AL RAYYAN, Qatar — Yunus Musah will be a centerpiece for the US men’s national team when it faces England in a critical World Cup group stage match on Friday, but he was close — very, very close — to playing for the other side.
In fact, if not for a quirk of scheduling because of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, Musah — who spent his teenage years growing up in London and representing England’s youth national teams — would likely be featuring for the Three Lions instead.
“We talked about it so much because there were a lot of feelings,” Musah’s older brother, Abdul, told ESPN. “Looking back, the situation was so unusual. But I remember picking up Yunus at the airport after he came back from his first time with the US and I said, ‘How was it?’ and he looked at me and he said, ‘I’m not going anywhere else.'”
That conclusion seems simple enough, but getting to it was actually quite tricky. Musah’s initial time with the US came in November 2020 — a match window that would normally have staged World Cup qualifiers, but only consisted of friendlies because of global travel chaos amid the pandemic. This turned out to be a key development for Musah because by rule, a player with eligibility for multiple nations becomes committed to a country once they play in a senior-level official game for that country. Friendlies don’t count.
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So, if there had been the regularly scheduled qualifiers instead of exhibitions, Musah, who was born in New York City to Ghanaian parents (his mother was on vacation at the time) and was raised in Italy and England, likely would have turned down the US invitation to camp. “I don’t think he would have gone if he knew that going would have made the decision,” Abdul said, adding that he and Musah were “very honest” with the England federation officials about Musah’s intentions.
“We spoke about it at home. We had to be so grateful to them,” Abdul said, referencing his brother having played more 30 matches for England at the youth level. “But ultimately the decision comes down to: Can you chose them for what they have done?”
“Obviously they tried to convince us to stay. Some may argue that they could have done more. But Yunus wanted to try it.”
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Musah’s connection to the other young rising stars on the US team was immediate. Obviously playing time and a more central place within a team are always factors for a dual-national, but despite the family’s connection to London, Abdul said he could sense his brother’s passion about the US immediately after those first exhibitions against Wales and Panama.
The US initially made contact with Musah through Nico Estevez, an assistant for the US who had connections at Musah’s club, Spanish LaLiga side Valencia. Musah’s conversations with US coach Gregg Berhalter were certainly positive, but it was the atmosphere he felt among the players in camp that really intrigued him.
“It was as if we’ve seen each other or met each other before,” Musah told ESPN after finalizing his decision. “And that that helps me because I’m new, and they welcomed me really well. In the end, we played two games really well and also had fun.”
