Yunus Musah is the U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year

Yunus Musah is the U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year

Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah has been voted the 2022 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year in a record-setting year for himself.

Musah is deserving of this award as he played a key part for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup. He won with a whopping 83.9% of the votes going to him. Following a distance behind were Paxten Aaronson and Diego Kochen with 8.8% and 3.4% respectively.

In his first World Cup, the now 20-year-old became an important piece for the MMA midfield of Musah, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams. Musah played all but 15 minutes for the U.S. in Qatar. 

Before turning 20, Musah set American records of his own. Following a strong match against England, Musah became the player with the most minutes and starts by a teenager in the history of the U.S. Soccer team. 

He played 1,578 minutes and started 20 matches for the USMNT before his 20th birthday. As part of a very young U.S. team, it is even more significant for Musah to win this award.

“It feels crazy to think out of all people that I was the one chosen to be the Young Male Player of the Year,” Musah said in a statement by U.S. Soccer. “To get this award is really huge. I’ve said it many times – I’ve had the trust from the manager, the team, the U.S. to play so many games at this young age. It shows me that I just have to carry on the way I’m doing, keep being humble and keep working hard to try and be more. As a player, you just want to keep improving.”

U.S. Soccer

Musah joins the list of some of the biggest names in U.S. Soccer history. Previous winners of the U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year include Landon Donovan (2000), Jozy Altidore (2006), Christian Pulisic (2015), and Gio Reyna (2020). Last year’s winner was Ricardo Pepi who was surprisingly left off of the U.S. World Cup squad. 

The American star has made over 70 appearances for Valencia in La Liga. He has been playing for the Spanish club since 2020. This season he has started in 12 of Valencia’s 16 league matches while contributing two assists.

Yunus Musah and other young players are the reason that the USMNT could play spoilers and be possible contenders on the international stage in the future.

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