The 22-year-old is working his way up at the Ohio club as part of a backline trio that includes countryman Jonathan Mensah, and he scored his first goal for The Black and Gold in a 1-1 draw away at Orlando City on Saturday.

Abubakar, who was drafted by the MLS outfit in January, hopes the game-time he has enjoyed in the league of late will be noticed by Ghana boss Kwesi Appiah, who went to Columbus to watch him play when Crew beat Philadelphia Union 1-0 in July.

"It was great. He came at the right time and I had my opportunity to show him what I am capable of," the player told KwesèESPN. "I wanted to show him what I got by simply doing well. I thought I played really well in that game so hopefully I have made my case for a call-up."

Abubakar has had his fair share of high and low moments for Crew since that game, including a day to forget in Philadelphia when he was sent off in a 3-0 loss. While he is confident that such disappointments will not wreck his international ambitions, he faces serious competition from club mate Mensah and a number of Ghanaian centre-backs in Europe for a place.

However, he believes he plays in a league that equips him with the skills to compete: "MLS has developed now and I think I can develop playing in this league. There are 11 international players in our club who have had great careers in Europe. I think I can get better here."

If he eventually gets his chance, Abubakar will be a rare breed in the Black Stars - or any - dressing room in that he values his football, but is pragmatic in his ambitions and priorities.

He arrived in the US on a full scholarship to Dayton University in 2014, after spending time at the University of Ghana, and puts great stock in his education. Football and academics don't tend to mix well in Ghana, but Abubakar made the two blend, adding: "When I was growing up I wanted to play football, but my family wanted me to take education seriously too. I decided that I needed to combine the two.

"My advice is 'soccer is not everything'. You need a back-up because, in reality, not everyone can make it in soccer. When I came here I wanted to get a good degree as back-up and then pursue the professional career too. I don't think soccer is everything."

Ghana's next set of fixtures is in the first week of September, when they face the Congo in a pair of World Cup qualifiers for the 2018 edition in Russia. Abubakar hopes his efforts will be enough to get him a call-up and potential debut but, if not, he'll keep steadily climbing the rungs in Ohio.