Story by
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Minnesota United: Mindfulness methods help Morris Duggan on MLS field
- Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
- Minnesota United: Mindfulness methods help Morris Duggan on MLS field
After Minnesota United training sessions, Anthony Markanich will on occasion join teammate Morris Duggan in kicking off their cleats, sliding off their socks and loitering barefoot on a lush grass field.
The act might seem odd, even a little hippy-trippy. But the concept known as grounding, establishing direct connection with the Earth, can help relieve stress, anxiety and negative thoughts — three things Duggan said hindered the start of his MLS career in Minnesota in 2024.
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Now on game days, Duggan has formed a 20- to 30-minute ritual of breathing exercises, meditation and manifestations to help him get ready for the physical work as a Loons defender. Markanich leaves his friend to do his thing.
"I don't know what he's going to do," Markanich said with a laugh.
Duggan's mindfulness has contributed to the 25-year-old German becoming an ultra-reliable center back in the league.
After a turbulent start in 2024, Duggan played 1,311 minutes across 14 starts (21 total games) under then-coach Eric Ramsay last season. This year, Duggan has established himself as every-game cog for head coach Cameron Knowles. On Saturday, Duggan is expected to break last year's season totals for minutes played and MLS starts against Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field.
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Knowles also allows his 6-foot-4 defender to do his thing.
"There are different ways guys go about their preparation," Knowles said. "There really isn't a wrong or right way. We've got to give guys the latitude to do what they think is good — as long as it helps them perform."
Duggan ranks third in MLS with 7.6 clearances per 90 minutes, and the Loons have been promoting Duggan as one of the club's top candidates for the All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C., on July 29.
Since Loons striker Tani Oluwaseyi's rights were sold for more than $8 million to Spanish club Villarreal last summer, Duggan has emerged in MNUFC's next crop of younger players on the upswing. Others on the short list include midfielders Nectar Triantis and Owen Gene, and left wingback Markanich.
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"(Duggan's) ceiling is high," Knowles said. "He has been very good."
The Loons want to sign Duggan to a new contract as he enters his prime. The 2024 third-round draft pick is currently on a club-option year, with the final club option for 2027. He has played better than his salary, $113,400 guaranteed compensation in 2026, according to the MLS Players Association.
Duggan was born in Munich, grew up a diehard Bayern fan and went to matches at Allianz Arena with his season-ticket-holding best friend. His favorite players were Thomas Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and David Alaba. He regularly follows Bayern games from Minnesota, and Joshua Kimmich is his new favorite player. When former Bayern star James Rodriguez was in Minnesota, Duggan probed the Colombian for information.
So, of course, Duggan holds a dream of playing in Europe.
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"I want to see how far I can go with myself," said Duggan. "But I'm also not trying to push anything … just focusing on my performance and then letting everything (be), trusting in my agent, trusting in the fate that it's gonna work out for me."
Duggan expressed gratitude for the opportunity and support Minnesota has provided him over the last three years, and he said he's "not trying to leave that behind." He would be open to a new contract with the Loons.
Duggan's career began outside the German academy system with his village club Kirchheimer SC. In the U.S., he took a flier from Iowa Lakes Community College before transferring to Marshall in 2022. He was a standout at both collegiate stops.
Despite taking that road less traveled, he now acknowledges he wasn't mentally prepared for the start of his pro career. Being on a one-year contract in 2024 and playing for MNUFC2, the club's developmental team, was considered a setback to him.
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"When I got to Minnesota the first year, you have expectations on yourself … and then you get humbled a little bit," Duggan said. "And you see this is not going to be easy like it's been before.
"You have a one-year contract and you think, 'Oh, I need to get out there and play,' but you're not ready. Obviously, with the second team, you're not happy about that and just kind of overcoming that adversity and just taking all the negativity away."
With help of veterans such as Wil Trapp, Michael Boxall and now Julian Gressel, Duggan was able to release some of the stress. A loan move to Rhode Island in the USL Championship in 2024 helped redirect his trajectory back upward as he had success in the second-tier league.
"Definitely those first few months in Minnesota were difficult. But I'm really thankful for that because that really drove me into kind of getting into that meditation space and … realizing that the brain and your thoughts are really important as a professional."
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Duggan doesn't consider himself a mindfulness guru of any sort, but he has read some books and watched video on the subject. Before breakfast on game days, he will often head to a park for the half-hour session. If the sun is shining, even better. This is one reason he loves the California road trips.
One video of breathing exercises has been particularly helpful for Duggan. "It's actually kind of funny," he said. "It makes your hands tingle and feet tingle. It's a way to really clear out your whole thoughts."
That breathing exercise starts the routine, which continues with some brief meditation and then manifestation. "Just get confidence in yourself and be able to say, 'You can do this,' " Duggan said.
Knowles has noticed other avenues Duggan has taken to improve, including added work with his nutrition and recovery methods. Duggan said he is constantly fine-tuning things that work for him.
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"I think his consistency is a credit to his professionalism," the coach said. "He trains incredibly well every day, takes incredible care of his body, his recovery, his nutrition, all of it. He's really dialed in for a guy who's relatively young in his career."
When captain Boxall was out for eight games because of injury this season, Duggan needed to step up as a leader on the back line and within Knowles' newer system, which calls on center backs to possess and progress the ball more often.
"He has had to take a bit more initiative and, obviously, he has physically got everything you want in that position: good on the ball, great in the air," Boxall said. "He does everything you really want to a really high level. … I can't put a finger on a bad game he has really had. So I think if he keeps pushing that, he has got a long, long career ahead of him."
