Jordan Morris buoys Stanford soccer resurgence, but pros beckon

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On the soccer field, Jordan Morris stands out, and not just because of his bright orange shoes. Thanks to his extraordinary speed and his skills, he’s a fastbreak waiting to happen.

The sophomore forward might even bolt out of Stanford after this season or next. In college soccer, you never know when a star player might leave.

Morris didn’t have a goal or an assist in a recent 4-1 thrashing of UC Santa Barbara. It didn’t matter. The Gauchos paid so much attention to him that it opened the box up for his teammates, who scored three goals in a span of less than five minutes in the first half and added a fourth early in the second half.

“He’s got wonderful pace and power, and coupled with that he’s got the right sort of attitude to life,’’ said third-year head coach Jeremy Gunn, an Englishman who has put Stanford back on the national soccer map. The No. 24 Cardinal (4-1) will try to polish their resume when they host No. 11 Delaware (6-1) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cagan Stadium.

Morris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 9, but he keeps it well under control. “It’s more annoying than anything else,’’ he said.

He missed a game this year because he was among 22 players called into the U.S. men’s national team camp by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann for a friendly against the Czech Republic in Prague. Although Morris didn’t play in the match, he was the first active college player to be summoned to the national team in 15 years.

“We have watched Jordan through our youth national teams and in the Development Academy for the last couple of years, and he is a very promising player,’’ Klinsmann said at the time.

He had also seen Morris during the two weeks that the national team trained at Stanford this summer before going to Brazil for the World Cup. Although what happened during the team’s scrimmage with the Stanford varsity was supposed to be kept confidential, Morris acknowledged he scored a goal.

As Gunn sees it, Morris’ best quality is not his speed but his work ethic. “Without that, all the extra-special attributes move to the wayside,’’ he said. “He’s very humble, and he’s got a wonderful attitude for the game. He loves to train. He loves to work hard. He loves to keep growing as a player.’’

Whether that growth will continue to take place at Stanford is an open question. As good an education as the university offers, it isn’t always enough to keep players on the Farm before they graduate. Midfielder Aaron Kovar, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2012, left after his sophomore year to join the Seattle Sounders FC as what Major League Soccer calls a “homegrown player.’’ But Kovar has played a total of just 25 minutes in three games.

“I think Aaron would have benefited more in his soccer career and more in his life by staying at Stanford — most definitely,’’ Gunn said.

Unlike football and baseball, in which players at four-year colleges can’t turn pro until after their third year, soccer players can leave at any time. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to set up a an agreement with MLS like the one the NCAA has with Major League Baseball. That’s because pro teams in Europe and Latin America wouldn’t be restricted from grabbing players.

For example, New England Revolution striker Charlie Davies left Boston College after his junior year in 2006, not for MLS but to play in the Netherlands.

Seattle already owns Morris’ MLS rights because he played for the Sounders Academy team — scoring 28 goals in 32 games — while attending Mercer Island High School. On top of that, his father is the Sounders’ medical director, and Jordan grew up rooting for them.

“Definitely, one day my goal is to play for them, if that’s ever possible,’’ Morris said.

At the end of the season, or maybe the end of next season, he’ll probably have to weigh the value of embarking on his pro career against continuing his Stanford education. He says he’s not leaning either way right now.

Morris was 15 when he told his mother he wanted to go to Stanford, and he’s glad he got the chance.

“I love it here, and it’s a great team environment,’’ he said. “The schooling is second to none. It’s an amazing opportunity. If I left, I wouldn’t be able to get it back. It’s definitely a tough decision.’’

Gunn’s approach to the idea of underclassmen leaving college may sound self-serving, but he has a point.

“For some individuals I think it’s a good decision,’’ he said. “For individuals attending one of the best universities in the world, if you have the ability to be here, it’s often a very good decision to stay and get a degree because that’s going to set you up for life. Not just because of the degree but for what you learn here.’’

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald

Stanford men’s soccer

Who: No. 11 Delaware (6-1) vs. No. 24 Stanford (4-1)

Where: Cagan Stadium, Stanford

When: Sunday, 1 p.m.

TV: P12BA