THE END OF THE 2026 World Cup ushered in a new cycle for U.S. Soccer and a clean slate for all American players. While that presents an opportunity for everyone, Aidan Morris could benefit the most from a fresh start because through the first three months of the European season, he has been among the most consistently impressive midfielders in the broader U.S. national team player pool.

Now in November, Middlesbrough sits atop the Championship table and is seen as a favorite in the promotion race. Morris is the starting central midfielder and serves a very important role where he covers a ton of ground and is frequently on the ball to help in possession. On offense, he gets the ball into the attack. On defense, he helps break up plays before it reaches the backline.

This season, however, Morris has been far more involved offensively. In a recent 5-1 win over Bolton, Morris scored the opening goal off a trailing run into the box. On September 2 against Burnley, Morris scored his first career goal for Middlesbrough with a fantastic shot from distance.

“It's something I knew was lacking in terms of it not being on my stats as you could say, but I always kind of work in that,” Morris said. “I work on everything. This year, I've tried to put myself in better situations to score, just be calmer, and time my runs better. It’s been a combination of things.”

AMERICAN TO AMERICAN GOAL FOR MIDDLESBROUGH ???????? Aidan Morris scores his first Boro goal on his 87th appearance for the club assisted by fellow USMNT player Sebastian Berhalter ???? Watch the EFL Championship on @paramountplus ???? https://t.co/r30R6mB6a6

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 2, 2026

Morris joined Middlesbrough in the summer of 2024 after a successful four and half year run with the Columbus Crew. Since his arrival in England, he has had to adjust to the grueling Championship season where teams play a 46-game schedule along with the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and potentially the promotional playoffs. Top players often push 4000 minutes a season.

Last season ended with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Hull City in the playoff final at Wembley with the decisive goal coming deep in stoppage time. It capped a rollercoaster season for Middlesbrough that included head coach Rob Edwards abruptly leaving midseason with the team sitting second place to take a job with Wolves. Swedish manager Kim Hellberg was hired and did well but ultimately came up short.

“I think losing a final - or losing anything in sports it teaches you things,” Morris said. “It gives you a little bit more of a fire. As a group and as a club, we realize how close we were, and how close we still are. Now it is about how can we grow and get that 1% better? The final was one thing, but I think after January we were in such a good spot. But letting it slip for various reasons - missing some key pieces. But those pieces are here now. It's just time to be consistent. It's such a long season.”

Regardless of whether it was his first manager at Middlesbrough in Michael Carrick, Edwards, or now Hellberg, Morris has always been important to each manager’s plans.

"He has impressed me with the way he’s always brave on the ball and always wants the ball,” Hellberg said. “It doesn’t matter where we play, he’ll never hide from anything. I love that ambition of a player to always be brave. He’s brave in never hiding, always trying to help his friends and always trying to find solutions. Then his pressing ability and his ability to move all over the place connected with always wanting to be brave and playing the ball is a very good combination which suits the way I’m wanting to play."

This season under Hellberg, there is both stability and growth. Part of that growth has involved the addition of three American players in Sebastian Berhalter, Max Arfsten, and Rokas Pukstas.

Morris has a long history with Berhalter and Arfsten as all three were born in 2001 and came up through the Columbus Crew organization. The three are friends off the field. But on the field, the chemistry is there in the same way it was in Ohio.

“It's still serene to me now when I go to my training with my best friends,” Morris said. “I think they’ve both found similar interests to me in the club and they align me with it. There is definitely some chemistry here for sure. I played with Max for close to two years, and then Sebastian and I have been kicking the ball around for a long time.”

The ties to the Crew remain strong. In Columbus, Morris won two MLS Cups, advanced to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup (where Morris scored a pivotal goal against Monterrey in the semifinal), and was named to the all-star team in 2023.

“They shaped me not only as a footballer, but as a man,” Morris said. “I went there when I was 15 in the academy and left when I 22. I spent a lot of my important years in my life and figuring out who I was as a person there. They always had my best interest, and such amazing people, and relationships are good. I hold them very dearly to my heart.”

There is also the question of when or if Morris will return to the U.S. national team. Morris has been called up three times by head coach Mauricio Pochettino and has made three starts: in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador, a 5-1 win over Uruguay, and a 2-0 loss to Portugal.

“I think my motivation is the same whether I get called on the camp or not with the national team,” Morris explained. “It doesn't change for me. I always want to represent my country. I always want to be there. I always want the best for the group. I'd love to always be there helping the country grow and helping the team grow. I feel like if I take care of myself here, I'll be there eventually. If I'm not selected, it just means I got to be better. And that can be a good thing. I'm just going to keep going and keep getting better, and eventually I'll make an impact with the national team.”

Historically, it has been difficult for Morris to make an impact with U.S. teams. COVID cancelled his U-20 World Cup cycle. He was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Gold Cup team due to personal reasons. He was slated to make the 2024 Olympic team but his transfer to Middlesbrough that summer resulted in him not being released.

American Aidan Morris gets @Boro off to a flying start! ???????????? Watch the EFL Championship on @paramountplus???? https://t.co/3IkwCs7ZWq

— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 23, 2026

Morris has a strong desire to play for the U.S. team and that became clear in 2023 when the Canadian national team heavily recruited him as he holds three passports (USA, Canada, and Italy). A native of Ft. Lauderdale, Morris opted to represent the country where he was born and raised even if he knew it would be the harder path.

“It wasn't crazy tough because I knew where my heart lied and which team to represent,” Morris recalled of the decision to play for the U.S. team. “When a country's kind of giving you an opportunity to play in every single camp and be an important player, then it's appealing. But it's only appealing for so long. It looks good on paper, but at the end of the day, I just went with my heart. That was my decision and I mean I wouldn't change it for a thing.”

Competition remains very difficult in central midfield for the U.S. team as Morris must compete with Tyler Adams, Tanner Tessmann, Johnny Cardoso, Weston McKennie, Berhalter, along with potential newer options such as Santiago Castaneda, Brooklyn Raines, and Adri Mehmeti for call-ups.

???????? Kim Hellberg on Aidan Morris: "Aidan has been brilliant. He always wants to learn and likes to play the game in a certain way that he feels suits him. He wants to be on the ball a lot and his confidence rises being in a team that wants to play on the ball. He’s a very good character and very good for the team."

— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) March 10, 2026

But Morris is giving himself a good chance through consistently strong performances and always being in his club’s starting lineup. While he is in a second division, his team is top of the table with the Premier League in sight.

Last May was indeed a tough time for Morris with a loss in the promotion final and not being selected to the World Cup team. But that is also part of the reason why he is now playing his best soccer.

“The way I operate is that there's only one way to go with that,” Morris said. “It doesn't really feel like a gut punch. It just feels like this is fuel, man. This is good stuff here. This is rich stuff that you can't really replicate. You’ve got to use it in the right way. I'm not going to be a victim. I am not going to be like, 'poor me.' I'm not getting better if I have that mentality. It was tough, but I promised myself I'd just keep going, keep getting better. And one day, I'll prove that decision wrong and I'll show my worth.”