USMNT breakout star Malik Tillman says World Cup dreams prompted his Bayer Leverkusen transfer decision

The 23-year-old midfielder's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen represents one of the most significant moves for an American player in recent years. Tillman, who scored 16 goals for PSV Eindhoven last season, joined the club following Xabi Alonso's departure to Real Madrid. 

“Obviously if you want to be at the World Cup you have to play as much as you can and be in the best shape possible,” Tillman told Sports Illustrated. “And then obviously it plays a role in coming to [Leverkusen], the surroundings I have here. The system we play, the coach. But then, yeah it’s not my decision if the coach picks me for the World Cup. I just have to give my best to be basically ready for the call up if it comes. I mean obviously that’s the big goal, but I’m here now, it’s about the club now.

"It’s a long season and as I said, we want to be successful. And want to win titles. And we have to or I have to focus on this first and then the World Cup comes in eight months now, so it’s still a long time to go."

Tillman's journey with the USMNT began with a unique challenges as he transitioned from Germany's youth setup to representing the national team at the senior level, especially now under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

“New team, new surroundings, everything’s new,” Tillman said. "I'd never been to the U.S. before my first camp, so it was also quite special. But yeah, by now I made some good connections there. I was lucky that I knew some guys from a time before, so this also helped me integrate in the team. And we have a new coach now. I have a good connection to him as well.

“I think we’re very very close compared to other national teams also outside of the pitch, because a lot of guys play together since they’re pretty young. And every one is the same age, this helps connecting to the other guys."

The 2025 Gold Cup proved transformative for Tillman. His performances in the competition, in which he scored three goals - including one in a crucial group stage win against Haiti - cemented his position as a key figure in Pochettino's plans.

“If we are one team, if we have close connection and we fight for each other, then we can really achieve things,” Tillman said. “If you look at the squad that we had, maybe some people didn’t expect us to go this far. But as I said, we were very close. We had a lot of fun together, and then in the serious moments, we were serious enough. Also this was the last competitive matches that we had before the World Cup, so this was also very important for us.”

Returning to Germany with Leverkusen represents a significant step in Tillman's career trajectory just months before the World Cup arrives on American soil.