LAFC’s Timmy Tillman and his brother could make history with U.S. soccer call-up
LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman was called up to the men’s national team alongside his brother Malik on Monday, giving the pair a chance to make history in next month’s Copa América tuneups with Colombia and Brazil.
If the two German-born players get on the field together in the same match, they would become the first pair of brothers to play side-by-side for the U.S. since 1988. They already are the 10th set of brothers to both play for the national team at any time.
The 27 players summoned by coach Gregg Berhalter will begin reporting to training camp May 28, meaning Timothy will be available for LAFC’s U.S. Open Cup game with Loudoun United on Tuesday and the team’s MLS game with Atlanta United on Saturday. But he would miss at least two others.
Malik Tillman’s season with PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie is over.
American players are becoming more common in Italy’s Serie A, and the country’s top soccer league is helping the USMNT prepare for World Cup qualifying.
Also named to the squad were midfielders Tyler Adams, Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie and forwards Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent, whose last appearance for the U.S. came in the 2022 World Cup. Sargent, who scored 16 times in 26 games for Norwich City in England’s second-tier Championship, is one of 18 World Cup players on the roster.
The Tillmans, dual nationals born to a German mother and U.S. serviceman father in Nuremberg, Germany, played for both the German and U.S. youth national teams growing up. But both opted to play for the U.S. on the senior level, with Malik, who turns 22 next week, making his debut in 2022 and Timothy, 25, making his five months ago.
Malik Tillman, who has played for four teams in three countries in Europe, has appeared in 10 matches for the USMNT, the last coming in the CONCACAF Nations League final last March. Timothy, who joined LAFC last season, made his only appearance for the U.S. in a January friendly with Slovenia in which he started and played 89 minutes.
With LAFC, he is tied for second on the team with four goals in 13 MLS games. Among outfield players, only Denis Bouanga has played more minutes in league play than Tillman. He is one of just four MLS players named to the training camp roster.
The U.S. will face Colombia on June 8 in Landover, Md., and Brazil four days later in Orlando, after which Berhalter will name his roster for this summer’s Copa América. The USMNT hasn’t beaten Colombia in its last seven tries dating to 2005, the team’s second-longest current winless streak. The longest? Eleven against Brazil dating to 1998.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Cardiff City), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Gio Reyna (Nottingham Forest), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven), Timmy Tillman (LAFC)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Josh Sargent (Norwich City), Tim Weah (Juventus), Haji Wright (Coventry City)
