It has been quite the journey for 19-year-old Usman Muhammed who began his PSC journey in Richmond, Virginia 18 months ago and this week made his Premier League Debut in the Maltese Premier League via England, Portugal, and Spain!
The young forward performed well at his first PSC combine in Richmond in the summer of 2018, however still had areas of his game that needed to be developed. He caught the eye of attending coach Mark Miller who at the time was scouting on behalf of a number of Maltese Premier League clubs.
PSC recognized the potential in Usman and wanted to help him realize that potential, and his dream, to play professionally in Europe. His first step was to join up with our 2018 UK summer showcase tour to see how he would fare in an intense training environment playing against local English Academies such as Birmingham City FC, Walsall FC & Coventry City FC amongst others.
Again, Usman made an impression on the attending coaches and scouts who recognized his ability and potential but did not feel he was ready to go into a European first team just yet.
For some, having heard this twice, that would be the end of the road and they may have pursued alternative options. Not for Usman though, who was determined to continue pursuing his dream and asked how PSC could help. Having seen Usman show his potential in Richmond, and in England, PSC invited Usman to their Professional Elite Showcase Tour to Portugal & Spain in March 2019 where he would play in an open age professional environment.
Usman recognized the opportunity he was presented with to once again join up with PSC’s elite coaching staff to develop his game and showcase further. During the tour, he was coached again by Mark Miller, who was now Head Coach at Maltese Premier League side Mosta FC, and had seen him in Richmond one year earlier. After 2 weeks working with the young striker, Miller brought him in for pre-season with Mosta where he again impressed.
Usman was set up to train and play with Mosta’s U19 team for the season and after more standout performances was handed his first team debut earlier this week.
Usman is a great example of how persistence can lead to success in the unpredictable world of soccer. For young players it is easy to give up after hearing “no interest” a few times, but often it is a case of “not yet” rather than a rejection. Usman worked on his game, and committed to his dream of playing professionally and has been rewarded for doing so. Usman is also a great example of how PSC will look to help players who show potential but need development in order to be considered for the professional level.
PSC looks forward to seeing Usman’s continued progression in Europe!