Recovered from torn ACL, Aidan Morris has new perspective in pursuit of starting role with Columbus Crew
Aidan Morris’ vision for his second season with the Crew vanished in a snap — really, a “pop, pop.”
Entering the 2021 season, Morris was the central midfielder behind starters Darlington Nagbe and Artur, and was positioned for significant playing time. He set a goal to secure a starting spot as the next step in his development.
The Crew midfielder became an overnight sensation in 2020 when he became the youngest player to ever start in an MLS Cup, at 19 years and 27 days old. Morris was exceptional in place of Nagbe, providing an assist in the Crew’s 3-0 championship win over Seattle Sounders at home. Morris quickly was being thought of as an upcoming star in the league.
But against Nicaraguan club Real Esteli in CONCACAF Champions League, just three days before the start of the MLS season, Morris overran the player in possession of the ball on a dead sprint, caught the stud of his cleat in ground as his body and knee continued to move forward.
Morris stayed down on the sideline for a while before going to the bench. He couldn’t put weight on it. He asked athletic trainer Daniel Givens if it was bad as he thought it was.
An MRI confirmed Morris’ new reality. Torn ACL and some damage to his meniscus in his left knee. Season over.
“I knew it was nothing I ever felt before,” Morris told The Dispatch. “I had big hopes for the season and for it to all kind of crash and burn in a matter of seconds, it's tough.”
In about seven months after Morris suffered the injury on April 15, he was granted full clearance. As preseason begins before the first game of the regular season on Feb. 26, Morris has the same drive and goal as before, but with a new appreciation for what he gets to do professionally.
"This whole injury makes you appreciate how lucky you are in life to be able to run around every day and do what you love,” Morris said. “It kind of opened my eyes up to that and to be grateful for that every day.”
Morris grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and came to Columbus to play for the Crew Academy in 2017. After graduating from New Albany High School, Morris played one year at Indiana and was named Big Ten freshman of the year before signing a homegrown contract with the Crew.
Morris played sparingly in his rookie season, but he got his opportunity when Nagbe tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the MLS Cup final. Following his success in helping the Crew win their first title since 2008, Morris earned two appearances with the U.S. U-20 national team.
It looked like Morris was on the verge of becoming a known quantity in American soccer. To go from such high hopes to suddenly not being able to step onto the field was a dramatic shift for Morris.
“The first month was ridiculous,” he said. “I had no idea what to do with my time, with my mind, with everything.”
At first, Morris did one session at a time but quickly moved to two-a-days. A typical day would consist of Morris doing one rehabilitation session at the Crew’s training facility, spend time around the team, then head to Orthopedic One and work with physical therapist Geoff Omiatek for two to three hours.
"Hands down the best of the best,” Morris said. “He not only became my PT, but he became like a best friend. He found a way to get me motivated every day. There's a time where I didn't want to see anybody. Like, I didn't want to spend time with anybody, except for him.”
Morris said he can’t thank his teammate and roommate Miguel Berry enough for helping him throughout the recovery, especially in the beginning when he needed some assistance getting places. Morris also took advantage of a sports psychologist who helped him find a balance of how to cope with what he was doing in the moment while focusing on the future.
He experienced the normal breakthrough moments of walking, jogging or getting back on the field for the first time. But there were little moments away from the field that gave him confidence that he would soon be back to normal.
“I remember I was in the locker room in the gym and dribbling a basketball around and doing spin moves and stuff,” he said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I feel like I can move again.’"
The recovery was made easier by having so many other injured players working alongside him at the training facility. There were far too many players injured, Morris said, but he built better relationships with them, especially Artur, who also missed almost the whole season with a season-ending hernia injury.
"I love that guy, dude,” Morris said. “It was difficult, but he's such a strong guy, he's a warrior. Every day, no matter what he was doing, he was fighting through everything.”
Morris’ first full training was somewhat unprompted. The season had finished, but the Academy was training. On a whim, in somewhat of a full-circle moment, Morris was back on the field where his career began.
With a new perspective — albeit through the most painful thing he has experienced in his young career — Morris might be in better position to make his goals reality.
"You can’t think of it as something that’s guaranteed every day,” he said. “You have to think of it as something that's so rich and so pure, and something that not everyone gets to do.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew: After torn ACL, Aidan Morris aiming for starting role
