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TUKWILA, Wash. — In the wake of Jordan Morris’ season-ending ACL tear, Seattle Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey acknowledged Monday the need for Seattle to alter its transfer strategy for 2018. Seattle will search for a new forward to fill the roster gap left by the 23-year-old’s speed.
Until Morris’ injury against Santa Tecla in the CONCACAF Champions League Feb. 22, Lagerwey was content with Seattle’s options at forward.
“We were not focused on signing a fast number nine player because we had Jordan Morris on our team,” Lagerwey said. “We felt that we had a really good mix of forwards. We had a really good goal-scorer in Clint Dempsey, a veteran player. We had in [Will] Bruin a really powerful player, and we had in Morris a very fast player.
“Now we’re going to have to revise our search a little bit. We’re always prepared in that you have lists of players, but this is going to alter our focus. We’re going to have to embark on a slightly different path now knowing that we need to bring in a forward for this year.”
Morris seemed poised for a strong third professional season. A sophomore slump nagged by injuries cut his playing time by 1,000 minutes and slashed his goal production from 12 as a rookie to three in 2017.
The winter transfer window closes May 1, giving Seattle two months to find a striker. Otherwise, it must wait until the summer transfer window opens July 10.
Lagerwey, who has a reputation for patience when searching for players, expressed confidence that the current Sounders squad could still find success while the search for a new fast number nine gets underway.
“If we can find the right deal now by all means we’re going to do it.” Lagerwey said. “Otherwise, because we believe we have a solid foundation and other forwards. We believe that we’re able to wait until the summer window and get through until we can add the right player for us because we view these decisions as three to five-year decisions and not just decisions for the short term.”