Tag: Yunus Musah

Musah sparks stunning AC Milan comeback vs. Torino with assist

Pulisic overcame an injury to suit up for Milan, but Musah ended up making the bigger impact in a dramatic late comeback

Yunus Musah played a major role as AC Milan escaped a potentially troubling start to the 2024-25 Serie A season.

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder came off the bench to notch an assist in stoppage time as the Rossoneri recovered from a two-goal deficit after 88 minutes to secure a 2-2 draw with Torino.

Saturday’s clash was a debut for new manager Paulo Fonseca, but it looked destined to be an opener to forget for Milan. Malick Thiaw’s 30th-minute own goal seemed to suck the air out of the San Siro, and — moments after a Milan penalty was overturned by VAR — Duvan Zapata made it 2-0 to the visitors.

Fonseca turned to his bench, first giving Spain striker Álvaro Morata his competitive debut before bringing Musah on for his USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic.

Largely setting up at right back, Musah played a major role as Milan conjured up a stunning late escape. Opta credited him with playing a part in a whopping seven shot attempts after entering the match in the 73rd minute.

First, the 21-year-old’s long-range effort eventually became Morata’s first Milan goal. Musah struck with power, only for a Torino defender to provide a block. The rebound fell to Tijjani Reijnders, who fizzed a ball in for the veteran striker to calmly guide home in the 89th minute.

Musah was a bigger factor in the equalizer. Receiving the ball in space on the right, the USMNT midfielder swung in an inch-perfect cross for Noah Okafor, who didn’t have to break stride to volley past Torino’s Vanja Milinković-Savić.

Pulisic, meanwhile, started as Milan’s No. 10 on the day, a possibility Fonseca discussed coming into the season.

While Saturday wasn’t the USMNT star’s best day at the office — his last action of the match was a shot over the bar from point-blank range — it will come as a relief nonetheless. Pulisic was an injury doubt heading into the match, with his status unclear until Milan released its starting lineup on the day.

Watch Musah’s dramatic late assist

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AC Milan boss Fonseca puts Musah transfer rumors to rest

The midfielder was strongly linked with a move to Lyon last week

Yunus Musah’s name has been involved in transfer rumors of late, but AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca is adamant that the American is going nowhere.

Last week, Foot Mercato reported that Lyon was in talks with Milan over a transfer for the midfielder, who was valued at €22 million.

Musah had an up-and-down debut campaign with Milan last term, shifting in and out of the lineup while playing a variety of positions.

Stefano Pioli left his position as Milan head coach at the end of the season, with Fonseca coming in from Lille as his replacement.

Fonseca has led Milan to wins over Manchester City and Real Madrid to kick off the team’s U.S. tour. After Musah played 25 minutes in Wednesday’s win over Madrid in Chicago, Fonseca made it clear that he envisions the 21-year-old staying for his sophomore campaign with Milan.

“I’m 200% sure he’s the kind of player for our game. He showed [against Real Madrid] in 30 minutes, it was amazing with just a few days of working with us,” Fonseca said to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I’m very confident with him. I believe he can be very important for our team. But of course, he must improve many things, but my opinion? He has the right characteristics to play in this position in our game.”

Milan will close out its tour of the U.S. with a game against Barcelona in Baltimore on Tuesday.

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USMNT lineup vs. Brazil: Berhalter makes two changes after Colombia blowout

Ricardo Pepi and Yunus Musah are in as the USMNT hopes for a far better showing against Brazil

The U.S. men’s national team is staying the course, with Gregg Berhalter making few changes to his lineup for Wednesday’s friendly against Brazil.

Despite losing 5-1 on Saturday to Colombia, Berhalter made just two alterations to his starting 11. Ricardo Pepi and Yunus Musah were given the nod against Brazil, with Folarin Balogun and Johnny Cardoso making way.

Balogun, after a high-profile recruitment battle for his services at the international level, has endured an underwhelming first season with AS Monaco. The 22-year-old posted eight goals and seven assists in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side, a step down after his 22-goal campaign at mid-table Reims in 2022-23.

With the USMNT, Balogun has struggled to influence games regularly. While his three goal/three assist haul in 11 caps is respectable, it is not quite the output many expected when the former Arsenal forward opted for the USMNT over England.

Pepi, meanwhile, found his minutes limited at PSV due to the spectacular form of starter Luuk de Jong. Still, the Texan was productive when he got the chance, scoring nine times in just 764 minutes played in all competitions. With the USMNT, Pepi’s 10 goals from 24 caps compare favorably with Balogun’s output, though neither striker has scored for the U.S. in 2024.

Musah, meanwhile, will give the USMNT a different look from the more defensively-oriented Johnny. The former has often functioned as a No. 8, while the latter plays deeper for club and country.

