When Aidan Morris received a call to join the United States Men’s National Team camp in January and subsequently made his debut starting against Serbia later that month, many believed that the Columbus Crew midfielder was set for future call-ups. After all, Morris, 21, had previously represented the United States at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels, demonstrating his readiness to play for the senior team.

However, when the preliminary rosters for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League were released in May, Morris was listed as an option for both the U.S. and their neighboring rivals, Canada. What many fans didn’t realize was that Morris, despite being born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was a dual citizen through his father. At that point, he wasn’t tied to either nation as he had only played in two friendlies for the United States, none of which were competitive matches.

This situation required Morris to make a decision on whether he would represent the United States or Canada.

Regarding this choice, Morris stated, “I think, from an outside point of view, you look at the depth charts and you can kind of see the difference. But a lot of respect to Canada. They’ve been amazing with me. I’ve had amazing conversations with (head coach John Herdman), he’s an awesome game, and the whole entire staff. And even a lot of the players reached out to me. And I can’t give a big enough thanks to all of those people involved in that and the whole entire Canadian Soccer Federation.”

Earlier this week, the USMNT roster for the 2023 Gold Cup was announced, and Morris’ name was included, indicating that he had made up his mind regarding which national team to play for. However, the decision was not an easy one for Morris, who referred to it as “a long process.” He had to consider the impact of choosing either side. Opting to play for Canada would likely offer a clearer path to regular playing time at the international level since the United States already had a number of young midfielders who had played significant games for their country, with many of them plying their trade in top European leagues.

Morris is currently in his fourth professional season in Major League Soccer after signing a Homegrown contract with the Crew in 2020. Having played in 27 matches last year, he has become a regular starter for the team this season under head coach Wilfried Nancy and leads the Black & Gold in minutes played at 1,499.

Because he aspires to play overseas in the future, competing with the likes of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah — the midfield trio that started all four of the USMNT’s matches at the World Cup last year — for a spot on the field for the Americans didn’t intimidate Morris. However, it was more than the desire to fight for a spot that led Morris to ultimately choose the United States over Canada.

“I think it’s simple; it’s just where my heart was at and where I landed. And talking to my family and everything, it just felt like that’s where I needed to be,” Morris explained.

“I knew the U.S. was going to be more of a process, a long-term process, and that’s just who I am. That’s just kind of what I feel familiar with is working toward something and growing into something. So I felt like that was more familiar with me.”

Currently, Canada has a more stable setup in place. John Herdman has been the head coach since 2018 and had previously served as the women’s head coach for eight years. On the other hand, the USMNT has been operating with an interim head coach since stepping away from Gregg Berhalter away after the World Cup. B.J. Callaghan is currently serving as the interim head coach after Anthony Hudson’s departure in late May.

While Morris will be working under Callaghan at the Gold Cup, his hope is to be part of the national team setup for years to come, expressing confidence in the U.S. Soccer Federation’s ability to appoint the right head coach to lead the team forward.

“Hopefully in my career, I play until I’m in my late 30s. So that’s kind of more short-term thinking I think,” Morris said. “It was more bigger picture when it came to the Canada perspective and how I’m going to go about it. Yeah, the U.S. is working on finding (a head coach right now) and that’s just right now. They’ll have one for the World Cup. They’ll have one for the next three World Cups and hopefully, I’m a part of all of them.”

With a clear mind, Morris now heads to the Gold Cup next week. As the U.S. attempts to defend its 2021 title and secure a record-tying eighth Gold Cup, Morris aims to apply what he has learned while playing for the Crew and continue adapting to the international level.

Above all, Morris is certain that he made the right decision and eagerly looks forward to being part of the USMNT roster.

“I think any decision in life as well is just your heart and where’s your heart at,” he expressed. “And I think in 2026, hopefully, I’ll be in the World Cup and I’ll be listening to a national anthem and I just think that my heart kind of felt more comfortable and more shaped toward the U.S. than Canada. And that’s no disrespect towards Canada, it’s just where I’ve grown up and something I’ve been working toward my whole life.”