The U.S. men’s national team’s midfield talent pool just got deeper.
According to a report from The Athletic, Timothy Tillman has filed for a one-time switch of allegiance from Germany to the USMNT. Once cleared, the Los Angeles FC midfielder would potentially join his brother, Rangers playmaker Malik Tillman, in pursuing minutes in a crowded U.S. midfield.
Tillman was born and raised in Germany, and has represented the country at the youth level up to the under-19 level. The 24-year-old never quite broke through at Bayern Munich after emerging from their academy system, but became a regular with Greuther Fürth — where he played his youth soccer — from 2020 through the first half of the 2022-23 season.
He’s since taken things to a new level after moving to MLS with LAFC, stepping into a starting role as a No. 8 opposite USMNT regular Kellyn Acosta.
It’s been a long road for Tillman to put in for a USMNT switch. Appearances in 2017 for Germany’s under-19 team in European U-19 Championship qualifying left him obliged to file for a switch to represent the United States. Former U.S. under-20 head coach Tab Ramos said Tillman was going to make that switch all the way back in 2018, but the move didn’t materialize at the time.
In some circles, U.S. Soccer’s recruitment of the elder Tillman was speculated to be part of a process to get Malik Tillman to commit, but in the end, the younger brother chose the USMNT first. Timothy Tillman’s switch has not yet been formally announced by the USMNT, and it’s unclear how long that process might take on FIFA’s end.
How does Tillman fit with the USMNT?
On one hand, even though Tillman is an energetic, technical No. 8 playing at a high level with the best team in MLS, there’s no guarantee that the USMNT actually has a place for him at what is arguably its deepest position.
Along with his club teammate Acosta, interim coach Anthony Hudson can call on Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah, Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre, and Cristian Roldan from the World Cup roster.
Beyond that group, Johnny Cardoso and Djordje Mihailovic are pushing to climb the depth chart, as are recent call-ups Paxton Pomykal and Alan Soñora.
That said, Tillman’s performances in MLS and the trajectory he’s on should put him firmly in the mix, provided the switch goes off without any obstacles.
It also feels like another success for U.S. Soccer’s approach to recruiting dual nationals. Over the last year, goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina (Poland) and winger Alex Zendejas (Mexico) both chose the USMNT over other options, while the team appears to be very much in the mix for red-hot Reims striker Folarin Balogun, who could also represent England or Nigeria. The battle for Tillman may not have been as fierce — there are currently no signs that Germany was about to call Tillman up — but the tides on the dual national front have been in the USMNT’s favor for some time now.
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