Aidan Morris playing through injury as Columbus Crew head toward Champions Cup final
Brianna Mac Kay
Aidan Morris struggles to recall a time when he played soccer without feeling any pain.
This season, the midfielder has played in every Crew match expect two, and one of those missed appearances was due to a red-card violation in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals against Tigres, disqualifying him for the second leg of that series.
In the same game he received his red card, Morris suffered injuries that he is currently playing through.
"I twisted my ankle and my knee at the same time, and it's kind of been constant maintenance work since then," Morris said. "And then, at the end of Monterrey game, I got kicked again and it kind of re-flared up."
Following Morris' reaggravating of his injuries in the Crew's 3-1 victory against Monterrey on May 1, he and the coaching staff have been working to help him recover without forcing him to miss any playing time. It is a difficult task considering he is the most-fouled Columbus player in MLS play with 29 fouls suffered.
Morris was given over a week after the Monterrey match to recover during the Crew's MLS bye week. Going from limited to full training leading up to FC Cincinnati game, Morris was still pulled from the crucial match with 20 minutes left.
"Aidan was not at 100%," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy explained after.
Since then, Morris has continued to manage the injury through soft tissue massage and electrical stimulation therapy, among other methods suggested by Crew assistant athletic trainer Catherine Hill.
The Crew have avoided major injuries outside of a forearm injury to goalkeeper Evan Bush that has kept him sidelined for more than a month.
"Credit to the players," Nancy said. "They know they would have many games to play and they take care of themselves, not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch. And this is a mix of everything."
Nancy has made an effort to rotate Morris out of games if necessary. So, while he was able to play the full 90 minutes against CF Montreal and Orlando City SC, Morris was pulled at halftime against Chicago.
In the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, Morris is expected to be one of the Crew's key contributors. Morris has factored into three of the Crew's nine goals in the tournament, with one goal and two assists despite missing the second leg of the quarterfinal.
Morris, 22, has become one of the Crew's longest-tenured players, helping the club win two MLS Cup trophies in four seasons. And he is doing everything he can to ensure he is on the field if Columbus raises another trophy, one it has never won before.
The Crew face CF Pachuca in the Champions Cup final on June 1.
"I always want to be out there," Morris said. "I've always wanted the chance to help the team and win. And for myself, to grow and get better and have success on the field."