Because Yunus Musah will be staying in Valencia throughout the two-week gap, the American midfield will be smaller than anticipated during this international break. Musah will stay in Spain to rehabilitate after suffering an injury, and the team has also stated that he will not go to face Celta Vigo and his national team partner Luca de la Torre on Saturday. The USMNT friendlies will be missed, according to Paul Tenorio.
Gregg Berhalter will face some difficult choices without Musah because of how important he has been to the American midfield. Musah, who is having a fantastic season in Spain, has contributed to two goals and helped Gennaro Gattuso advance the ball in five games.
Musah won’t be joining the national team, so it’s unclear if Berhalter will add another midfielder to the group. However, the current lineup includes de la Torre, Kellyn Acosta, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, and Kellyn Acosta. Brenden Aaronson, Paul Arriola, and Gio Reyna, the attacking trio, can also function in deeper midfield roles. Given his decisions, Berhalter will probably take advantage of the opportunity to play Aaronson on the wing and Reyna at the ten because Tim Weah is also absent from this camp. Regardless, Musah had the opportunity to develop in a double pivot alongside Adams during the summer international window.
When healthy, McKennie is one of the first names on the roster, but with the World Cup games coming thick and fast, having backup plans will be crucial. De la Torre has only played 11 minutes for Celta Vigo since his transfer, so Berhalter’s first concern will be whether or not de la Torre is healthy enough to start. If so, getting him as many minutes as you can is probably a smart idea. If not, concentrating on Reyna with Acosta and de la Torre coming off the bench will also work.
Musah’s injury is mild and won’t prevent him from competing in the World Cup, but Berhalter will have more work to do given that Zack Steffen, Antonee Robinson, Weah, and now Musah all miss the team’s final warm-up camp before reassembling. During this international window, the USMNT will play Saudi Arabia on September 27 and Japan on September 23.
