USMNT Stock Up, Stock Down: Return of Yunus Musah, Belgium Flashbacks for Chris Richards

The players of the U.S. men’s national team had quite a busy week between dominating across Europe, earning big opportunities on the grand stage and racking up new awards.

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino will be content with how his players are performing overall, especially ahead of Concacaf Nations League play in less than a month; however, not every single American is meeting the standard.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s weekly stock up, stock down analysis for USMNT players.

USMNT Stock Up

Yunus Musah

Pochettino recently remembered Yunus Musah, and the AC Milan star is making sure the manager won’t so easily forget him again.

After being a consistent starter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and a stalwart in the USMNT’s midfield, Musah was absent from Pochettino’s ranks for over a year—missing out entirely on the 2026 home World Cup—before being called back into duty for the first time this fall. He played over an hour as a starter in the opening friendly against Peru, forming a strong partnership with captain Tyler Adams in the midfield double pivot; however, both his minutes and his impact dwindled in the subsequent games.

He rejoined the starting lineup for the final friendly against Canada, but he was soon substituted off after a sluggish 45 minutes in which he had just 20 touches on the ball.

After that final affair, Pochettino may have counted out Musah for good; however, the 23-year-old is now making a strong bid to be reconsidered.

Musah has dazzled this season for AC Milan and most recently helped the Rossoneri secure a 3–2 win over his former club Atalanta on Sunday. Starting in the midfield beside Luka Modrić, Musah had an unprecedented 98% passing accuracy, completing 54 of 55 total passes, and made four defensive contributions, including two tackles.

He will look to continue dominating in Milan’s starting XI—his first time being a consistent starter since 2022 with La Liga’s Valencia—and await Pochettino’s call next month.

Tim Weah

Speaking of being remembered, 26-year-old wingback Tim Weah is currently fighting to regain Pochettino’s attention.

Once a consistent starter on the USMNT’s right flank, including at the 2022 World Cup, Weah served a minimal role at the tournament this summer. He was a late substitute in the opener against Paraguay and played just under an hour in the dead rubber against Türkiye. He did not come off the bench in the knockout stages.

Pochettino then did not call up Weah for the September-October window, perhaps evidence of his decision to move in a different direction.

Weah won’t be so easily forgotten, though. As a right fullback for club side Marseille, he led them to a thrilling 5–2 win over Ligue 1 foe Angers on Sunday. Weah was everywhere on the right flank, assisting two goals and playing seven passes into the final third, while also making seven defensive contributions and four key recoveries, including a highlight-reel worthy slide tackle. He won every single ground duel he engaged in and was also Fotmob’s Man of the Match.

The USMNT may have considerable depth on the right side with the likes of Alex Freeman, Sergiño Dest and now Cavan Sullivan; however, if Weah can continue that caliber of well-rounded play, Pochettino will have no choice but to continue dressing him in red, white and blue.

Matt Turner

It is uncertain times for Matt Turner. He could be the best goalkeeper in all of Major League Soccer week in and week out, and Pochettino may still never call him up again.

Turner served as the back-up goalkeeper to Matt Freese this summer; however, now with an eye to the 2030 World Cup, Pochettino has been adamant to find younger prospects that could reach their peak in four years’ time. The Argentine boss called up four goalkeepers this fall, none over the 28 years old, and left 32-year-old Turner at home.

Meanwhile, Turner continues to dominate at the club level. He has been a critical part of the New England Revolution’s rise up the Eastern Conference standings this season. Having already clinched a playoff spot, the third-ranked Revolution sit just one win behind second-ranked Inter Miami.

Most recently, he made six saves to secure a narrow and vital 1–0 victory over fourth-ranked Chicago Fire on Saturday, preventing 1.21 goals. He also had 10 recoveries, taking total command of his 18-yard box.

Turner’s most impressive save was perhaps the one in the 47th minute, in which he initially dove on the ground in response to a low, driven shot from outside the box. At the last second, though, a Fire attacker intercepted his teammate’s shot to trick Turner and flick the ball over his head. The goalkeeper responded immediately, throwing his hand up to make the save, even while still falling over onto the ground. He was named the Player of the Match and was even selected to MLS’s Team of the Matchday.

Even if Pochettino doesn’t see Turner in his long-term plans, it remains to be seen if he is too vital to exclude in the short term.

USMNT Stock Down

Chris Richards

This weekend, Chris Richards was perhaps brought back to that fateful Seattle summer day against Belgium.

The USMNT suffered a humiliating 4–1 thrashing to the European foe in the World Cup round of 16 back in July, crashing out of the tournament. Richards’s loss with Crystal Palace over the weekend was even worse.

The Eagles were dominated 5–0 by Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Sunday, a match that saw Richards fail to lock down his three-man backline for 90 minutes. But just like the Belgium game, it wasn’t all Richards’s fault. In fact, the 26-year-old had a game-high 13 defensive contributions and won all three of his aerial duels, meaning the scoreline could have actually been a lot worse for the away team.

Nevertheless, it was the worst loss that Richards and Co. have suffered in 18 months, when they fell to Newcastle by the same scoreline in April 2025. Palace are now 14th in the Premier League standings, with just two wins this season.

Pochettino will most certainly overlook the blunder, though, knowing that Richards is his strongest central defender.