The USMNT may have been eliminated by Belgium from the World Cup, but Malik Tillman was able to make history along the way.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat in Seattle against the European side, with their tournament coming to an end.
Despite the disappointment, there were some significant positives to take from the World Cup for Pochettino and his men.
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USA supporters were left frustrated by their World Cup exit given the scoreline, which did not reflect kindly on what has been a promising past few weeks.
The only goal of the game for the USMNT came from 24-year-old Tillman, with the goal etching his name into World Cup history.
How Malik Tillman secured World Cup history with USMNT goal
Having gone 1-0 down, it was Tillman’s free-kick that brought USA level – albeit for only a matter of minutes.
The goal was the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder’s second goal of the tournament and the second free-kick he’d scored.
Opta stats have claimed Tillman is only the second player on record to score two direct free-kicks at a World Cup.
The other player to do it was Bernard Genghini for France all the way back in 1982.
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Tillman will be raring to go again in four years’ time given he is still just 24 years of age.
However, Pochettino’s future as USMNT head coach is under scrutiny, with the Argentine refusing to clarify whether he will stick around after Monday’s loss in the Pacific North West.
The World Cup may have ended in frustrating fashion for the USMNT, but there are plenty of positives to take.
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