Midfielder Aidan Morris has signed a contract extension with the Crew through 2026, the club announced Wednesday.
Morris signed his first contract with the Crew as a homegrown player in January 2020 . According to the most recent MLS salary data , released in October 2022 by the MLS Players Association, Morris earned a base salary of $170,000 last year. His new contract likely comes with a significant raise, though the exact details haven't been made public.
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"Aidan is an exciting young player who has quickly established himself as one of the most talented and hardest working players in MLS," Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. "As someone who developed in our academy system, Aidan truly embodies the values of the Crew, always generous with his time to be available for all our staff and players at the club. While he shares in our ambitions on the pitch, he is equally committed off of it, volunteering in the community and enjoying time with our supporters.
"Securing his long-term future was a priority for the Club, and we are pleased that we were able to reach this multi-year extension as we know Aidan will play a crucial role in our club in 2023 and beyond."
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Morris moved to Columbus to join the Crew Academy in 2017. In his first professional season, he became the youngest player to ever start in an MLS Cup final, a record he still holds.
His upward trajectory was stalled by a torn ACL just before the 2021 season , and last year, he competed with Artur for playing time in central midfield. But in 2023, through the first seven games of the season, Morris has quickly become one of the Crew's standout players and has laid the foundation for a breakout year .
Aidan Morris driven by relentless dedication to improvement for Columbus Crew
Entering the season, Morris had one assist to his name in 37 games for the Crew. As a central midfielder, goals and assists aren't necessarily key facets of his game — his role is more about winning the ball and feeding it to the players further upfield — but he made it clear that he wanted to contribute more in the attack this season.
Morris picked up an assist in the third game of the year at Toronto, then scored his first goal two weeks later against Atlanta United and followed it up with a brace against Real Salt Lake . Among players who have played at least 315 minutes this season — half of the available minutes through seven games — Morris has the third-highest pass completion percentage in the league at 92.3%.
And Morris has stepped up the offensive side of his game without sacrificing the defensive intensity that has become trademark. He leads MLS in tackles won with 21 and leads the Crew in interceptions (14) and blocks (12).
His relentless work rate hasn't gone anywhere, but he's increasingly showing an ability to marry that intensity with technical ability on the ball and contribute consistently in the attack. Still a young player at 21 years old, Morris has begun to take the next step in his development, and the Crew rewarded him for it.
Morris has said that his goal is to play in Europe, and as his profile rises, having him under team control for additional years ensures that if and when a move to Europe materializes, the Crew will be able to secure a transfer fee.
"Beyond blessed to sign my second contract with the Columbus Crew ," Morris said in a statement. "From the staff to all the players I've gotten the opportunity to share the field with, thank you for your constant belief in me. My job here is far from finished."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Aidan Morris signs contract extension with Columbus Crew through 2026
