USMNT Weekend Spotlight: Musah Looks to Continue Positive Turn in Serie A

Some in-form USMNT players need to maintain their level to earn spots at the March camp.

Yunus Musah has become an important player for Atalanta over the last month. | IMAGO/Jan Huebner

Already midway through the first month of 2026, the soccer world is fully up and running for the World Cup year, with teams in Europe hitting midseason and MLS clubs kicking off preseasons this week. 

While key U.S. men's national team players like Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are enjoying strong seasons and aiming for new deals at their current clubs, others are still looking to earn their spot on this summer’s World Cup squad under manager Mauricio Pochettino. 

Here’s Sports Illustrated’s look at who will look to turn heads in this weekend's action.

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George Campbell

George Campbell will look to adapt to a dramatic tactical shift under new manager Eric Ramsay. | Adam Fradgley/West Bromwich Albion FC/Getty Images

• Fixture: West Bromwich Albion vs. Middlesbrough
• Date and Time: Friday, Jan. 16 - 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT
• Channel: Paramount+

George Campbell will have a familiar face around West Brom for the foreseeable future, as the former Atlanta United and CF Montréal center back prepares for his debut under new manager Eric Ramsay, who arrives from Minnesota United. 

The central defender has played consistently for West Brom this season under Ryan Mason, amassing 1,766 minutes across 22 matches and netting a goal and two assists. Yet, the Baggies have struggled and enter this weekend’s action sitting 18th in the Championship.

Taking on second place, Middlesbrough, Campbell will have to adapt to Ramsay’s system. With Minnesota, that meant significant time without the ball and more reliance on the backline to spark quick transitions, a shift from what Campbell has traditionally thrived at. 

He’ll take on fellow USMNT World Cup hopeful Aidan Morris.

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Yunus Musah

Musah has enjoyed a more regular role for Atalanta over the past month. | Timothy Rogers/Getty Images

• Fixture: Pisa vs. Atalanta
• Date and Time: Friday, Jan. 16 - 2:45 p.m. ET / 11:45 a.m. PT
• Channel: Paramount+, DAZN, Amazon Prime, CBS Sports Golazo

After struggling to play a significant number of minutes for Atalanta in 2025 after joining on loan from AC Milan, Yunus Musah’s role has been elevated since the calendar flipped. The 23-year-old American has played in each of the last six matches, bringing him to 12 appearances and 379 minutes across Serie A action this season. 

While he has struggled at times over the last two years, he is finally starting to reap the rewards of making the shift away from one of Italy’s biggest clubs and has been versatile in his usage, before a recent spell in his natural defensive midfield position. 

This week sees a massive opportunity for Musah, as seventh-place Atalanta takes on 19th-place Pisa, with one club eyeing potential European qualification spots and the other in the thick of a relegation battle. 

Musah has just two starts this year. Could he get another? If so, his consistency will determine if he is able to crack the USMNT’s March roster. 

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Brenden Aaronson

Brenden Aaronson is the most in-form American player at the moment. | Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images

• Fixture: Leeds United vs. Fulham
• Date and Time: Saturday, Jan. 17 - 10:00 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT
• Channel: NBC Peacock

Brenden Aaronson is one of the most in-form attackers in Europe at the moment, with two goals and two assists in his last four Premier League appearances with Leeds United. Yet, given his form comes in a months-long spell without an international camp, it’s difficult to know where he genuinely stands in Pochettino’s pecking order. 

As such, it’s critical he maintains form enough to earn a call into the March camp, which will give him an opportunity to showcase himself as a potential World Cup player and, depending on how he continues, a potential starter. 

This weekend sees Aaronson’s Leeds United take on Fulham in Premier League action, pitting the in-form American attacker against USMNT fullback Antonee Robinson, who has returned to an elite-level after months dealing with significant injuries. 

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Damion Downs

Damion Downs (right) will hope to score his first goal in over eight months this weekend. | IMAGO/Eibner

• Fixture: Hamburger S.V. vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach
• Date and Time: Saturday, Jan. 17 - 9:30 a.m. ET / 6:30 a.m. PT
• Channel: ESPN Select, Fubo TV

The striker pool for the USMNT is highly competitive, but 21-year-old Damion Downs is making every effort to crack the squad in the early stages of his career. After struggling for minutes and form with Southampton, he made a loan move to the Bundesliga’s Hamburger S.V. to start the year, returning to a league he previously found success in with FC Köln. 

Manager Merlin Polzin threw Downs right into the starting lineup in his debut, a 2–1 loss to SC Freiburg, giving the American a level of trust and confidence rarely seen by midseason loan-player arrivals. 

While he has not scored since April 2025, when he found the back of the net for Köln in a 3–1 win over Preussen Münster, he was noticeable on his debut, winning 11 duels and taking a single shot. 

This weekend, Downs will look to snap his goalscoring drought as Hamburger takes on American-heavy Borussia Mönchengladbach, featuring Gio Reyna and Joe Scally.

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