The USMNT is likely looking at its options in case starting defensive midfielder Tyler Adams — who has battled hamstring and back injuries for over a year — is not at 100% for the start of the Copa América. Earlier this week, Berhalter confirmed that Adams was available to face Brazil, but would be on a minutes cap.

USMNT lineup vs. Brazil

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USMNT star Pulisic skips AC Milan postseason tour of Australia

The USMNT won’t be disappointed to see the news

In a piece of good news for the U.S. men’s national team, Christian Pulisic was left off AC Milan’s squad for the club’s postseason trip to Australia.

Milan only just finished its season over the weekend, but the club will head out this week to face Roma in a friendly in Perth on Friday.

Most of Milan’s first-team players will make the trip, though Ismaël Bennacer and Rafael Leão weren’t part of the group heading Down Under.

Also missing out was Pulisic, who just wrapped up a career-best season that saw him record 15 goals and 11 assists.

Pulisic was reportedly left off due to commercial commitments. Based on an Instagram post, the USMNT star appeared to be back home in Pennsylvania on Monday.

For the USMNT, seeing Pulisic skip a grueling trip across the globe after a season in which he played 50 games will be welcome news.

The U.S. will convene in the Washington D.C. area later this week as it gets set to face Colombia in a friendly at Commanders Field on June 8. The team will then take on Brazil in Orlando on June 12 in its final tune-up ahead of the Copa América.

Another key member of the USMNT, Yunus Musah, was on Milan’s roster for the trip to Australia, and is set to be a late arrival into camp.

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Stefano Pioli officially exits AC Milan — the USMNT owes him one

The coach was instrumental in the USMNT star’s career-best season

Stefano Pioli’s time as AC Milan manager is over, the club has confirmed.

After five years in charge, Pioli will leave his post following Milan’s last game of the season on Saturday.

Pioli’s time at Milan included some major triumphs, particularly a Serie A title in 2021-22 and a Champions League semifinal berth last season.

But an indifferent 2023-24 campaign has seen Milan opt to move on from the 58-year-old.

“AC Milan extends heartfelt thanks to Stefano Pioli and his entire staff for leading the first team over the past five years, securing an unforgettable league title and re-establishing AC Milan’s consistent presence in the top European competition,” a club statement said.

“Stefano’s professionalism and human touch have significantly contributed to the growth of the squad, embodying the club’s core values ​​from day one.”

From an American standpoint, Pioli did plenty of good in his single season coaching U.S. men’s national team pair Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah.

Pioli trusted Musah with plenty of responsibility in his first season with the club, giving the 21-year-old a prominent role in midfield and even in defense occasionally.

As for Pulisic, the coach was instrumental in helping revitalize the USMNT star. Pulisic has delivered a career-best season, which he has attributed in part to the trust he received from Pioli.

“He has really come through on his promises,” Pulisic told Fox Sports in March. “It’s not just knowing you’re going to play — it’s having someone who really spoke to me before and really wanted me to come in.

“He’s given me an opportunity to go out and be myself the best way I know how, and has fit into what works best for the team.”

Paulo Fonseca is reportedly Milan’s choice to take over, after the Portuguese boss led Lille to fourth place in Ligue 1 this season.

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Pulisic back scoring for AC Milan after Cagliari brace

Pulisic’s career-best season continued as Milan crushed Cagliari 5-1

Christian Pulisic is looking to end a strong first season with AC Milan on a high note.

The U.S. men’s national team attacker struck twice for Milan in a ruthless second half as the Rossoneri thumped Cagliari 5-1 on Saturday.

The double takes Pulisic up to 12 goals in Serie A this season, and 15 in all competitions. Pulisic’s first multi-goal game with Milan also broke a goalless run over the last month, with the Pennsylvania native’s last goal coming on April 6 in a 3-0 win over Lecce.

Pulisic’s total of 15 goals and nine assists is by some distance his best output over one season. His previous best, an 11 goal/eight assist campaign with Chelsea, came in the 2019-20 season. The output also represents the most productive first season at the club for any Rossoneri player since Carlos Bacca in 2015-16.

Sporting a “Harlow” No. 11 kit as part of a Mother’s Day celebration, Pulisic got the nod despite some rotation from manager Stefano Pioli, and though Milan held a 1-0 edge at halftime, those changes seemed to contribute to a flat performance.

A triple substitution during the break seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, as the Rossoneri upped the tempo to increase their lead.

One of the changes, Rafael Leão, pushed Milan forward after a backheel from USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah caught Cagliari off guard.

The Portugal winger raced into the visitors’ half before showing patience, waiting for Pulisic — who held his run for a moment before sprinting into a seam — before sending the U.S. forward through.

