A bigger, better, faster, stronger Yunus Musah. And I love Yunus. Y'all heard it here first. I'm kinda surprised how low-key the reaction has been around here to landing this guy.
I'm happy to have landed him, but I'm not sure he's bigger, better, faster, OR stronger than Yunus, much less all of the above. Would love for that to be the case. He is taller, though.
Really? I mean if everything you said is true, that's pretty exciting obviously. But you shouldn't be surprised that hardly anybody would be aware of that, considering he's played almost exclusively in the German 3rd and 4th divisions so far, outside of one Bundesliga start, and a few more late substitute appearances.
I guess we’re lo-key because, as you note, this is the first anyone’s ever said this. He’s been playing ACC level soccer up to now, no?
I'm very excited about Tillman. I don't think he's faster than Yunus, or stronger, or a better dribbler or defender. But I'm open to the idea that he might be a more well-rounded player. What I like about Tillman is that he a) has the physical attributes b) seems to be well-skilled c) stylistically seems to be more of an all-around player who relies more on movement and interplay with teammates than dribbling or straightline speed. We don't have a lot of c). Virtually none, and I think it's at the root of some of our problems. I hope he is as good as you think -- I've seen a LOT I like, but he does feel more like a complementary player than a star in terms of playstyle, not quality. I don't mean that as a negative. I think this team needs more of that.
To add to those details you have: 11 games and 826 minutes at the U17 level with 2 goals. 3 games and 261 minutes at the U20 level with 2 goals. 4 games and 253 minutes at the U21 level with 3 goals and 1 assist. So you can add that to the club #'s. Not bad youth level production at all, 18 games, 1340 minutes and 7 goals and 1 assist.
Also: the Germans seemed pretty pissed to lose him. He's not Musiala or something, but he's clearly seen as a regrettable loss. Which says something.
My thoughts too. It doesnt have the same feel of Julian Green, or Danny Williams, or any of those guys, this feels like a guy they think at bare minimum is legit depth for their U21 team, and a potential future contributor, not a guy who couldn't break through a la Fabian, Chandler, Jermaine Jones (who was at one time, on the cusp w/a better German side), and Williams, it's just a different sort of thing. I view him as similar to the chances of Wright, but w/o the barren wasteland that was white's 2017-2020. A guy w/immense tools and upside, but not proven, and I think Tillman is far more likely to at least be a Bundesliga level regular, at bare minimum, kind of like Richards, than a bust, or a star like McKennie, and I'll take that, especially since he can play Forward, but after being a serial hyper of youth guys, I'm trying to be a touch more circumspect (and still usually failing lol).
Here's a hype article from before the switch. https://www.goal.com/en/news/malik-...enage-goal-machine/1qiqp7ejm554q1bqh655cvxaju Definite hype (just look at some of the other hype articles), but fun hype. I'm looking forward to seeing him.
Another article with some high praise from his coaches. Malik Tillman: Who is the Bayern Munich forward called up to the USMNT? | Bundesliga It was the 2019/20 campaign when Tillman really made the step up, though, leaving coaches throughout the Bayern academy with little doubt that he had the tools to progress into the full professional game. With his pace, strength, control and awareness, Tillman was soon put up front on a full-time basis, and the results were impressive. With the No.9 jersey on his back, Tillman plundered 13 goals for Bayern's U19s before the coronavirus-enforced break in play, making him the top scorer league-wide in the U19 Bundesliga. Throw in his seven assists and Tillman had a hand in a goal every 70 minutes he played at that level. Keep in mind he played almost all of the 2019/20 campaign as a 17-year old. He was added to the reserve team in June 2020. Did quite well (5 goals in 8 matches) before tearing his ACL in August 2020. His trajectory until the injury was quite similar to Reyna. The main difference is they decided to give him experience as a center forward. His skill set highly suggests he plays the position more as a false 9 but with a good scoring rate.
"Malik's one of the younger lads in the U19s, but he's a beast physically. He has very, very good technique. He's difficult to nudge off the ball. He'll get even better if he becomes more dynamic. It helps him to play as a striker sometimes. He's got a very good tally for goals and assists." - Bayern's academy boss, Jochen Sauer
For my part, it is because I have never seen him play [excepting a few highlights]. I am intrigued by what has been said about him, but do need to see for myself.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTQMJkSX0AAyd8I?format=png&name=small This assessment by Berhalter sounds spot on. Like some of our other young players his ultimate position is yet to be determined. Musah and Reyna are the same in that regard. I could see Musah and Reyna swapping positions at some point.
In Berhalter, we trust (his recruiting, not coaching of course). Looks on Musah as example, he has good judgement.
I know youre not comparing him to Dike directly but Tillman was and is a way bigger prospect than Dike. Pre ACL injury he was considered a top talent in the Bayern system and has earned a new contract post injury. One of the best talent ID clubs in the world clearly rate him very highly, which is a great sign. Does that mean I think he pans out and becomes a star? Not necessarily but I tend to agree this is a way bigger coup than most people realize. Hopefully he gets a chance to show out over the next couple weeks and takes advantage
Does it really make sense to be comparing Tillman to either Musah OR Dike? The former doesn't score goals and the latter is purely a target 9.
Malik has been called the German Paul Pogba. He was more of a slick creative ACM before he started scoring at will and was converted to a striker. Not sure about the faster or stronger but Malik is not as press-resistant as Musah. Malik unlike Lletget may actually have goals and assists in him at the non-minnow international level.
I was engaging in a little hyperbole (non-toxic variety) in the opening post. But I do think he's gonna be an impact player.
He very well could be an impact player. It's always good to have another lottery ticket in the USMNT wallet, certainly better than some other national team having that lottery ticket. Always a good sign when a top national team is bummed to lose a kid to us...
I think you're right that his qualities are quite different from those two. May be closer to Reyna in terms of overall type of game.
Can't get more hype than calling him the German Paul Pogba. No doubt like Musah and Reyna, Malik is a 5 star recruit. 3 months ago he had absolutely zero interest in switching to the US. If this was college basketball we would all suspect someone dropped off a bag full of cash to a relative that could not be traced. Massive recruiting get by GB!