There were 16 players in the top two division of English soccer representing the United States at the national team level. On June 28, Aidan Morris raised the number to 17.
The former Indiana soccer star signed for Middlesbrough FC, a club in the second division of English soccer in the English Football League Championship. The announcement was made official on the club’s X account.
Morris only played one year at Indiana in 2019, but he made the most of his only season donning the cream and crimson. He secured Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first team All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten freshman team honors. At the national level, Morris won Top Drawer Soccer Freshman of the Year and finished on the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men’s Third Team All-America.
After his standout season, Morris returned to the Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew, where he spent two years on the youth academy team. In 2020 and 2023, he was a contributing member of the MLS Cup-winning squads.
In his Crew career, Morris played 83 regular season matches with 67 starts and tallied six goals and 14 assists. His stellar play in 2023 earned him a roster spot on the MLS All-Star squad.
Morris joins Middlesbrough after the side finished eighth in the 2023-24 EFL Championship season. The team was only 4 points behind Norwich City FC in sixth place, the final spot that grants entry to the promotion playoffs with a chance of reaching the English Premier League.
Aug. 10, 2024, marks the first match in which Morris and Middlesbrough will attempt to gain promotion and reach the coveted Premier League for the 2025-26 season.
