Valencia's Yunus Musah is the newest USMNT prospect with national team options
SBI Soccer
3 Yrs Ago
U.S. Men’s National Team fans were expecting to see some new faces on the squad for November’s friendlies, but few could have predicted that Yunus Musah would be one of those newcomers.
The 17-year-old former Arsenal youth academy product is in the midst of a breakout season for La Liga side Valencia, and as someone who had represented England on multiple youth national teams, including as Under-18 national team captain, Musah wasn’t expected to be someone Gregg Berhalter might have on his radar.
The USMNT coach has convinced the New York-born Musah to take part in a training camp as Musah considers his international future. Eligible to play for England and Ghana, Musah will have a chance to make his senior international debut when the Americans face Wales on November 12, followed by a friendly against Panama on November 16.
“We see (Musah) as having a ton of potential,” Berhalter told reporters on Tuesday. “And for us, it's about getting him on the field with us, letting him experience how we work as a group, how we work as a staff, letting him experience the teammates and the team environment that we’re able to create. 
“And then, all we can do is hope that in the end he chooses us for the long term,” Berhalter said. “He’s obviously chosen us now but there's still a long term implication that has yet to be decided.”
Musah has been the beneficiary of a tumultuous time at Valencia, where the club has endured financial struggles that forced the club to sell several stars while failing to sign any new players, which left the door open for academy players like Musah. The youngster has started six of Valencia's past eight matches, and is coming off scoring his first senior level goal on Sunday in a 1-1 draw against Getafe.
Deployed primarily as a winger for Valencia, Musah spent his formative years at Arsenal playing more in a central midfield role, which is where Berhalter envisions him potentially contributing for the USMNT.
“With Yunus, it's interesting because when you watch his games, he’s playing wide right in a 4-4-2,” Berhalter said. “He’s taking on the outside back and running by the outside back and he’s done a complete job defensively, but we still see him as a player that can potentially be better central. A box-to-box midfielder a little bit in the style of Weston (McKennie) in terms of covering ground, good speed.”
Musah is coming off his best game for Valencia, a draw that saw him score his first senior team goal.
Musah’s inclusion in the squad generated the usual excitement among USMNT fans as another talented youngster being added to the player pool, but Berhalter tried to temper expectations for the youngster, who is one of 10 players in the camp who are in search of their international debuts.
“What we have to remember, and I think all of us are getting ahead of ourselves a little bit, is that he’s 17 years old,” Berhalter said. “We're going to bring him into camp, probably centrally, and there's going to be some growing pain, I can tell you right now, but he has so much talent that to me, it's worth. It’s worth looking at that. 
“Maybe Valencia are thinking he's not ready to play centrally, but we're ready for and we're excited to see him and the impact he can make.”
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