First there were goals, now there are accolades for Seattle Sounders FC star Jordan Morris, who has been voted Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire.
The US men's national team forward took home top individual honors for MLS Matchday 5 after netting all four Rave Green goals during Saturday's 4-1 win at Sporting Kansas City.
Just the 16th player in league history to score at least four goals in a game (the last being Daniel Ríos for Charlotte FC during the 2022 season), Morris led Seattle's come-from-behind win at Children's Mercy Park with a ruthless display highlighted by his brilliant partnership with Brazilian winger Léo Chú, who assisted him on all four tallies.
Shortly after the hosts took a 5th-minute lead through Willy Agada, Morris found his touch and never looked back, striking in the 23th, 54th, 69th and 77th minutes to power the blowout.
With Saturday's scoring explosion, the 28-year-old surged atop the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi standings with seven goals in five matches, equaling his total from last season and coming within five of his career-best 12 in 2016. Morris also reached 49 regular-season goals for Seattle, moving into third place all-time for the club by surpassing Clint Dempsey (47). Only Raúl Ruidíaz (59) and Fredy Montero (58) have scored more.
A four-time MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire honoree, Morris becomes the first Sounders player to achieve the feat since Ruidíaz got the nod in Matchday 20 of 2021.
Seattle look to build on their impressive KC showing with another strong performance Saturday evening at the LA Galaxy (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free, FOX).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
