The battle for recruiting dual national talent is familiar to all coaches, which is why March 4 can be considered an unforgettable day for the United States men’s team. It was on that day that coach Gregg Berhalter received a message from Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah with a simple request: “Coach, can I talk to you?”
Berhalter said yes. At that time, Musah – who, in addition to the USA, was eligible to represent Ghana, England or Italy – informed him that he would be promising his international future to the Red, White and Blue.
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“It was a very happy conversation,” Musah told ESPN in an exclusive interview. “I said [Berhalter] I appreciate everything and how he received me on the team, and I just want to embark on this journey with everyone else and with the USA. “
Berhalter was not so composed. Although it was the last recruiting scam for a player with multiple international options, a list highlighted by Barcelona defender Sergino Dest, Musah is seen as another special talent.
“I yelled into the phone. I made a loud ‘Yes!’,” Berhalter told ESPN. “But it was good. It’s not just judging you as a player, but as a person. It’s great to have someone like that on your team.”
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When one country wins on a player with multiple international options, the others lose. It is a zero-sum game that, in some cases, forces players to feel split in two. The 18-year-old’s ties to England in particular were deep, not only having lived in London since the age of nine, but also performed extensively by the Three Lions as a youth, though never in official competitions. Musah came to the field twice for England against the USA at the U17 level, including the Nike Friendlies 2017, in which England won 1-0. In this case, the Valencia midfielder is not isolated from the emotions that came when saying no to England. And there were other suitors, too.
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Julien Laurens is excited about the future of USMNT after Yunus Musah’s decision to commit to the US
“It was a difficult situation as England did a lot for me,” he said. “When someone is nice to you, you don’t want to kind of turn them upside down. But in the end, you have to make the best decision for yourself.
“I was getting so many calls from a lot of different people, from a lot of different organizations. And that kind of made it difficult, and also the fact that I represented England in the past. That’s why it was a very difficult decision to make.”
But he added: “This is so exciting. I can’t wait to start.”
Thus, it concluded a 20-month recruitment process by the USA to win over Musah, one that was perfect every step of the way. It all started shortly after Musah signed with Valencia in the summer of 2019, when the Spanish club notified Nico Estevez, a U.S. male assistant (and former Valencia coach), that there was a player with an American passport on the list. Berhalter soon got in touch with a phone call to inform him of the American team’s interest. That call ended up opening the door to a meeting with the player’s family to discuss the US program in more depth.
Like most recruiting battles, relationships played a key role, and the bond between Musah and Estevez took on immense importance. Musah says that since the US first made contact, he and Estevez talked at least once every two weeks. Berhalter added that there were times when his assistant and the player spoke with the same frequency as every other day.
Estevez’s knowledge of Valencia helped Musah navigate his first season on the club’s team B, as well as the player’s initial foray into the first team in the 2020-21 campaign. He also helped him adapt to life in a new country: Estevez talked to Musah about his games and sent him video clips. Berhalter recalled that the level of trust between the two was such that Musah began to solicit advice and videos from Estevez, rather than the US assistant being the only one to contact.
“In fact, we speak only as people,” said Musah of his relationship with Estevez. “He didn’t really treat him as a player-coach or anything – just friends, you could say. He talked to me about how my week is going. He helped me analyze and improve my game. He understands some of the things I’m going through . “
When Berhalter invited Musah to a national team training camp in Wales last November, much of the groundwork had already been done, but there was still work to be done. Fortunately for the US, a wave of talented players has entered the program in recent years, including Juventus’ Weston McKennie, RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams, Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna and Dest. They made sure that Musah arrived for a warm hug.
The positive vibes were worth it, and if there was ever a telltale sign that Musah was leaning towards the US, it was evident in the team’s photo before the game before their international debut against Wales last November. These photos are usually about players with their playing face, all intensity and concentration. That was largely the case here, except for Musah, who sported the broadest of smiles.
“I said to myself, ‘Listen, just enjoy this moment, because it only happens once,'” he said. “And, surprisingly, the coaches also told me the same thing, the players told me the same thing and so what I was thinking about was enjoying the game. And as you can see in the pictures, I was already enjoying it.”
