U.S. men's national team midfielder Yunus Musah took full advantage of the talent gap on display in the Copa del Rey on Thursday to put forth his most productive match of the season.
Musah assisted on Valencia's opening goal and then scored one of his own in a 3–0 romp over sixth-tier Utrillas in the first round of the competition. Musah helped Valencia open the scoring in the 27th minute with a cross from the right that was dummied for Marcos André to finish from the center of the box.
He doubled the lead by being first to a rebound off a saved penalty, finishing from a right-sided angle in the 52nd minute.
It marked the second straight season in which Musah has scored in this round in the Copa del Rey, forcing extra time with a stoppage-time equalizer against fourth-tier Terrassa to keep Valencia from an embarrassing exit in 2020.
Perhaps more important than the goal and assist on Thursday were the 90 minutes Musah played, with match time inconsistent for the 19-year-old midfielder. He has just two starts in La Liga play this season, which came in late September and early October and has made 11 appearances in total.
Musah was a vital part of the U.S's World Cup qualifying win over Mexico, complementing Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams well in what has emerged as the U.S's first-choice midfield trio.
He'll look to build off the performance Sunday at Celta Vigo in a meeting of two mid-table sides in La Liga.
