Justin Morrow was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes in the second round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft after his time at the University of Notre Dame. The left back from Cleveland, Ohio made a name for himself during the 2012 season, in which he was named an MLS All-Star. After the 2013 season, Justin Morrow was traded to Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money. In Toronto, at 26 years of age, he practically started a whole new career for himself.
Morrow slid right into the starting LB role for Toronto FC in the very first games of the season. While he did not score his first goal in his first season, he recorded 3 assists. The first of his trio of assists came in early April, as he showed some stepovers before crossing for the Issey tap in. Morrow's first season with Toronto was not very successful for the team, as they finished in seventh place and missed the playoffs. Of course, the success would come very soon for TFC, with Morrow playing a huge role.
In 2015, Toronto improved, but still did not achieve any luxurious goals. Justin Morrow, though, did score goals, a pair of them. His first goal for Toronto was against his former club, San Jose. He got his noggin on an incredible diving header from a Sebastian Giovinco cross. In August, Morrow got on the end of a cross for an easy tap in against Orlando City. He also provided 2 assists. Toronto was the last team in the playoffs, and lost 3-0 to Montreal in the first round.
Morrow upped his goal scoring in the next season, with 5 goals, while setting his career-high in assists with 4 as well. His TFC defense kept 9 clean sheets during the season. The first goal came in June, to equalize a match in Orlando. He also assisted in the match. He scored another goal against his former team in San Jose, crashing the center of the box. Later in the season, Morrow smashed a low shot to the far post to tie a match against Philadelphia. On Decision Day, Giovinco worked his magic and found Morrow's awaiting head in the box during a 3-2 win. Toronto finished in third place in the East, defeating Philadelphia 3-1 in the knockout round. They destroyed NYCFC, pushed past Montreal, before losing to Seattle in the heartbreaking 2016 MLS Cup.
In 2017, Justin Morrow randomly put up attacker stats from his left back position. He scored 8 goals, a career-high, while helping the team to 10 clean sheets, his highest total with TFC. In the 71st minute of the second match of the campaign, he scored a lead-taking goal in Philly, though they drew 2-2. Two matches later, he made a darting run to score against against MLS newcomers Atlanta United. Despite the early success, he was not even named to the All-Star team, just going to show the inconsistency of the selections for the team. In August, he scored a brace against the Portland Timbers. In the second half, Morrow charged into the box at a full sprint and slammed his shot into the upper shelf. His second goal just fell to him on a failed combination, he hit it home to double his number. On September 30th, he netted a hat trick against the New York Red Bulls. He cleaned up a rebound for the first, then put home a deflectdc pass, before completing the hat trick with a sliding finish on a Jozy Altidore ball. Toronto FC took the Supporters' Shield. They were one of the few non-cursed #1 seeds, as they beat the Red Bulls, Crew, and then knocked Seattle out 2-0 in MLS Cup 2017. Morrow and the Reds hoisted the trophy. Morrow was an easy choice for the 2017 MLS Best XI left back.
For the rest of Morrow's career, he returned to normal defender goal scoring numbers, but he was a seriously solid defender at that. Morrow's lone goal of 2018 came on an absolutely smashed finish against Minnesota Untied. Toronto faltered all year long, failing to even qualify for the playoffs. In 2019, the team returned back to their form of the past years. His 2019 goal against the Montreal Impact was his last ever MLS goal. It was far from a pretty one, but they all count the same. TFC finished in fourth place, then took down DC United, NYCFC, and Atlanta en route to their third MLS Cup matchup against Seattle in recent years. Seattle won 3-1, and took the "best of 3 series" between the two teams in the finals.
Morrow became more of a rotational starter in his last two seasons with Toronto, playing an important veteran role. In 2021, he was named the Humanitarian of the Year after making many moves pushing for equality in MLS. He was a leading force in establishing Black Players for Change, which has hundreds of MLS players in it. He has participated in numerous other great causes, which can be seen here. In September, Morrow announced that he would retire at the end of the 2021 season. He did just that, and it was quite emotional for the TFC legend to finally leave the club. Post-retirement, Morrow continues to do great work, being hired by the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center. Not only was Justin Morrow an incredible left back and overall player, but he is also one of the players with the best character off the field in MLS circles. The league was lucky to have him. He comes in at #56.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS | CS |
2021 | TFC | 973 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
2020 | TFC | 959 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2019 | TFC | 2,349 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
2018 | TFC | 1,790 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
2017 | TFC | 2,479 | 8 | 1 | 10 |
2016 | TFC | 2,653 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
2015 | TFC | 2,757 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
2014 | TFC | 2,676 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
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