Yunus Musah Reclaims His Wonderkid Spark—So Why Did the USMNT Leave Him Out in the Cold?

U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his 25-man squad for the November international window on Wednesday, and one name stood out conspicuously by its absence: Yunus Musah.

At only 23 years of age, the dynamic midfielder has already accumulated 50 USMNT caps, a figure that becomes more understandable when you consider that Musah made his senior debut at just 17 back in 2020 and rapidly established himself as a genuine starter for the Stars and Stripes. The former prodigy was a vital component of the midfield throughout 2022 World Cup qualifying, before going on to start all four matches in the heart of the park in Qatar at just 19 years old.

Following that global tournament, he remained a prominent presence in red, white and blue, even through the transition period when Mauricio Pochettino assumed the reins in 2024. Musah's standing on the international scene only began to erode in 2025, when friction with Pochettino over his Gold Cup omission was further complicated by a dismal loan spell at club side Atalanta. He managed just four starts in the 2025–26 Serie A campaign, and it ultimately cost him a place on the coveted 2026 World Cup roster. He was left on the outside looking in as his former teammates dazzled the home faithful.

But Musah has only grown stronger from that ordeal and has since engineered his own career revival, returning to Italian giant AC Milan this fall to secure a regular spot in manager Ruben Amorim's starting eleven.

"After the tough year last season, I'm just so hungry to establish my place again in this team and just to stay at this big club," Musah tells Sports Illustrated last week, ahead of Pochettino's November roster announcement.

"I'm really hungry to do well here. Literally every time I step on the field, I'm trying to give everything, not leave the field with regrets. I'm giving everything I can, trying to be as focused as I can outside the pitch as well, taking care of myself and putting myself in the best position to perform."

His approach is paying dividends. Musah has started seven of Milan's 10 league outings so far and came off the bench in the remaining three. He has also made meaningful contributions in Milan's Europa League campaign, starting three of the four group stage matches to date—though all ended in defeat.

His renewed reliability on the European stage was something even Pochettino couldn't overlook, recalling him last month for the first time in nearly eighteen months. Musah featured in three of the four wins during the September-October international window and started two of those matches. While he didn't set the world alight, he did enough to demonstrate that he had well and truly returned.

So what changed between then and now? Why was he left out of the November squad? He will miss the two-legged series against Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals later this month—a competition he has actually helped the USMNT claim twice (2023 and 2024).

Musah Expected Pochettino's Call Up for November Window

Musah knows he is performing at the peak of his abilities.

"There's moments as a midfielder where you can really slow down the game, and there's moments where you can really put pace on it by making forward passes or sideways passes or driving to manage the tempo of the game," Musah explains. " ... Recognizing these moments in the game now is something that I've learned this season."

He adds: "I've been playing the most consistent probably that I've played in years, and I'm trying to keep that consistency."

Musah was part of the squad that was eliminated by Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in March 2025, representing a stunning exit from a tournament the USMNT typically dominates. He was eager to make amends this time around and even felt confident that Pochettino would hand him a call-up.

"It's another trophy that we won, but we didn't win the last one, so we want to win it again," Musah asserts. "So I hope I'm part of it, and I'd love to win another one."

"I'm just trying to help the team and help the nation be the best it can be," he adds. "I'm feeling confident [about the November roster]. Feeling good. Just need to stay healthy and give myself the best chance to go back. It's nice to be back in the team now."

Pochettino's Midfield Depth

Musah's call-up never materialized, however—not due to any failing on his part, but rather because of the sheer wealth of midfield talent available to the USMNT. It remains the deepest position in the federation's player pool.

The Argentine tactician's preferred system of late has been a 4-2-3-1, deploying three central midfielders; yet Pochettino has considerably more than three dependable options to fill those roles in the middle of the park.

While Musah was left out of the November squad, USMNT stalwart Weston McKennie was welcomed back into the fold and newcomer Santiago Castañeda earned his maiden call-up. The pair helped round out a total of eight genuine midfielders—a trimmed-down figure that also forced the exclusion of established USMNT midfielders Brenden Aaronson and Aidan Morris, along with emerging talents Brooklyn Raines and Zavier Gozo.

The USMNT's midfield has long been anchored by McKennie and newly appointed captain Tyler Adams; however, over the past year, Pochettino has also come to rely heavily on several younger stars who continue to impress and develop in their midfield roles: 25-year-old Sebastian Berhalter, 23-year-old Gio Reyna and 24-year-old Malik Tillman. All three shouldered significant responsibilities at the 2026 World Cup. Berhalter appeared in all five tournament matches, while Tillman and Reyna combined for three goals. All three are set to feature for the USMNT this month.

Musah is rebuilding his career step by step and is undoubtedly heading in the right direction. That said, it will take more than just consistent playing time, even at a club of AC Milan's stature, to reclaim his place in the USMNT setup. He will need to outcompete several hungry midfielders and prove that his hunger is greater than theirs.

Sophia Vesely is a writer, reporter and editor for SI FC, with an emphasis on North American coverage. Her experience comes from regional journalism as a former sports reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, Dallas Morning News and Seattle Times. Vesely graduated from Swarthmore College, where she played collegiate soccer as a wingback. She specializes in MLS, NWSL and NCAA soccer.