‘I still see him as a little boy’ - Inside Malik Tillman’s emotional World Cup moment with the family that watched him become a USMNT hero

So far, Anja Tillman has been at all four of the USMNT's World Cup games. Timothy Tillman, meanwhile, had to miss one, the win over Australia, due to LAFC training. In each of the other three, a quick look at the USMNT friends and family section would reveal two red-and-white-striped jerseys with "Tillman, No. 17" across the back.

"I'm always nervous watching his games," the family's matriarch admits.

Older brother Timothy is, too, but for different reasons. As a professional himself, one with three USMNT caps on his resume, the nerves hit him differently. The hard part is watching and knowing that he can't change the outcome. That weight is on his younger brother's shoulders and, so far, he's worn it well.

He wore it best in that moment late against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the USMNT down a man and up a goal, Malik Tillman stepped up after a foul just outside the box. Something told his brother that this one could be worth filming, and that something was right.

"Honestly, I don't take a lot of photos or videos when I'm at games," he said, "but I just had a feeling when that free kick happened that he's gonna step up and shoot. That's why I took that video, and yeah, in the end it turned out to be great.

"It was just a very, very special moment for both of us, being in the stands, seeing that live. We're just super, super happy that we were there to experience it and just have that moment together, you know? He knew that we were in the stands, and I think that's just the biggest accomplishment. It was so cool for all three of us."

Anja Tillman still gets emotional about it 24 hours later.

"I think, for me, it's the same," she says. "I'm so emotional with everything! It's so special to have them both here, or that I'm here with both of them."

Those moments together have been few and far between, unfortunately, as careers have pulled the Tillman family in so many different directions.

In professional soccer, there is always another game, another competition, another trip. True breaks are rare, and for the Tillmans, the logistics are even harder: one brother plays on a European calendar, the other on an MLS schedule. Finding time together is no simple thing.

Last year is an example. Timothy Tillman's LAFC played all the way into November and, at that time, Malik Tillman's first season at Bayer Leverkusen was just getting going. During the theoretical off time of the 2025 summer, Malik Tillman travelled all over the country for the Gold Cup. There was a special moment in November as both brothers were called into USMNT camp together, but those types of moments have been difficult to come by.

"The only time we have right now, the last couple of years, is Christmas," Anja Tillman says, "and that's only a few days because they are off for a few days. They also want to have a little fun with their friends or go on vacation, but Christmas days, they can be together."

That's changed this summer. With the USMNT based in Orange County, Anja has spent the summer staying with Timothy in Los Angeles. During Malik's off days, the trio has gotten to spend time together. The Tillmans met the rest of the USMNT families at team barbecues, while younger brother has also been able to pop by to spend time at his older brother's apartment. After each game, Malik comes into the stands to see his family, albeit later than all of his teammates; Anja jokes.

It doesn't matter. Any time together is a good time, and this summer has given them more than they could have imagined.

"It's really hard to see Malik," Timothy Tillman says, "but the World Cup really does make things happen. It's just very cool to spend time together."

In that time together, it feels like nothing's changed, like they're still the family chasing dreams back in Germany. Everything is different, though, including Malik.

After Wednesday's big goal, the USMNT's players heaped praise on their hero. He's changed, they said. He's still shy, still very soft-spoken, but he carries himself differently now, they all said. He walks around with confidence, at least more so than before.

Tim Ream said he noticed the change after the Gold Cup. Anja Tillman agrees, with a caveat. Malik himself didn't change but, by performing the way he did, he was able to change how others saw him. That, then, led to that confidence, and that confidence led to a historic USMNT moment.

"I think the last tournament, the Gold Cup, helped a lot for him to feel comfortable in this team, with the coach," she says, "because he needs that feeling from the coach that he is important for the team. I think this made him more comfortable and more confident.

"Also, by the fans, it's not easy for a player when he is not so loved or doesn't feel loved by the fans, and he's really a type of person who needs that too. That just makes him show his best. He's always trying to do his best."

Timothy Tillman has a slightly different takeaway. He says that his brother's first season at Bayer Leverkusen shaped him, too. The season was, generally, solid enough, but there were rocky moments in the midfielder's first year back in the Bundesliga. Those rocky moments and growing pains only helped build that confidence more.

"He didn't have the easiest year on the club level, and it's pretty much been his first real setback in his career," Timothy Tillman says. "I think having to accept that and having to go through that helped him just get a better feeling of like what's really important and what he needs to focus on, what he needs to do, what he's able to do, what's in his hands to do. I think that that's why he's looking so grown on the field."

"Off the field, I think towards me he's always been the same," he adds, smirking as you expect an older brother would when making such a statement. "That didn't change too much, but yeah, on the field I think you could really tell that that's been happening."

The summer continues, and the Tillman family is along for the ride. Both expect to attend games the rest of the way. Attending so far, in Timothy's case, hasn't been easy. After missing the game in Seattle, he was worried he'd miss Wednesday's clash in Santa Clara due to LAFC's scheduled Thursday training session. Fortunately, LAFC's ownership group was flying there, so he was invited back on the plane to make the trip possible.

It was all worth it, of course. He was able to be in attendance for his brother's big moment. Just as importantly, he was able to celebrate that moment alongside his mother. What could be better than that?

"I will definitely go to all of the games that are ahead of us," he says, "and yeah, that's been our journey so far."

As for Anja Tillman, it's been the journey of a lifetime. On Wednesday night, she hugged her eldest son as her youngest lived out all of their dreams. Yet, she didn't look onto the field and see a USMNT star, and she didn't grab hold of an LAFC centerpiece.

Even in that moment, Malik and Timothy were still her little boys, which is why that moment is one she'll replay forever and ever.

"I still see that for both of them," she says. "They're now grown men, and they're dreaming their dreams and living their dreams. This is so special."