Team USA's unsung hero has the team poised to make historic World Cup run as it wraps up group play
As the U.S. Men's National Team continues their torrid run through the group stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, many familiar names have stepped up their play to help guide the squad to back-to-back wins in the tournament for the first time since 1930.
Coincidentally, that 1930 team was the last one to advance past the quarterfinals of the World Cup, and if America wants to reach those heights again, they will need to rely on more than just their marquee players to get there.
Guys like Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun are well known to most soccer fans, but a name that hasn't been as talked about until recently has been midfielder Malik Tillman.
The 24-year-old has plenty of big-game experience, playing in top-flight European leagues for PSV and Bayer Leverkusen, but Tillman has kicked his play into another gear during the first two games of the USMNT's 2026 World Cup journey.
Tillman had a brilliant assist against Paraguay in the United States' 4-1 rout that signified their arrival as a force to be reckoned with in this year's tournament, but it goes beyond the stat sheet.
The German-American sensation was all over the field for both group stage games, showing off flashy back-heel passes and displaying a confidence well beyond his years.
It's not a stretch to say Tillman has been the best player on the USMNT, and you could make the argument that he's the best player of the tournament so far.
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That's not just hot air and American "homerism" speaking — the advanced analytics back it up.
According to Gradient Sports, Tillman has graded out as the highest-rated player of the entire group stage through two games.
If you thought Tillman flashed on your screen as much or more than anyone during America's games against Paraguay and Australia, your eyes didn't deceive you.
Tillman will be an integral part of the USMNT's plans for making a run through the knockout stages of the tournament.
I would say he has to elevate his game to an even higher level, but I'm not sure that's possible given what we've seen.
He's been, quite literally, nearly perfect, and if he continues his superb play in the midfield, there is no ceiling to what this American squad can do.
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Manager Mauricio Pochettino has gotten this United States team to play at a level few American fans have seen in their collective lifetimes, and one of the unsung heroes of this whole operation is Tillman.
Appreciate what you're seeing from this USMNT.
This is a squad firing on all cylinders with a bunch of quality players in the primes of their careers.
Cherish it, because who knows when we will see it again.