Tag: Timothy Tillman

USMNT Copa America roster: Sargent makes the cut, Timothy Tillman dropped

Timothy Tillman was dropped from the squad, while two players with injury questions made the cut

Following two warm-up friendlies, the U.S. men’s national team has announced its 26-man roster for the Copa América.

All 26 players have come from the team’s 27-man roster for the matches against Colombia and Brazil. LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman is the one player who was dropped from the squad.

That means there were places on the squad for Tyler Adams and Josh Sargent, two players who entered this camp with injury question marks.

Sargent was unable to play in either friendly as he continues working his way back from a foot injury, which stems from an ankle surgery over the winter.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said prior to the Brazil match that the Norwich City forward was “progressing well” but still wasn’t ready for game action.

After being held out against Colombia, Adams came on as a second-half sub against Brazil. The midfielder had played just 10 total minutes since March, when he returned from a long-term hamstring injury only to be sidelined for seven of Bournemouth’s last eight games with back spasms.

After a heavy defeat against Colombia and a draw against Brazil, the USMNT will now look ahead to its Copa América opener on June 23 against Bolivia.

Following that match, Berhalter’s side will face Panama on June 27 and close out group play against Uruguay on July 1.

Full USMNT Copa America roster (club; caps/goals)

Goalkeepers (3): 18-Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City; 9), 25-Sean Johnson (Toronto FC; 13), 1-Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest; 41)

Defenders (9): 2-Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic; 17/0), 23-Kristoffer Lund (Palermo; 3/0), 24-Mark McKenzie (Genk; 13/0), 16-Shaq Moore (Nashville SC; 19/1), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham; 58/1), 3-Chris Richards (Crystal Palace; 18/1), 5-Antonee Robinson (Fulham; 43/4), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 29/3), 22-Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; 11/0)

Midfielders (7): 4-Tyler Adams (Bournemouth; 39/2), 15-Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis; 13/0), 14-Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo; 21/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Juventus; 53/11), 6-Yunus Musah (AC Milan; 37/0), 7-Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; 28/8), 17-Malik Tillman (PSV; 11/0)

Forwards (7): 11-Brenden Aaronson (Leeds; 41/8), 20-Folarin Balogun (Monaco; 12/3), 9-Ricardo Pepi (PSV; 25/10), 10-Christian Pulisic (AC Milan; 68/29), 26-Josh Sargent (Norwich City; 23/5), 21-Tim Weah (Juventus; 39/6), 19-Haji Wright (Coventry City; 10/4)

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Timothy Tillman files one-time switch to represent USMNT

The Tillman brothers could be coming soon to a USMNT lineup near you

FIFA has approved a change of association filed by Timothy Tillman, who is now eligible to represent the U.S. men’s national team.

The LAFC midfielder previously represented Germany in official competition at the youth level, and was required to file the change of association through FIFA in order to play for the USMNT.

“To represent the United States is obviously making me proud. I’m really honored to do so and I’m looking forward to the future with the United States,” Tilllman told U.S. Soccer’s website. “Telling my family about it was really exciting. As a kid, my brother and I dreamt of playing for a national team together and now we’re one step closer.”

Tillman and his younger brother Malik were born in Nürnberg, Germany, the sons of a German mother and a U.S. serviceman.

Malik, who starred on loan at Rangers this season from Bayern Munich, made his USMNT debut in June 2022 and has earned four caps.

After spending time in Bayern Munich’s academy, Timothy moved to Greuther Fürth in 2020, where he made 80 league appearances between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. He then moved to LAFC prior to the 2023 season, where he’s become a key part of Steve Cherundolo’s midfield setup.

Tillman could make his USMNT debut this summer if he’s called in for either the CONCACAF Nations League or for the Gold Cup. The 24-year-old was named to the 60-man preliminary roster for the Nations League last week.

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Timothy Tillman reportedly files FIFA switch to USMNT from Germany

Two Tillmans are better than one for the USMNT

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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LAFC shove Philadelphia Union aside, grab spot in CONCACAF Champions League final

It was a battle, and LAFC was more ready for the fight

LAFC has once again established their bona fides as MLS’s top dog.

A rematch of last year’s incredible 2022 MLS Cup saw the same winner, with LAFC beating a 10-man Philadelphia Union 3-0 on Tuesday to seal a 4-1 aggregate win in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals.

LAFC will go on to face either Tigres or Club León in the two-legged final, with dates and kickoff times yet to be announced. Tigres holds a 2-1 lead heading into Wednesday night’s second leg.

A physical battle throughout saw LAFC, normally seen as a possession-oriented team, opt to play on the break for long spells. That approach became much easier when they took an early lead thanks to Timothy Tillman. A 13th-minute LAFC corner saw Andre Blake do a madness to deny Ilie Sánchez, with the Jamaica No. 1 somehow clawing the ball off the line.

Sánchez was left with his head in his hands, but the Union never finished the job, and Tillman was able to smash the ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle.

The Union had their looks from set pieces, but either couldn’t find a finish or were turned back from fine work by John McCarthy, one of their chief tormentors at the 2022 MLS Cup final. At the other end, Blake denied Mateusz Bogusz’s curling effort with another top-drawer save towards the end of the half.

Mostly though, this seemed to be a game characterized by acrimony. Alejandro Bedoya was lucky not to see more than a yellow card for a second-minute tackle, and multiple heavy collisions were followed by jawing and the occasional shove.

With referee Drew Fischer having little option but to dole out yellow cards, someone was bound to get sent off. That fate ended up befalling Olivier Mbaizo, who clattered into Dénis Bouanga just before the hour mark and received his second yellow as a result.

The Union, who had the lion’s share of possession throughout the match, looked more measured playing 10-versus-11, but ultimately LAFC’s counter-punching posture put the contest to bed. The sequence had everything that makes them such a powerhouse: José Cifuentes battled through a tackle to find Carlos Vela, who instantly opened the field up with a glorious diagonal pass out to Kwadwo Opoku.

The young Ghanaian, who LAFC had the luxury of bringing off the bench, finished the chance with power and accuracy, leaving Blake no chance to pull off another miracle save.

Bouanga would go on to supply a 90th-minute strike as the Union were obliged to leave men forward, giving the Gabonese attacker plenty of space to add an exclamation point in front of a delighted crowd at BMO Stadium.

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