“So much culture, so much tradition”: Middlesbrough’s American midfielder Aidan Morris on making the switch from Ohio to Teeside
Young American midfielder Aidan Morris arrived at Middlesbrough from the Columbus Crew this summer determined to make the jump from playing in the MLS to the Championship look seamless. He opened up on how his first few weeks on Teesside have been under Michael Carrick. Daniel Wales with the interview.
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00:00Yeah, it's a massive, you know, even on a day like this, the energy and the atmosphere
00:06is it's amazing.
00:07Yeah, I'm still getting used to it all.
00:10You know, it's three games in.
00:11So yeah, I'm sure it'll be a lot more fun, a lot more passionate and so much culture,
00:16so much tradition.
00:17You know, I think that's the easy way to put his tradition.
00:21And yeah, I think it's that's a bit more pressure to our jobs, you know, and we got to perform
00:25and make these people happy and make this a special place.
00:28So so yeah.
00:30The transition from the MLS to the championship is a jump that some players may find challenging,
00:35but it is one that Morris has been relishing since he arrived at the Riverside and started
00:40playing.
00:41Yeah, my team in Columbus, they were a special team, a great team.
00:45I mean, I think they would compete in this league, but you know, I think they'd set me
00:49up for this and set me up for the speed of play and everything and coaches back home.
00:52So so yeah, no, it's physical and it's consistent, man.
00:57Every game's the same physicality, everything.
00:58So I think that's cool, you know, every team, no matter if they're Derby or Leeds, they'll
01:03bring the energy.
01:04So yeah.
01:05Under Michael Carrick, Morris is playing for a head coach who has won everything there
01:10is to win in England as a player.
01:13Learning from Carrick will be vital in the young midfielder's development at Borough.
01:18Yeah, it's early days, but just try to be a sponge and take it all in and learn as much
01:23as I can.
01:25I think now he's just kind of let me figure it out for myself.
01:29You know, it's early.
01:30I've been kind of just put into it and three games in a row and it hasn't been easy.
01:34But, you know, I think more of the learning stuff will come in a little bit.
01:37But I think he want me to settle in and find myself a bit.
01:41This season, Middlesbrough have started with a win, a loss and a draw in the championship.
01:46Morris answered whether he thought the start of the campaign had been positive enough for
01:50Borough to build on going forward.
01:54Yeah, no, I think so.
01:57I think last game, you know, it kind of was a great learning experience and it's important
02:01to have those things, especially early in the season, you know, be able to.
02:05I think the biggest thing with championship teams is the consistency with it.
02:09You know, being able to play three games in a week and have success in every one of them
02:12is not easy, but I think that's what separates good versus great.
02:15So I think us as players, we know we got to we know we got to do and we'll continue to
02:19raise and learn from these things.
02:22Borough were last in the Premier League in 2017.
02:25And even to a newcomer like Morris, it is clear that the club aspires to return there.
02:30Morris was adamant that they will take things one step at a time, though, this season.
02:35Yeah, I think everyone knows what our goal is.
02:37You know, I think at this club stand, so I think we know what we got to do.
02:41I think with that, let's not get carried away with just like the overall present, you know,
02:46and just focus on game by game and the rest will come, you know, and just play good football
02:49and and that leads to wins.
02:51You know, sometimes it might not, but as long as we stick to who we are and our principles,
02:54you know, and end up with us being in that promotion.