The sequence was vintage Yunus Musah.
In last weekend's Serie A match between AC Milan and Atalanta, the Milan midfielder received a pass just beyond the center circle, and carried the ball forward with his trademark strength and authority. When no Atalanta player closed him down, Musah took a crack at goal. When his drive deflected off the arm of defender Relja Obric, it earned the Rossoneri a penalty that was converted by Gonçalo Ramos, setting Milan on their way to a 3-2 win.
The play -- and his overall performance that day -- was just the latest indication of Musah's rebirth at club level. Last season, Musah endured a nightmare campaign while on loan with, ironically enough, Atalanta. He never was able to establish himself as a consistent presence in the starting lineup, and since he was on loan, there wasn't as much of an impetus to invest in a player that might be gone at season's end.
Musah made 29 appearances in all competitions, but that amounted to just 939 minutes of play. Already this season, he has logged 572 minutes in all competitions -- putting him more than halfway to last season's total just two months into the campaign.
Earlier this month, as Musah sat poolside at the team hotel while on international duty for the United States, he was his usual, upbeat, smiling self. But it was an older, wiser Musah than the one that burst on the USMNT scene as a teenager during the 2022 FIFA World Cup cycle, and started each of the U.S.'s four games in Qatar. The experiences of the past few years have left a few callouses on him. Acquiring them caused discomfort, but he now appears to be stronger for it.
The uptick in playing time he's experienced at club level this season is in line with how he views himself as a player. He retains the utmost confidence in his abilities.
"[It was] very frustrating, because I believe that I'm a player that's a starter," Musah said about last season, in a joint interview with ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. "I believe that I'm a starter, so having me as a starter on the bench and not getting used pretty much the whole season was really tough. If I felt that I didn't have the qualities to play, then I would've put my hand up and say, 'Yeah, I deserve to be on the bench.' But I think that I have the qualities to be a starter, so it was a season that was [in some ways] a waste on the bench. But at the same time, I learned so much from it, so I wouldn't necessarily say that it was a waste of a season because I learned a lot from it."
That lack of playing time saw the midfielder endure the most painful experience of all, that of falling out of the reckoning for a World Cup roster spot with the U.S. men's national team. Such was Musah's standing that when he was left off the World Cup roster, it wasn't a surprise.
"I could sense it," he said.
Musah is experiencing a different sensation now. While he hasn't been perfect for Milan this season -- against Atalanta, the midfielder lost track of Gianluca Gaetano, allowing him to score Atalanta's first goal -- overall, the U.S. midfielder has been one of Milan's most improved and important players in 2026-27.
The numbers back up the eye test, with his incisive play eliciting appreciation from the Milan faithful. According to TruMedia, the 23-year-old midfielder has been cleaner on the ball in Serie A this season, completing 92.6% of his passes compared to 88.0% during the previous campaign. His effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball has improved as well, winning a greater percentage of duels (61.3% to 52.2%) and tackles (60.0% to 37.5%).
Musah's playing situation has been helped by a return to his preferred central midfield position as opposed to wingback, where he spent much of the previous campaign. He admitted that the seeds of his improvement came on the training ground with Atalanta. He gradually became more comfortable playing in a two-man central midfield, adjusting his positioning and his body shape. He also gained a greater sense of when and where to take risks. Knowing where he's going to line up every week has been a help as well.
"I love playing in middle. It's my favorite position," Musah said. "And it's nice to just concentrate on one position and try to get better just in one position rather than always changing."
Another benefit for Musah has been playing alongside the legendary Luka Modric. The two players have complementary skill sets, with Modric counted on to deliver the cultured passes while Musah does more of the running and defensive work. And Musah can't help but absorb some lessons from the Croatia captain's vast experience, which includes six UEFA Champions League titles and four LaLiga crowns while with Real Madrid.
"It's amazing, really. I'm learning a lot from [Modric], and at his age he's still running so much," Musah said. "He's so fit and is very decisive for us. He's still our best player."
Musah added, "He talks to us a lot, and also just in the manner in which he plays, he's that kind of leader that shows you how it's done."
None of what has aided Musah this season -- the position he plays or the teammates around him -- would matter if he didn't have faith from the manager, and in Ruben Amorim, the U.S. international has that in abundance.
Amid speculation last summer that Musah was on his way out of Milan, a text from Amorim during preseason informed the player that he was part of the new manager's plans. Musah still had his doubts, but Amorim has backed up his words with action. Even when Adrien Rabiot -- himself a winner of several trophies with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, as well as the owner of a World Cup runner-up medal with France -- returned to the lineup from an early-season injury, Amorim still found a way to get Musah onto the field.
The communication between manager and midfielder has been clear as well.
"He just transmits a lot of positivity, understanding," Musah said of Amorim. "He just gives me, every game, just clear ideas on how to beat the opponent. I go into the game with a clear head because I know exactly what the manager's asking from me. And then, he's like, 'Try whatever I'm telling you, and if it doesn't work, it's my fault.' So it gives me a lot of freedom in my mind that I'm just doing what the manager's saying, and most of the time it works."
Musah's newfound club form has yet to completely translate to the USMNT. During the September/October four-game international window, Musah logged 132 minutes, with one start and two appearances off the bench. That figure comes with a caveat, though: Part of manager Mauricio Pochettino's remit for the window was to give international baptisms to the next generation of players, and so playing time was spread around.
Even without the youngsters, there is still plenty of competition in the center of the U.S. midfield. Juventus' Weston McKennie, Atlético Madrid's Johnny Cardoso, Middlesbrough's Aidan Morris and Lyon's Tanner Tessmann were all omitted from the roster for the recent window, for a variety of reasons. A change in form or improved health for his competitors could see Musah on the outside looking in when the USMNT reconvenes for the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League against Jamaica in little more than two weeks.
The positive for Musah is that his club form leaves him in greater control of his international destiny, and his recent experiences will allow him to better weather whatever obstacles are in his way.