Aidan Morris plays final Columbus Crew game before leaving for England: Takeaways
It is as close to official without actually being official. Midfielder Aidan Morris has played his final match for the Crew before signing with England's Middlesbrough FC is official.
Morris' transfer has yet to be announced by either the Crew or Middlesbrough, but Columbus still treated the two-time MLS Cup champion with an official sendoff during it 4-0 win over Sporting Kansas City at Lower.com Field on Saturday.
Before the match kicked off, public address announcer Josh Poland prefaced Morris' starting lineup introduction as the midfielder's "final match in black and gold," and the club followed up the victory with a postgame ceremony honoring Morris.
"I'm just so blessed," Morris said. "The game just encapsulated everything in my last seven years here. The identity of us and the team we like to be and how we like to approach games, it's my identity. My heart is black and gold."
In the seven years Morris spent with the organization, first joining the academy in 2017 and then making his professional debut in 2020, the 22-year-old has helped the Crew win two MLS Cup titles and make their first CONCACAF Champions Cup final and has appeared in over 80 matches. Morris has also worn the captain's armband once.
During Morris' farewell match, the Crew fans in attendance made their appreciation for the homegrown talent known by leading chants for him and giving him a standing ovation once coach Wilfried Nancy took him out of the game in the second half.
"He knew that the club was preparing something," Nancy said. "The family was there and everything. He wanted to finish well in front of the crowd and in front of the fans because it means a lot for him. He's strong mentally because he had a good game. ... He had a lot a pressure and was able to do good."
Aidan Morris has one last goal contribution during Cucho Hernandez hat trick
When Morris exited the match at the 60-minute mark, the Crew had a 2-0 lead behind two of striker Cucho Hernandez's eventual three goals, making it possible for Morris and the team to savor the moment rather than worry how his exiting the game would affect the outcome.
Morris helped the Crew extend their lead with an assist on Hernandez's second goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Morris leaves the club tied for first in assists this season with six, and with six goals and 15 assists overall during his Crew career, putting him at 21 goal contributions.
"It was a special night for him," Hernandez said. "I think he is, and he was, very important for this club. I am so glad for him, wish him the best, he deserves this."
'There's so many emotions': Wilfried Nancy's final pregame discussion with Aidan Morris
Morris has had two coaches in Columbus − Caleb Porter and Nancy, who took over at to start the 2023 season.
In the time that Morris played under Nancy, the Crew coach never shied away from speaking to the midfielder about how intense he can be, both physically and mentally. When he spoke with Morris before Saturday's game, Nancy wanted to ensure Morris was ready for both the match and the next step in his young career.
"He likes to have advice," Nancy said. "I like also when I can help people. I come from Europe, so I know exactly what he's going to face, and he's really excited by that. We had a discussion to know what he needs to improve and what he does well already. Also, (we talked about) just enjoying it. I put my coach hat to the side and we had a personal discussion."
Morris said he appreciated having Nancy check in on him one last time.
"When there's so many emotions, it's tough," Morris said. "You know everything you do is going to be your last time doing it. So, he (Nancy) asked me if I was going to be already to play tonight and I said, 'Hey, these are the nights I live for.' "
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Aidan Morris plays in his final Columbus Crew match: Takeaways
