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USMNT M Malik Tillman avoids serious injury ahead of World Cup

By Thomson Reuters Feb 27, 2026 | 1:25 PM

After initial fears of a serious ankle injury, United States men’s national team midfielder Malik Tillman ​is expected to be back on ‌the field soon.

Tillman was injured in a game last Saturday as he played for his club team, Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. He ‌missed ​a Champions League ⁠game on Tuesday and ⁠is also expected to sit out his club’s match this weekend.

“(The tackle on Tillman) was very dangerous and ​brutal,” Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand said.

Added Hjulmand: “… Fortunately it’s nothing long-term.”

Tillman, ⁠23, has scored six ⁠goals with one assist in ​28 appearances with Bayer Leverkusen this season. ​He just joined the club from ‌PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands this past summer on a $41 million transfer.

The German-born Tillman has an American father making ⁠him eligible to play for the USMNT. He has 26 appearances for the United States ⁠with ‌three goals.

Tillman is expected to ⁠be invited to USMNT camp ​in ‌advance of this summer’s World ​Cup in ⁠the United States, Mexico and Canada. He scored a pair of goals for the USMNT in a June CONCACAF Gold Cup game against Trinidad and Tobago.

–Field ​Level Media