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With everyone in the United States ready to piss themselves due to the election, soccer fans felt a brief wave of joy with the announcement of the USMNT’s 24-man roster for two upcoming friendlies. One name that casual USMNT fans won’t recognize immediately is Yunus Musah. Who is Yunus Musah and how important might he be in the future?
Musah was born in New York City in 2002 and moved to Italy months later. He plays as a forward for Valencia in LaLiga. The teenager will turn 18 on Nov. 29 and is an exciting prospect for the USMNT. After playing for Valencia’s B team in the 2019-20 season Musah, climbed the team ladder and has made seven appearances for the first team this season.
The New York City-born teen made history on Sunday becoming the youngest American-born player to score in a LaLiga match with a tidy finish against Getafe.
360° of 17-year-old Yunus Musah’s first Valencia goal.
And oh, he’s accepted a USMNT call-up.pic.twitter.com/sqCsKrIWOl— The18 (@the18com) November 3, 2020
The day after scoring his goal he received and accepted the call-up to play for the USMNT ahead of the two friendly matches later in November. It’s important to note that if Musah plays in these matches he will NOT be tied down to the USMNT. Friendly matches don’t count to cap-tie players.
Musah has previously played with England’s under-15s and has the option to represent the country if he isn’t satisfied with the USMNT. His other national options are Ghana (he was born with Ghanaian descent) and Italy (he lived in Italy for 10 years before moving to England in 2012). He has been on the radar for USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter for some time now. Berhalter said on Tuesday he sees potential in the Valencia forward.
Gregg Berhalter on the addition of Yunus Musah (17) to the squad
“We’ve been tracking Yunus for over 1.5 years now. When he arrived at Valencia, we charted his progress. I’ve spoken at length to his family. We see a player that’s hungry, ready to make an impact.” pic.twitter.com/QDSVGYR7uH— OneGoal.US (@OneGoalUS) November 3, 2020
The youngster will be one to keep an eye on for fans. Starting seven of Valencia’s eight league matches thus far isn’t too shabby for a 17-year-old. The Spanish club has enjoyed scattered success since the turn of the millennium, winning two LaLiga titles and two Copa del Reys.
Plenty can still happen. At the end of the day Musah has only played seven senior games and is really still a kid. The answer to the question of who is Yunus Musah is for him and fate to decide. He could rise to become one of Valencia’s main starters and a superstar or fade away in the coming years. He is definitely a player who is worth keeping tabs on and fans will be looking forward to him making an appearance in the upcoming USMNT matches against Wales and Panama.