From there, Pulisic made no mistake, racing into the box before firing past a helpless Simone Scuffet.

While Cagliari would offer a quick response to make it 2-1, Milan proceeded to overpower the Serie A strugglers. Tijjani Reijnders’ brilliant long-range goal in the 74th minute seemed to break the will of the club from Sardinia, and the Rossoneri showed no mercy.

Leão would essentially walk a fourth over the line, while Pulisic’s fifth needed some help from goal-line technology.

Noah Okafor’s cross from the endline found Pulisic in a good position, but the latter’s low shot was initially not given, as Yerry Mina lunged in on the line for a possible block.

However, within a moment, referee Simone Sozza gave the goal, signaling that the ball had indeed completely crossed the line.

Watch Pulisic claim a brace vs. Cagliari

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Pulisic, Musah can do little as Inter beats AC Milan to clinch Serie A title

The USMNT pair was subdued as Inter clinched its 20th Serie A title

Inter clinched the Serie A championship in the most satisfying way possible, defeating arch-rival AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to lock up the title.

The destination of the Scudetto hasn’t been in doubt for months, as Simone Inzaghi’s side has enjoyed a commanding advantage atop the table for most of the season.

The Rossoneri at least wanted to prevent their rivals from clinching the title in the derby though, but could do little to slow down the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.

U.S. duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the match for Milan in unfamiliar positions. Pulisic played wide left in the place of Rafael Leão, who started at striker. Musah, meanwhile, occupied Pulisic’s typical role out wide right.

Both had quiet games, especially Pulisic, who could hardly make an impact on the night as Inter’s league-best defense did well to bottle the American up.

Inter took the lead 18 minutes in after some disastrous Milan set-piece marking left Francesco Acerbi unmarked for a header on the doorstep.

The lead would be doubled minutes after the break, after a well-struck shot from Marcus Thuram beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Fikayo Tomori gave Milan a lifeline with a close-range finish in the 80th minute, but the Rossoneri couldn’t find the second they needed to avoid watching their rivals kick off wild celebrations in front of their eyes.

The end of the match was marred by two separate clashes between the teams that resulted in a total of three red cards. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off for Milan and Denzel Dumfries saw red for Inter.

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AC Milan’s trophy hopes dashed as Roma claims Europa League semifinal place

Milan had high hopes for this season, but will end it without even a final after a frustrating loss to Roma

Just like that, AC Milan’s entire season boils down to qualifying for the Champions League.

The Rossoneri’s last chance at silverware ended in frustration on Thursday, as a 2-1 loss at Roma completed a 3-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of the club’s Serie A rivals.

Even an early Zeki Çelik red card wasn’t enough for Milan, who couldn’t solve Daniele De Rossi’s side after falling behind in the game’s opening stages.

“Roma deserved it. They put more quality on the pitch than us,” a downbeat Milan boss Stefano Pioli said in a post-match interview with RAI Sport. “I expected the team to play better and win. I’m not satisfied with tonight’s effort.”

The loss means that Milan — who trail city rivals Inter by a whopping 14 points in Serie A — has little to play for beyond sealing a place in next year’s Champions League.

Atalanta (who also advanced to the Europa League semifinals on Wednesday with a 3-1 aggregate win over Liverpool) knocked Pioli’s club out of the Coppa Italia back in January, and with Roma advancing at the Stadio Olimpico, an all-Italy final may still await.

For Milan, however, this will go down as a strange, disappointing day at the office. Roma’s 1-0 win at the San Siro was already a difficult scoreline to overturn, and the Rossoneri did seemingly everything possible to make the situation worse in the second leg’s early minutes.

Just 12 minutes in, Milan stood by passively as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s curler smacked off the post, then collectively continued to watch as Gianluca Mancini waltzed in to steer the rebound home.

Roma dropped off, but maintained a direct threat that Milan would rue just 10 minutes later. Romelu Lukaku couldn’t make the initial attack count, but again the second phase favored Roma: the loose ball fell to Paulo Dybala for a ruthless finish.

Still, Milan got a lifeline, with Çelik getting a 31st-minute red card after a wild swipe took Rafael Leão out from behind.

Meanwhile, the game descended into odd territory. The rain in Rome turned to sleet, while the teams combined to make three substitutions before halftime. Lukaku left with an injury in the 28th minute, while both clubs made tactical changes due to the red card, the scoreline, and the nature of cup soccer.

Pioli kept throwing numbers at Milan’s problems, and two more halftime substitutions saw a move to a 4-1-3-2 formation with Christian Pulisic playing underneath two out-and-out strikers, while his U.S. men’s national teammate Yunus Musah was stationed at right back.

