Tyler Adams vs Yunus Musah – Who starts at No.6 for USMNT? Tim Howard explains why Bournemouth & AC Milan stars could both play amid ‘great’ competition

The United States are enjoying a golden era on the talent front, with an exciting young squad seeing multiple options emerge in just about every area of the field. That pool of elite performers is expected to serve the U.S. well heading towards the 2024 Copa America and 2026 World Cup.

Gregg Berhalter has an abundance of riches at his disposal, with the midfield department proving to be among the best stocked. Questions are being asked of whether 20-year-old Musah – fresh from his summer transfer to AC Milan – has edged above Qatar 2022 captain Adams – who is now at Bournemouth – following the latter’s injury-enforced absence during the September international break.

Former USMNT goalkeeper Howard has told the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast: “I love Tyler, I love his ability to retain the ball, to break up plays in the middle of the park. This is an intriguing conversation because when I look at the midfield – Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Musah – there may not be enough positions to go around. I think that’s a great thing. It’s a great thing when you start to get into what’s the most important play – Copa America, World Cup. The biggest issue, how are we going to get beyond certain stages in the World Cup? You can only do that when you are able to change specific players in your 11 and not have a drop off.

"Whether Musah is the answer at No.6, going into a tournament format – I couldn’t care less about friendlies, they are important but what’s the ultimate goal, to perform at a level 10 every four days over the course of a month. If you have the ability to not only play like for like but also change shape and get your best players on the field, then maybe there is a point where you say ‘I’ve got to have Musah and I’ve got to have Tyler on the field’. Ok, we play a double six and you change the formation ahead of them. I think it’s a good problem to have.”

New York native Musah – who is now playing alongside compatriot Pulisic at Milan - is already up to 29 appearances for his country, while Adams has 36 caps and will be determined to win his place back when fully fit.