While Pulisic grabs headlines, another USMNT star is turning heads at Milan
Last capped by the U.S. a year and a half ago, Yunus Musah appears to be playing himself back into international contention.
Yunus Musah is being tipped for a return to the U.S. national-team fold, having established himself as an early-season fixture in AC Milan’s midfield.
Musah a Milan mainstay
Last capped by the USMNT 18 months ago, Musah has started all three of Milan’s Serie A games under new head coach Rúben Amorim, helping the 19-time Italian champions to an unbeaten league start.
Indeed, operating as one of two central midfielders in a 3-4-2-1 formation, Musah has been given the full 90 minutes on each occasion. As ESPN’s American soccer expert Jeff Carlisle points out, that’s as many complete matches as he managed in Serie A in the whole of last season, when he mustered just five league starts during an unsuccessful loan spell at Atalanta.
Amorim, who replaced Massimiliano Allegri in June, partnered Musah with Ardon Jashari for Milan’s opening win over Torino on August 23, before picking the 23-year-old alongside veteran great Luka Modric in a 2-0 victory over Venezia five days later. The Rossoneri boss then repeated that duo in September 6’s heavyweight matchup with Juventus, who needed a stoppage-time leveller to deny Milan a third straight win.
And against Lazio today, Musah is in contention to start alongside Modric once more, as Amorim’s team visits one of Serie A’s early frontrunners - a side that has won all three of its top-flight games so far this season.
“Amorim sees value in Musah”
With an average match rating of 6.7, per SofaScore, Musah’s performances for Milan may have been solid rather than spectacular, but he has displayed traits that are evidently to the liking of his new boss. “Amorim sees value in Musah as the central midfield counterweight to Luka Modric thanks to the U.S. player’s defensive work and ability to carry the ball out of trouble,” Carlisle explains.
And Musah’s qualities as a midfielder can likewise be useful to the USMNT’s engine room, says former national-team star Tony Meola.
Musah “doing what Pochettino always asked”
Speaking late last month, Meola said he fully expects USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino to hand Musah a recall in the near future, as the Stars and Stripes embark on a new World Cup cycle. “I would be very surprised if he’s not involved and if he’s not given another chance, especially given his age, the fact he’s already been part of a World Cup,” the retired goalkeeper told the CBS Sports podcast Call It What You Want.
“This is already a different Yunus Musah than we saw for most of last year. Does his skill set project to the U.S. men’s national team? I think it does.”
Writing in The Athletic this week, U.S. soccer insider Henry Bushnell agreed that Musah “deserves a fresh look” on the international stage. “He is doing what Pochettino always asked, putting in the weekly work with his club, and seemingly improving. He is earning it.”
When did Musah last play for the USMNT?
A player who made his USMNT debut in 2020, Musah won the last of his 47 international caps in a CONCACAF Nations League clash with Canada in March 2025, just eight games and five months into Pochettino’s tenure.
Musah had been a part of the USMNT’s World Cup squad in 2022, but his slide into the international wilderness saw him miss out on this summer’s tournament on home soil, where Pochettino’s men reached the last 16.
On top of his unproductive spell at Atalanta last season, Musah’s claim to a spot at the 2026 World Cup appears to have been weakened by his decision to make himself unavailable for the USMNT’s Gold Cup campaign in summer 2025, citing a need for “time off”.
“The [national-team] coaches were all disappointed that I didn’t go,” Musah told an interview with ESPN last August. “But ultimately I needed to make that decision for myself because I needed to switch off after a tough season.”
When are the USMNT’s next games?
The USMNT is next in action in the autumn international break, when the Stars and Stripes host four friendlies. Between September 26 and October 6, Pochettino’s team face exhibitions against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, in Orlando, St. Louis, Glendale and St. Paul, respectively.
The USMNT, which begins its Nations League campaign at the quarterfinal stage in November, is then scheduled to begin its 2030 World Cup qualification bid in September 2027.
Pulisic “not happy”
The revival of Musah’s career at Milan, a team he joined for $20 million in 2023, comes as his clubmate and compatriot Christian Pulisic has struggled to earn game time under Amorim.
Despite recovering from a recent leg injury, the USMNT forward is yet to play his first minutes of the new season for Milan, leading the Portuguese coach to reveal to reporters on Friday: “Pulisic is not happy”.
However, Amorim reassured the player that he can expect to be involved against Lazio this weekend. “I will never pick my starting XI based on big names - these are my principles and won’t change,” the former Manchester United boss said. “But I like Pulisic a lot. Tomorrow he will get minutes.”
Lazio vs AC Milan: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.
On matchday four of the 2026/27 Serie A season, Lazio and Milan face off at the Stadio Olimpico today, Saturday, September 12, at 12 noon ET/9:00 a.m. PT. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the game live on Paramount+, Peacock, fubo, Telemundo and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo.
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