SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Malik Tillman is soft-spoken off the field with his interviews often given at a volume just above a whisper.
He spoke loudly with his bloody right foot at one of the biggest moments of the World Cup for the United States. Still feeling the affects of being stomped on by an opponent’s studs, Tillman scored the first free kick goal in a World Cup for the Americans in 32 years to seal a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday
night that sent the U.S. into the round of 16.
Tillman celebrated the biggest moment of his young career with a smile and a scream as he ran to celebrate with his teammates in front of the large contingent of American fans at Levi’s Stadium.
“I’m a different type of person on the pitch,” he said after the game. “Of course maybe you don’t really see my emotions, but then if you score a goal like this, I think also you guys saw my emotions. It’s a great feeling.”
Tillman showed off his bloody sock — perhaps the most famous in American sports lore since Curt Schilling's in the 2004 baseball playoffs for the Boston Red Sox — after the game, saying he was still in a bit of pain.
But the discomfort was lessened by pure joy as the U.S. now prepares to play Belgium on Monday night in Seattle with a chance to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
Tillman's goal came with the U.S. protecting a one-goal lead and down a man after Folarin Balogun was sent off with a red card early in the second half. Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament in the first half but Tillman delivered the game-sealer in the highlight of what has already been a productive World Cup for the 24-year-old.
“Obviously he’s been playing so well,” captain Tim Ream said. “I’d argue he’s, other than Balo’s goals, he’s one of our best players. Everywhere on the field, doing the dirty things, making the hard things easy. I think it is just that. He just wanted to feel like he had a place. He’s a quiet kid, but he’s just come on leaps and bounds.”
Tillman is the son of an American serviceman and German mother and grew up in Germany playing on the Bayern Munich youth squad and the German national youth team before making the switch to the U.S. team in 2022.
His big moment came last summer in the Gold Cup when he scored two goals against Trinidad and Tobago and another against Haiti in the group stage. He then missed a penalty kick in the first half of the quarterfinals against Costa Rica before making one in the penalty shootout that sent the U.S. to the semifinals.
“The Gold Cup was really huge for him,” Ream said. “I think the adversity of the Costa Rica game, the penalty was really big for him. Now you look at him and he looks like he’s just playing such an easy game. It’s incredible to see. He’s had that in him all this time. It was just a matter of him finding the confidence and him believing in himself.”
This past year wasn’t easy for him after he moved from PSV Eindhoven to Bayer Leverkusen in a transfer worth a reported $41 million. He had six goals and one assist in 29 games in the Bundesliga and scoring two more in the Champions League.
His biggest goal came Wednesday night when he became the first American man to score off a free kick in a World Cup since Eric Wynalda in the 1994 opener against Switzerland.
“It was amazing,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “I think Malik is an amazing player, full of talent. We knew that he has the talent to do what he did. I’m so happy for him. Tough season for him in Leverkusen but I think now he’s enjoying and we are enjoying and the fans are enjoying his football.”
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