleasure.”

A wholesome and productive Agudelo and an rising Morris makes the U.S. ahead core deeper, however the workforce nonetheless expects to depend on its horses going ahead.

“We still miss Jozy, still miss Clint,” stated Bradley. “I’m not gonna pretend we don’t. Those guys are very important parts of the team. On the field, off the field. And I’m looking forward to getting them back.”