SARASOTA, Fla. – When the possibility of Marko Mitrović being named head coach of the New England Revolution gained steam, Michael Morris kept close to the phone. Living several time zones away on the West Coast, he’d been waking up early in case he received a call. One morning, while walking his dog, the phone rang. It was Marko – he was headed to New England, and he wanted Morris to come with him as an assistant coach.

“I was like, absolutely,” Morris explained. “I had been with the Sounders for a long time and they had offered me a lot of opportunities to progress and I had a great situation, but the relationship I have with Marko, as well as with [assistant coach] Sean Hughes, and the work we did together with the [United States] U-20s, it was just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Morris, a Washington native, had worked with the Seattle Sounders for 16 years. His focus was on development, working in the Sounders Academy as head coach of Seattle’s U-15s, U-16s, and U-19s, most recently serving as interim head coach of Tacoma Defiance at the MLS NEXT Pro level, after working as an assistant coach for five seasons. In addition, he spent time as an assistant with the United States U-20 Men’s National Team, alongside Mitrović and Hughes.

While he was happy with the work he’d done in Seattle, he was ready for a change. Making the cross-country move with his wife and daughter Harper, this will be their first time living on the East Coast.

So far, New England has done nothing but impress him, from the streets of Boston to the food, and above all else, the sports culture.

“It just seems like a sports town with a history of winning. So, why would you not want to be in a sports town that also wins at the same time?” said Morris, who believes the Revolution can be part of that winning tradition. “Looking at New England Revolution, we studied the club. It's one of the most historic clubs in the league and there's been a history of success. We looked at the squad, and they seemed open to signing young dynamic players, which is also something we're very passionate about. The club has so much promise and we want to continue to build it and add to the amazing history.”​

Morris has been around soccer for nearly his whole life. He grew up playing, went on to play in college, and for the Sounders before they became an MLS team. It was around that time he also started coaching, something he realized he may love even more than playing.

“When I seriously started coaching, it felt like there was a whole new world out there in terms of educating players, looking at the game differently, and so I actually like coaching more than I liked playing the game, which is probably a crazy thing to say,” Morris admitted with a laugh. “One of the things I’ve loved most about it is being able to directly help people, which I think is amazing.  Seeing players that I've had the opportunity to hopefully help reach their dreams is amazing, and helping teams win is just a great feeling. Of course I love to win. It feels good for me, but when I see a group of players celebrating and I’m hoping that I helped them get to that, there's not really many experiences like that.”

Working from the sidelines, Morris views himself as analytical. He looks at the game as a series of situations, each with solutions. To him, his role is all about helping players find clarity in those moments.

While he may not seem like the most emotional guy on the surface, he’s not all process and problem‑solving. Morris is passionate, and he funnels that passion into his coaching style.

“I have a lot of emotion in terms of what we do, but my emotion doesn’t drive me. I hope where my emotions show through is just enacting what we want to do in the most intense and highest standard possible,” he explained.

Even when he steps away from the sideline, Morris doesn’t stray far from the game. His life outside soccer is built around two pillars: the sport he loves, and the family that grounds him.

“I probably watch the game too much for my wife’s liking. I have a nine-year-old daughter, Harper, and she’s amazing. In my rare free time I’ve coached her little soccer team, or I’ve dabbled in helping coach her basketball team. So, I’d say I’m a pretty simple guy outside of my job,” he said.

Harper has taken after her dad and fallen in love with soccer. Morris admits he may have played a role in that, but he’s fully embracing her passion for the game.

She’s also already embracing her new team. Now stocked up with Revs gear, Morris says she hasn’t taken off her Revolution sweatshirt since the day he accepted the job.

Morris is excited, his family is eager to cheer on New England, and the players are already feeling secure in the vision of their new coaching staff. As preseason training is underway, Morris had one message for the fans ahead of the 2026 regular season:

“It’s just an honor to be here for a club that’s one of the most historic in MLS. I feel a strong sense of ownership and responsibility to the city and I can promise you, we are doing whatever we can and we've been working at this the second we knew that we were going to take this opportunity, to try to do whatever we can to make the city as proud as possible.”