Jordan Morris Signs with the Seattle Sounders, the U.S. Soccer World Implodes

It's good to be home! #seattlelove pic.twitter.com/X4mBwkEkMj
— Jordan Morris (@JmoSmooth13) January 21, 2016

Traditionally, young national players have been brutally dragged into the destructive hype machine of U.S. soccer (*cough* Freddy Adu *cough*), and the 21-year-old Jordan Morris is no different.

The debate about whether a young U.S. player should develop his talents in a domestic or foreign league spiked after rumors emerged of Morris signing with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. But on Thursday, Morris officially signed with his hometown Seattle Sounders. Cue USMNT fan base overreaction.

Home is where the heart is. Welcome back, @JmoSmooth13 ! #Soundershttps://t.co/A5EK9ZPSbb
— KICKTV (@KICKTV) January 21, 2016

Gotze at 22: euro u17 winner, 3x bundesliga winner, 2x German cup winner,WC final game winning scorer.Or a senior playing college soccer.
— Sean Monaghan (@SeanMonaghanPDX) July 13, 2014

Morris represents a bit of an anomaly: he's a talented non-professional American who has garnered the attention of a reputable European club, despite falling outside of the typical age range for European youth recruitment. Morris went to the Seattle Sounders FC Youth Academy for a year before signing a letter of intent to play for Stanford University. He was later brought up to play for the USMNT by Jurgen Klinsmann, a coach known for encouraging his players to play abroad. But despite earning the seal of approval from the USMNT German manager, it seems that whatever happened rubbed Werder Bremen coach Thomas Eichin the wrong way.

"We're in a situation now where we need players who fully identify with Werder and the way things are done here, in order for them to focus properly on the task ahead," Eichen said.

Eichin later went on to tell Bild that Morris was "homesick." The Werder Bremen manager's comments are not a good look for American soccer players, who bear a reputation of being soft (*cough* Landon Donovan *cough*).

But despite getting turned down by the more highly-regarded Bundesliga, pundits are saying that the move to the Sounders is solid. Not to mention the fact that reports are stating that it is the richest homegrown player contract in MLS history. Hard to tell what life Morris would have led to in Germany, but maybe a little under-hyped move could be beneficial to the young player.