Morris Duggan is 6’4”, 200 pounds—205, in the interest of complete accuracy. To call Minnesota United’s German defender physically imposing feels like an understatement when you’re sitting across from him, but a kind demeanor gives this large man a very welcoming presence. After starting 2025 with two consecutive starts in league play, this gentle giant has shown that he’s ready to make a difference on the pitch, and it’s about time we tell his story. I sat down with the Loons’ returning loanee to learn all about his journey from a village outside Munich, Germany, to Major League Soccer, and everything in between.
Fußball macht Spaß (Soccer is Fun)
It all started at Kirchheimer SC, the local football club just a few blocks away from Duggan’s childhood home. All of his friends were playing—per the usual in Germany—so Duggan listened to his parents when they told him he should get out of the house and find something fun to do.
“Everyone plays soccer in Germany,” Duggan said. “My granddad was actually one of the founders of the club, and my parents wanted me to do something, so it just made sense. My mom used to tell me stories about how I was picking flowers and wasn't really interested in the beginning. It took me a while to get going, but I was having fun, and I was always playing, even though I wasn't particularly good. We were just an average village club; my best friends were at the club, and training was just about hanging out with them. It wasn’t until I was older, when I developed more physically, that I really started to increase my level.”
As he grew, it was his father who encouraged Morris to take the sport a bit more seriously. He joined FC Ismaning’s U19 squad, where he participated in the second highest level of U19 competition in the nation. An attacking midfielder at the time, he was good enough to make the squad, but he spent most of his first year on the bench. Year two saw his switch to center back get him onto the field, but a tough season resulted in relegation and caused him to rethink his approach to the game.
Duggan returned to Kirchheimer in 2019, joining the club’s first team as they competed in the lower tiers of German soccer. Back with his friends and back in the midfield, but with a pandemic and adulthood on the horizon, life was about to get a bit more complicated, to say the least.
“I didn't really know what I wanted to do,” he said. “I started studying in Germany, but it didn't really work out for me. I was at a point in my life where I felt like I had no purpose, and then this agency on Instagram texted me. They asked if I was interested in studying and playing in the US. I was surprised they contacted me because I was just an average player. I wasn't even starting every game. Then I reflected on my life, and I wasn't happy with where I was, and I just decided to do it. I got to talking with them, found out it was serious, and it gave me a purpose in life. It flipped a switch inside me, because before that, I was 18 years old, and I was nowhere near professional soccer, and I wasn't acting like a professional.”
A brief stint in the fourth division in Germany helped him prepare for his jump overseas, and before long, Duggan signed with Francis Marion University in South Carolina. From there, it could’ve been as simple as playing out his eligibility and hoping for the best, but since when do things go the way we plan?
Instead of a simple transition, he was met with NCAA eligibility issues, meaning he’d either have to find a junior college or sit out a full year. With rosters already set for the year, finding a new school was going to be difficult. As it happened, a stroke of good luck gave Duggan a chance to trade that notoriously terrible South Carolina weather for the greener pastures of Estherville, Iowa, where the Iowa Lakes were in need of a replacement center back.
“Once that switch flipped in me, I didn't really care where I was,” he said. “Being in Iowa helped me a lot; I trained every day and took care of my body. There were no distractions at all. We had this little indoor facility, and when it was cold, I just went there and trained the whole day, went to the gym, and studied the game a lot. I missed my family and my friends a lot; it wasn’t easy. I developed that personality, and it’s helped me become a better player.”
After a fantastic start in Iowa, Duggan quickly earned Division One attention. He received his first offer just a few weeks into the season, but it wasn’t until Marshall University offered him a spot on their roster that he made his mind up. He spent the next two seasons as a fixture in the Thundering Herds’ backline, leading them to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and playing his way into MLS SuperDraft consideration. The Loons took him with the 67th overall pick in 2024, completing his unlikely journey to professional soccer.
“It was all worth it; I'm a professional soccer player,” Duggan said. “If you had told me that a few years ago, I wouldn't have believed it. I'm living my dream.”
There’s a Secret to Success
Getting to the professional ranks is one thing; finding your feet and learning to thrive at the top is another. After getting drafted, Morris spent the bulk of his time playing with MNUFC2, though he made a pair of appearances with the first team in 2024. When the summer transfer window came along, it was apparent that Duggan could use a stiffer challenge, and a loan to USL Championship’s Rhode Island FC turned out to be exactly what he needed.
“It's a step above MLS NEXT Pro,” he said. “It felt very meaningful. Rhode Island was a new club with a big following and a lot of talent, so when you step on the pitch, you get that feeling of added pressure, but it's a good thing. I really had to earn my spot; it wasn't easy. I improved a lot as a player out there, and I felt more confident coming into preseason. Playing in the USL final, for example, really prepared me for the level of MLS.”
Loons fans are becoming increasingly familiar with successful loan spells producing first-team regulars, with Tani Oluwaseyi providing one of the league’s most notable examples of turning USL success into MLS minutes. Duggan would love to emulate his teammate’s journey, but he knows that the work doesn’t stop once you’ve earned a seat at the table.
While physical preparation is important and a huge part of how he’s gotten this far, Morris has found that the mental side of the game is just as crucial to putting his best foot forward—if not even more so. From dealing with the naysayers that doubted him along the way to overcoming nerves in his first MLS start, the young defender has been working out his mind just as much as his body.
“My teammates here have really helped me with that,” Duggan said. “I’d never really heard of meditation or manifestation before. I saw Kelvin, Will, and Sam, all these guys who achieved so much in their careers doing it. I did some research and found more and more professional players that say you’ve got to take care of your mind as much, if not more than your body. So, I started getting into it, and I already feel like it’s helped me in this preseason and ahead of the LAFC game. I feel more relaxed and more confident just doing these little things. It's not a lot; maybe 10 or 20 minutes a day. I just do some breathing exercises and meditate. It makes me feel a lot better and helps me deal with my emotions.”
It’s wrong to say there’s one “ideal” path to becoming a professional soccer player, but we’re conditioned to believe that playing in an elite academy when you’re young, getting professional experience in your late teens, and earning a contract as you come of age is the best path to success. To use a tired, old expression, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and Duggan is living proof of that slightly off-putting adage. For a lot of dreamers out there, that “ideal” path simply isn’t an option. Does that make their dreams any less achievable? I suppose it depends on the dreamer, but in the case of Morris Duggan, the answer is emphatic: No.
“I try not to compare myself to other players very much,” he said. “At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own success. I'm just trying to perform and focus on improving myself. Whether I start an MLS game or an MLS NEXT Pro game, I'm always going to try to make the best out of it and improve as a player. The coaching staff has put trust in me. I hadn't started a single game, and they put me in the first game of the season away at LAFC. They believe in me, and I appreciate that, and I just want to show them that they can continue to rely on me. That's all I can do; the rest is out of my hands.”
Now with two starts under his belt, just a single goal allowed, and a whole season still to come, there’s no telling what could be next for Morris Duggan. He’s certainly made it difficult for the coaching staff to drop him from the lineup in this competitive group of skilled defenders, a credit to how effective he’s been thus far. Regardless of where the road takes him, or how the season pans out, I’ve got a hunch he’ll be able to handle it.
