Wednesday, Apr 12, 2023
COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew has signed Homegrown midfielder Aidan Morris to a multi-year contract extension through the 2026 season, the club announced today. The 21-year-old Crew Academy product and 2020 MLS Cup champion is currently in his fourth season with the Black & Gold.
“We are thrilled that Aidan will remain a part of the Black & Gold for years to come,” said Columbus Crew President & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Aidan is an exciting young player who has quickly established himself as one of the most talented and hardest working players in MLS. As someone who developed in our Academy system, Aidan truly embodies the values of the Crew, always generous with his time to be available for all our staff and players at the Club. While he shares in our ambitions on the pitch, he is equally committed off of it, volunteering in the community and enjoying time with our supporters. Securing his long-term future was a priority for the Club, and we are pleased that we were able to reach this multi-year extension as we know Aidan will play a crucial role in our club in 2023 and beyond.
“Beyond blessed to sign my second contract with the Columbus Crew,” said Crew midfielder Aidan Morris. “From the staff to all the players I’ve gotten the opportunity to share the field with, thank you for your constant belief in me. My job here is far from finished. With that being said, the goal won’t change. I will always strive to achieve much more and to reward our amazing fans for their constant support! Thank you, Columbus.”
Morris has started all seven of the Crew’s matches to start the 2023 campaign. He scored his first career MLS goal on March 25, the first in the team’s 6-1 victory over Atlanta United. The following match, he tallied a brace in the Crew’s 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake on April 1. His three goals are tied for ninth in MLS and tied for second on the club (forward Lucas Zelarayán, four). At Toronto FC on March 11, Morris found defender Jimmy Medranda on a through ball in the 75th minute to level the score, 1-1, as the Black & Goal secured a point on the road.
A U.S. Youth International, Morris earned his first senior cap earlier this year, starting for the USMNT and playing all 90 minutes in an international friendly against Serbia on Jan. 25, 2023.
The 21-year old signed a Homegrown contract with the Crew on Jan. 14, 2020. He made his MLS debut on July 11, 2020, entering in the 77th minute of a 4-0 victory over FC Cincinnati. In his rookie season, he appeared in 10 games (two starts). After being an unused substitute for the Crew’s first three matches of the postseason run, Morris became the youngest player in league history to start an MLS Cup at the age of 19-years and 27-days old. He went the full 90 minutes as the Crew secured the MLS Cup with a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders, the largest margin of victory in MLS Cup history.
After missing the entirety of the 2021 season with a knee injury, Morris made his return to action in the 69th minute of the Crew’s 4-0 season opening victory on Feb. 26 and appeared in 27 total league matches in 2022. Following the conclusion of the season, he was named the recipient of the Kirk Urso Heart Award, becoming the ninth player to receive the award after Urso was posthumously honored in the accolade’s inaugural year in 2012. The Homegrown midfielder was chosen as the player who best exemplified the qualities in a teammate and became “the heart” in the Black & Gold locker room.
Hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Morris featured for the Columbus Crew Academy from 2017-19 with the Under-16/17 and U-18/19 squads. The midfielder was a member of the Crew Academy team that finished third at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-19 tournament for the 2017-18 season. Morris totaled 42 appearances (39 starts) for the Crew Academy, scoring eight goals.
At Indiana University in 2019, Morris made 22 appearances (21 starts) for the Hoosiers, scoring two goals and posting a team-best eight assists. Contributing to the club’s Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament championship, Morris earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and was Top Drawer Soccer’s highest-ranked freshman in the nation.
The Crew returns to Lower.com Field and hosts the New England Revolution on Saturday, April 15 [7:30 p.m. ET / MLS Season Pass on Apple TV / 97.1 The Fan (English); La Mega 103.1 FM (Spanish)]. Tickets to the “Back to the 90s” match, presented by Pepsi, are available here. Pregame festivities will include a roller rink on the Community Plaza, while fans will enjoy nostalgic elements throughout the match that pay homage to the final decade of the last century.
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew signs Homegrown midfielder Aidan Morris to a multi-year contract extension through the 2026 season.
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