What a difference six months can make.

How will he handle the hype? That was the big question facing forward Jordan Morris after he signed a Homegrown contact with the Seattle Sounders in January. Now, thanks in large part to his sterling work down the stretch run of the season, Morris is not just the 2016 MLS Rookie of the Year – he's the menacing spearhead of a Sounders side that has reached the MLS Cup final for the first time in club history.

From raw rook to clutch, flu-defying playoffs protagonist, it's been quite a ride for "J-Mo," and it's not over just yet.

The young US national teamer had sizeable expectations placed on his rookie campaign when he chose Seattle over German club Werder Bremen. Plenty of folks predicted the Stanford University product would rack up gaudy numbers in his first season a pro. Things didn’t quite start so well, however. Morris failed to score in his first five matches as the Sounders got off to a 1-3-1 start.

This edition of MLS Insider, originally released on June 23, looks at the start of Morris’ Sounders career, exploring the pressures he's faced and how he moved past the early jitters. Check it out to learn more about how Seattle's Homegrown hero got to where he is.