Sounders GM rules Morris out for 2018 season with torn ACL

Seattle Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey ruled Jordan Morris out for the entire 2018 MLS season Monday, confirming the 23-year-old suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Thursday's 2-1 loss to Santa Tecla in the CONCACAF Champions League.

The club expects Morris to recover in six-to-nine months, but Lagerwey pointed out to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker that other athletes who have rushed back from an ACL injury have not been quite the same. The GM also admitted he'll be looking for a new forward.

"Part of what we have seen is that guys that come back in that six-month time frame have a much higher rate of re-injury," Lagerwey said. "So, part of what we're looking at here in ruling Jordan out for the season is not what's best for the Sounders in 2018, but what's best for Jordan Morris in terms of his career.”

He added: "We need another top-end forward. And now, where we were looking for maybe somebody who was more of a chance creator, or with more speed, now it does impact how we search for players. Knowing we have a DP spot available, you're probably looking at potentially signing an attacker, with the knowledge that Jordan is going to be out for the year."

The Sounders are not yet aware of the full extent of Morris' injury, Baker reports. The striker's father, Michael Morris, serves as the club's doctor and immediately diagnosed a torn ACL after his son was injured late in the match.

Morris missed the team's entire 2017 MLS Cup run with a muscular injury, and returned to the Sounders' lineup in time for a Champions League bout with El Salvadoran side Santa Tecla. The ACL tear comes as a blow to the Sounders' 2018 cause, as Morris started his Seattle career with 15 goals in 40 matches - though his production dropped in his sophomore season, where he scored just three times in 25 appearances.