3 years ago
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PANAMA CITY, Panama — Yunus Musah visited New York successful June with teammate Tim Weah and had a wide-eyed presumption of the large city.
“I retrieve going to the – what’s that called – that large gangly building?” Musah said with a chuckle.
It’s Empire State Building, helium was prompted.
“The presumption from determination was crazy,” Musah said. “I could spot the full of New York.”
Musah is successful the shadiness of immoderate antithetic gangly buildings this weekend, the skyscrapers of Panama City.
Going into Sunday night’s World Cup qualifier against Panama, connected the 4th day of America’s infamous decision astatine Trinidad, the 13th-ranked U.S. squad leads the eight-nation last circular connected extremity quality implicit Mexico. No. 68 Panama is 3 points backmost pursuing a 1-0 nonaccomplishment connected a muddy tract successful El Salvador.
Musah was calved successful the Bronx connected Nov. 29, 2002, portion his parent was visiting from Ghana and staying with her member Razak. He grew up successful Castelfranco, Italy, earlier the household moved to London, wherever helium joined Arsenal’s younker system.
Musah was portion of England’s younker nationalist teams and signed with Valencia earlier the 2019-20 season. He debuted connected Sept. 13 past twelvemonth against Levante astatine property 17, and connected Nov. 1 against Getafe became the club’s youngest non-Spanish scorer.
While picked for England’s roster astatine the 2019 European Under-17 Championship, helium didn’t get into immoderate of the team’s 3 matches. In the run-up to that tournament, England traveled to the Nike International Friendlies successful Lakewood Ranch, Florida, successful October and November 2018, and helium twiced faced a U.S. squad that included George Bello and Gianluca Busio, present portion of the nationalist team, and Joe Scally, apt to beryllium called up soon.
Nico Estévez, a Gregg Berhalter adjunct who followed his brag from Columbus to the nationalist team, had spent 8 years astatine Valencia and contacted Musah connected a recruiting ngo during Musah’s archetypal play successful Spain.
“I was truly surprised. I ne'er expected it,” Musah recalled Saturday. “It was a large moment. It opened my eyes up.”
Berhalter spoke with Musah the pursuing season.
“It was a batch of conversations astir what this young radical could bash and the imaginable of this young team, the players we had successful the pool, however we saw him fitting into our team, talking astir America and what we privation to bash arsenic a group,” Berhalter said.
Musah made his U.S. debut past Nov. 12 successful an accumulation astatine Wales. Four days aboriginal successful a affable vs. Panama, helium became the archetypal American to commencement aggregate matches earlier his 18th birthday.
“I felt similar the manager truly wanted maine to beryllium here, beryllium a portion of this group, beryllium portion of his plans,” Musah said. “And that makes maine consciousness benignant of special.”
Musah committed semipermanent to the U.S. successful March and finished with 32 La Liga appearances past season. He was connected the American roster for the CONCACAF Nations League last 4 astatine Denver successful June but didn’t get into either game.
“He wasn’t playing regularly for his club,” Berhalter said. “We didn’t consciousness similar it was the close time.”
Musah missed the opening 3 World Cup qualifiers successful September. Back this week, helium looked guardant to the qualifier against Jamaica successful Austin, Texas, past received an inconclusive COVID trial connected Wednesday greeting lone to get a antagonistic PCR effect backmost astatine meal time.
“It was truly annoying, but I’m gladsome it was a speedy process and they realized determination was nothing,” Musah said.
While Valencia uses Musah arsenic a winger, Berhalter positions him centrally.
“In the midfield, the crippled is similar 360,” Musah said. “Sometimes I consciousness similar it’s hard to adjust, you truly person to cheque your surroundings a batch successful the midfield.”
He made his archetypal competitory commencement against the Reggae Boyz and was the cardinal fig successful a 15-second end-to-end determination that led to the archetypal extremity successful a 2-0 win. Goalkeeper Matt Turner rolled the shot to Sergiño Dest, who passed to Musah. He took took 5 touches during a 25-yard tally and returned the shot wide to Dest, whose transverse was headed successful by Ricardo Pepi.
“Yunus, you springiness him the ball, he’s driving 20, 30 yards, wants to person the shot astatine his feet,” midfielder Kellyn Acosta said.
Musah has a speedy laughter and speaks English, Italian, Spanish and Hausa, a connection of Ghana. He gives the U.S. a originative limb alongside Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.
“It’s difficult, man, erstwhile you person idiosyncratic dribbling astatine you who’s that agile and that mobile and keeps the shot that adjacent to him,” Berhalter said.
Weah said Musah went astir New York by himself to soak successful the atmosphere.
“Seeing that helium wants to link a batch much with his American civilization is large for him,” Weah said, “and it’s large for us.”
English (US) ·