Musah made an impressive debut, helping the USA to control the match through the midfield in what turned out to be a 0-0 draw. This role is a change from where he used to be hired at Valencia, where he served mainly as a midfielder in a 4-4-2. But the center of the midfield is where he – and Berhalter – feel most suited. It gives you the opportunity to show your range of skills: your confidence when running with the ball, your vision when it comes to hitting passes and your energy in defense.
“I feel like I can play on multiple systems,” he said. “But, particularly with the United States, I feel that we want to be on the field and express ourselves. And when you’re out in the field trying to express yourself, I think the best version of yourself comes along. And this is very important. “
Okay, it wasn’t just about Musah choosing the United States. The player also had to impress beyond what happened on the pitch, but Musah passed those tests with ease.
“He is liked by everyone,” said Berhalter of Musah. “He’s such a good guy, such a friendly guy to be in; great behavior, great attitude. The thing about him is that when you’re around him, you can feel his warmth.”
Musah was also all-in on the US team’s anti-racism message before the game against Wales, in which his warm-up jacket had the message “United as one”.
“A lot of people talk about racism and how they don’t like it, but not everyone does something about it,” he said. “And the fact that we decided to do something about it was really great, and I definitely wanted to get involved and be a part of it. So I wrote my own ‘United as one’ message, because no one should have to go through this alone. together in this. “
The friendlies cemented the bond, with the United States defeating Panama 6-2 in the second match of that international window. The U.S. team and players have not given up on their recruiting camp, as evidenced by the flow of communication between Musah and his teammates on Twitter and Instagram. But the hard work was done.
“I think that [about] the amount of time and effort that Gregg and the team put into it, always contacting me since last year, and also making me come to camp and see how things go, “he said.” Everyone was very receptive. Everyone was great, as if we had met or met before. And it helps me because I am young and they have welcomed me very well. In the end, we played two games very well and we also had fun. “
Berhalter is quick to remind everyone that Musah is 18 years old. There is still a lot of growth to be done, but the United States coach can’t help but be excited about what the future may look like.
“With many of our players, they are very young, so we have to keep that in mind when we are designing,” he said. “But what I see from [Musah] he has tremendous dynamics with his speed and quickness, and he is technically a very good player. He’s open to learning, so for me, he has a very high ceiling. “ Musah is one of those players who appreciate every ounce of his success so far. He was born in New York City while his family was on vacation there, which made him eligible for American citizenship. Musah spent his childhood in the city of Castelfranco Veneto, in northern Italy, near Venice. His earliest memories of football are of walking to a nearby park and facing his older brothers, Abdul and Nabil. When the family moved to East London, when Musah was nine, the game was already in his blood and helped him adapt to a new country and culture. He soon joined the Arsenal academy and rose through the ranks before leaving for Valencia when he was 16. The reason was simple: he saw an easier path for the first team’s minutes in Spain than with the Gunners, but wherever he went, he took that positive attitude with him. “I think my parents and the culture we live in have told me to be happy with little, if you say so,” said Musah. “I feel that whenever there is something bigger than a little, I say, ‘I am very happy about it.’ I like to be grateful for everything in life and for everything that happens. That’s how I am. “ That approach served Musah well in a season in the league where he experienced the maximum of his first La Liga goal against Getafe last November, as well as some low points that left him reduced to a substitute role. “It has been difficult,” he says. “It is not the ideal thing obviously. You always want to have big and big games and win and win. But football is not like that, and if you understand that, then I think that is the main thing, just keep working and working. So you there will be more ups potentially. You can’t give up. You have to keep working and trying to improve. And as a young player, I’m very young in my career, I think it’s great to consider this as a learning experience and make sure that I learned from her. “ Berhalter has long said that he wants to make sure that when a nationality couple chooses the United States, they do so for the right reasons and that they feel a connection with the country. The US manager says that in Musah, he “really felt how proud he was to be an American”. But in addition to Musah’s playing on the pitch and his body language in relation to the American team, there was a more subtle indication. He used “knots” promptly and naturally when referring to the US team it flowed easily, showing his unforced connection to this group. Although his journey still has a long way to go, with the 2022 World Cup approaching on the horizon, the latest recruit from the US team is definitely on board.