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Who is Yunus Musah? Inside the USMNT World Cup roster

Updated Nov. 21, 2022 1:08 a.m. ET

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Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

Player: Yunus Musah
Age: 19
Club: Valencia
Birthplace: New York, New York
Position: Central midfielder
Team role: Starter
USMNT caps: 19

Another young player on the radar for top European clubs, the 19-year-old Musah will play a vital role in the midfield for the USMNT.

"His technical ability is so good," Stu Holden said. "He’s a guy that, under pressure, can get out of tight spaces; he has great balance and movement within that; he’s a guy that can link up play and drive the ball forward with his dribbling."

USMNT's Yunus Musah: No. 49

USMNT's Yunus Musah is known for his technical abilities, movement and strength.

One of the more beneficial aspects of his comfort level and experience playing in a 4-3-3 with Valencia, which is similar to the system Berhalter’s runs for the national team. While he missed the recent friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Japan with a minor injury, he should be back stronger at the World Cup where the U.S. hopes he can become more of a scoring threat — in 19 senior team caps, Musah has yet to score a goal. Maybe that will come on his 20th birthday on Nov. 29, the USMNT’s final group stage match against Iran.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.

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Yunus Musah

Laken Litman