COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC today announced that it has signed Crew SC Academy product and Indiana University midfielder Aidan Morris as a Homegrown Player. Morris was named the 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and previously joined the Crew SC First Team during preseason camp in 2019.
"We are excited to announce that Aidan will be joining the Crew SC First Team after a very successful season with the Indiana Hoosiers,” said President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Aidan’s success at the collegiate level speaks to the great work being done by our Academy’s technical staff and we are glad that Aidan will remain a member of our Crew family. We believe that, had Aidan been in the MLS SuperDraft this year, he would have been one of the top three picks in the First Round.”
Morris made 22 appearances (21 starts) for the Indiana Hoosiers, while scoring two goals and providing a team-leading eight assists in 2019. In his lone year with the Hoosiers, the midfielder helped the team win the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament while receiving the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and being Top Drawer Soccer's highest-ranked freshman in the nation. Additionally, Morris was named to the following Best XIs: the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men’s Third Team All-America; the First Team 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA D1 Men’s All-North Region; the First Team All-Big Ten; the All-Big Ten Freshman Team; the All-Big Ten Tournament Team; and the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team.
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Prior to his time in Bloomington, Morris played for the Crew SC Academy from 2017-2019, featuring for the Under-16/17 and U-18/19 squads. The midfielder was a member of the Crew SC Academy squad that finished third at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-19 tournament for the 2017-2018 season. In all, Morris made 42 appearances (39 starts) for Crew SC Academy, scoring eight goals. The midfielder joined the Crew SC First Team during its preseason camp in 2019, starting in a 2-1 victory over the Charleston Battery on February 21 in a Carolina Challenge Cup match. That same year, Morris was named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Boys Best XI for the Central Region.
At the international level, Morris was recently named to the 24-player roster for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team January Camp. The midfielder has also previously featured for the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team.
Crew SC’s 2020 MLS preseason training begins on January 20 in Chula Vista, California, following entrance physicals and testing. From there, the club departs to Cancun, Mexico on January 29 before traveling to Tucson, Arizona on February 10 to participate in the 2020 Visit Tucson Sun Cup.
The Black & Gold begin the 2020 MLS regular season at MAPFRE Stadium against New York City FC, on Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET. Tickets to all matches on the Crew SC home schedule are available now online at ColumbusCrewSC.com or via phone. For access to purchasing FC Cincinnati tickets, call 614-447-CREW. Local broadcast and promotional schedule information will be released at a later date.
With the addition of Morris, Crew SC's current 2020 roster – listed alphabetically below – now stands at 24 players. Crew 2020 MLS SuperDraft selections Miguel Berry, Remi Prieur and Danny Griffin will join the team in preseason as unsigned.
Goalkeepers (3): Jon Kempin, Matt Lampson, Eloy Room
Defenders (9): Harrison Afful, Chris Cadden, Waylon Francis, Aboubacar Keita, Jonathan Mensah, Axel Sjoberg, Milton Valenzuela, Josh Williams, Vito Wormgoor
Midfielders (9): Artur, Luis Diaz, Hector Jimenez, Youness Mokhtar, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Pedro Santos, Wil Trapp, Lucas Zelarayan
Forwards (3): Jordan Hamilton, JJ Williams, Gyasi Zardes
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew SC signs midfielder and Crew SC Academy product Aidan Morris as a Homegrown Player on January 14, 2020.
Name: Aidan Morris
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 158
Born: November 16, 2001 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Citizenship: United States
Acquired: Signed as a Homegrown Player on January 14, 2020.
Previous Experience: Indiana Hoosiers (2019)