The problem for Milan? None of this particularly worked, and despite attempting 20 shots, the Rossoneri were unable to truly worry Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

Only once Milan seemed to have accept defeat did the breakthrough come, though Matteo Gabbia’s 85th minute goal was nothing but a consolation.

Milan’s work this season isn’t over, with the next week including games against Inter and Juventus. However, with Serie A virtually certain to go to the blue half of the city and Milan nearly mathematically sure of a spot in next season’s Champions League, April and May will be as much about sorting out where a promising season went wrong as it is anything else.

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Musah full of praise for Pulisic’s goalscoring — and his Italian

Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player this season

Yunus Musah has been highly impressed with Christian Pulisic’s accomplishments with AC Milan this season, both on and off the field.

In his debut campaign with the Rossoneri, Pulisic has already reached a career high in goals with 12. The U.S. national team star entered the international break on a streak of four games in a row with a goal.

Musah, who is also in his first AC Milan season, wasn’t just impressed with his teammate’s displays on the pitch, but also his vastly improving Italian skills.

Speaking to reporters from USMNT camp ahead of Thursday’s Nations League semifinal against Jamaica, Musah said Pulisic has been Milan’s best attacking player in 2023-24 so far.

“I’m really really happy with the way I see Christian playing at the moment,” the midfielder said. “He’s scoring a lot of goals, affecting the play a lot in our team.

“I’d say he’s been our best attacking player this season at Milan, so I’m really happy for him. He’s doing so well. I see he’s enjoying it as well and possibly having one of his best seasons. So yeah, I’m really happy to see a fellow American do such a thing.”

Musah speaks fluent Italian, having lived in Italy for several years during his childhood. The 21-year-old helped Pulisic transition to life in a new country and a new language upon their arrival in Milan but lately, Musah said Pulisic is showing he doesn’t need quite as much help in the language department.

“Whenever I could help with the language I did, and he’s learning as well,” Musah said. “And as as you can see, he’s happy there, he’s enjoying himself, thriving. So I’m happy for him.”

The midfielder added: “He’s working really hard on his Italian and he’s managed to learn quite a bit. He really understands the manager now and [his] teammates.”

Musah also spoke about his own campaign thus far, having made the move from Valencia over the summer. After starting regularly for Milan over the first half of the season, Musah has been a bench option in recent months with Ismaël Bennacer, Yacine Adli and Tijjani Reijnders all battling for minutes in center midfield.

“I’m really happy with how the season’s been going at such a big team like this,” Musah said. “I’ve managed to play a lot of games at the beginning, in the Champions League against some top teams like PSG.”

He added: “We have a lot of talented players in the middle, so there’s a lot of competition. We can all start, so it’s hard for the manager to choose who plays. I’m just ready whenever it’s my time.”

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Pulisic strikes again as Milan beats Lazio 2-0

Pulisic was in top form as the Rossoneri picked up three points in a tough Serie A clash

Christian Pulisic is really embracing la dolce vita.

The U.S. men’s national team star opened the scoring for AC Milan in a 2-0 win over Lazio, capping off a superb performance for himself by striking his side’s opening goal on the half-volley.

After an uneventful first half that was only really punctuated by an injury for Ruben Loftus-Cheek — Yunus Musah entered in the England midfielder’s stead in the 29th minute — Milan began pressing more aggressively, eventually setting the stage for Pulisic to give his side the lead on the hour mark.

With Olivier Giroud occupying multiple defenders amid some slick one-touch passing, Pulisic ghosted in towards the penalty spot to fire Rafael Leão’s clipped cross past Ivan Provedel.

The goal is Pulisic’s third in eight appearances since making a €22 million summer move to Serie A. It also follows up the Hershey, Pa. native’s assist mid-week, when Pulisic set Loftus-Cheek up for Milan’s final goal in a 3-1 victory over Cagliari.

14 minutes after opening the scoring on Saturday, Pulisic set Musah up for what would have been a magical second. Unfortunately for the Rossoneri, Musah’s spinning volley was denied brilliantly by Ivan Provedel. Noah Okafor would end up tacking on a late second to seal the win for Stefano Pioli’s side.

The victory moved Milan top of the Serie A table for a few hours, only for city rivals Inter to vault back ahead with a rout of Salernitana later on Saturday.

“From the first half we put a lot of pressure on them, we pushed hard and the goal was only a matter of time,” Pulisic told DAZN after the match. “We finally scored it, from then on it was a great performance.”

Pulisic added that Milan must “take it one game at a time” to have a shot at staying atop the table by season’s end. “If we do this we have a good chance of winning. Today went well, we’re already thinking about the next game.”

Watch Pulisic’s strike for Milan in Lazio win

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