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Magic Tillman Matches Dempsey Record As Leverkusen Star Continues USMNT Rise
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- Magic Tillman Matches Dempsey Record As Leverkusen Star Continues USMNT Rise
Malik Tillman is becoming one of the United States' most reliable sources of goals at international level.
The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has scored in three consecutive appearances for Mauricio Pochettino's side, a run that began at the World Cup and continued Saturday against Peru. The last American to do it was Clint Dempsey at the 2016 Copa América, a tournament in which the United States reached the semifinals, and Dempsey remained the unmistakable center of its attack.
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The comparison with Dempsey is noteworthy not simply because of the name attached to it, but because of what it says about Tillman's place in the United States setup.
Saturday's victory over Peru opened a new four-year cycle for the USMNT , with 11 players earning their first caps, eight of them teenagers. Yet when the United States needed someone to take responsibility in the second half, it was Tillman who stepped forward.
Mathis Albert won the penalty in the 64th minute. Tillman took the ball, placed it on the spot and, two minutes later, had restored the American lead.
There was little drama in the finish. By now, that almost seems to be the point.
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When Die Werkself signed Tillman last summer, giving him the No. 10 shirt left vacant by Florian Wirtz and a contract through 2030, it was a clear statement about the club's expectations. He arrived from PSV after a season in which he scored 16 goals and provided five assists, and Leverkusen were asking him to prove that production could translate to the Bundesliga.
What followed was considerably less straightforward.
Tillman finished his first season with eight goals and four assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, numbers that alone do not explain the uncertainty surrounding him. He struggled to establish himself as a consistent starter, and the relationship with ex-coach Kasper Hjulmand deteriorated to the point where Tillman later admitted that things between them were "not quite right." When asked whether he would still be at Leverkusen had Hjulmand remained in charge, his answer was blunt: he did not think so.
Malik Tillman Opens Up on Balogun Red Card Controversy, Hjulmand Exit and New Life Under Carles Martínez
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There was, in other words, a very real possibility that the player Leverkusen had brought in to help replace Wirtz would not even make it through his first year.
That is what makes the events of the summer more significant.
The World Cup did not merely give Tillman another platform. It altered the perception of him. He played with the freedom and authority that had often appeared only in flashes at Leverkusen , moving between midfield and the final third, demanding the ball and repeatedly looking capable of deciding matches. Pochettino, while celebrating his performances, acknowledged the context himself:
it had been a difficult season in Germany, but Tillman was now enjoying his football.
- Mauricio Pochettino
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Tim Ream noticed the same change. After the Bosnia match, the United States captain described Tillman as one of the team's best players and pointed to something that had been missing earlier: confidence. Ream's description was revealing because it was less about a sudden improvement in technique than a player finally believing he belonged at this level.
Tillman himself offered perhaps the clearest explanation.
During Leverkusen's preseason, Malik said his experience with the United States had changed his view of where he can be most effective. Rather than seeing himself primarily as a No. 10, he had become increasingly comfortable as a No. 8, where he could influence the game at both ends of the field.
Under new coach Carles Martínez, Tillman's versatility has become one of the more intriguing pieces of the squad. He can play as an eight, a traditional 10, or move into wider areas, giving Martínez a player who does not have to remain fixed between the lines to influence a match.
