It is a rarity to see Yunus Musah without a smile on his face. An ear-to-ear grin is a mostly-permanent feature on the 21-year-old midfield player.
But as he sprinted towards the corner flag on Saturday night in Austin, Texas having scored his first goal in a U.S. men’s national team jersey, the sense of gratification on Musah’s face shined through — even for someone who usually has a smile plastered on.
“That moment,” said Christian Pulisic, his AC Milan teammate who provided the assist, “that’s why you play.”
The goal was also an immediate validation of the instincts of the U.S.’s new manager, Mauricio Pochettino.
Musah’s joy was clear after his success in his new role (Tim Warner/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
The 52-year-old Argentinian came into his first camp as U.S. coach with an intention to spend time with every player on the roster and understand where they stood. The idea was to ensure each player was handled the right way. It’s why Weston McKennie stayed on the bench on Saturday night; he entered camp feeling some discomfort after playing in each of Juventus’ last six games, and Pochettino felt it was crucial not to take any risks with the midfielder. It was also why Musah was tested in a new role in his first game under the new boss.
Musah arrived with the U.S. having played just 45 minutes in Serie A for AC Milan in September and zero minutes so far in October. Typically a central midfielder cast in a box-to-box No. 8 role, Pochettino met with Musah and proposed playing him out wide more on the right. Pochettino knew Musah had played that role before, both in Arsenal’s academy and also when he first moved to Valencia. In a wider role, Pochettino felt Musah would have more freedom to push forward on the ball, one of his strengths, without the pressures of being a focal part of the build-up at a time when he wasn’t playing regularly and thus wasn’t in his best form.
It worked to perfection early in the second half, when the U.S. built up down the left side through Antonee Robinson, Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson, and Musah came crashing into the box from the right to finish off a Pulisic cross.
“It’s always worth trying to build his confidence and to (make him) feel again (that he is) a player that can perform on the pitch,” Pochettino said. “It was an important moment for him, to (show) trust in him, but maybe not to give him too much responsibility in the build-up. It’s only to be in a position that can help the team and then he arrived there and scored.
“Fantastic for him, fantastic for the team. And now maybe he’ll start to perform and behave in a different way, full of confidence. That is the important (factor) in our decision, is trying to help. We are here to help the player to find their best.”
Pochettino and Pulisic speak during the win over Panama (Photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
If there was a theme to the first night under Pochettino, it was exactly that: creating and building confidence. Confidence for each player, but also for a team that was winless in its previous four games. The Copa America elimination was a crushing experience for a group that knew how expectations were growing and understood how valuable a tournament run would have been on multiple levels, for the group, the fanbase and the sport.
Pochettino’s hire was meant to restore some of the confidence and belief in the program.
U.S. center back Tim Ream said Pochettino was “speaking about confidence all week”, and that it was reinforced and transmitted into the group by what he was asking the team to do against Panama. Mostly, players were told to be themselves, embrace their strengths and, as Musah said, “play free”.
“He wants us to be solid defensively, and then have guys play the way they are comfortable playing and being confident going forward with the ball,” Ream said. “And everybody saw that, especially in the first 15 minutes. Guys were moving, (there was) intricate passing and getting the ball, moving quick and getting in and around their box. When he tells guys to go and be themselves, it’s a sign that he has confidence in you, and you can see that come out with all the guys out here.”
Things were not perfect against Panama. Los Canaleros had good chances in the game. Goalkeeper Matt Turner was forced into a big double save in the second half and Panama should have found an equalizer late in the game. As USMNT veteran DaMarcus Beasley said on the Turner Sports broadcast, there were also some mistakes in the build-up that top teams will punish.
But, the U.S. won.
The result was needed, even if it was just a friendly.
“I looked back at our recent form, and I was thinking, ‘Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve won’,” Turner said. “Since the Bolivia game (at Copa America), right, since we’ve won a game and had a clean sheet? So, yeah, it’s nice to set off this era with a win and a clean sheet. It goes in waves, but winning is something that you learn. You can’t just take it for granted. It takes energy and focus for 90 minutes, especially at this level.”
Pochettino will know that this win was important in building trust and confidence that the ideas he is installing with the team will lead to success. Musah’s goal reinforced that. The job now is to keep carrying it forward.
“It’s the first step,” Pochettino said. “To start to grow and be better.”
(Top photo: John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
