USMNT might have Tyler Adams backup in German-born Lennard Maloney

Lennard Maloney was a 13-year-old youth soccer player when his club team, Union Berlin, hosted a watch party for the 2014 World Cup group stage match between his native Germany and the United States.

Among a sea of white Die Mannschaft jerseys, Maloney, a dual-citizen whose Florida-born father served in the U.S. Air Force, was the only one proudly clad in a USA shirt.

At the time, Maloney wasn't thinking about one day representing the U.S. men's national team. He wasn't even thinking about becoming a pro.

"I still was a pretty young guy then," the now 24-year-old Maloney told FOX Sports in a phone interview from U.S. camp in Nashville, where he's hoping to make his senior international debut in Tuesday's friendly against Ghana (kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET). "I was more just playing soccer because I enjoyed it. I didn't really think about where it could go."

Slowly but surely, though, the imposing 6-foot-2 defender began rising the ranks in German football, eventually getting called up for Germany's youth national teams before making his Bundesliga debut, in 2021, for Borussia Dortmund, one of the country's most storied teams.

He left Dortmund last year in search of regular playing time, joining second tier Heidenheim on a free transfer. A position switch to defensive midfield followed. Maloney excelled in his new spot, starting 31 games and helping his new team earn promotion to Germany's top division.

Maloney has started all seven of Heidenheim's Bundesliga games this year, covering more distance than any other player in the league. That put him in line for his first USMNT invite.

There's a long history of German-Americans who were born and raised overseas playing for the USMNT. Tom Dooley captained he U.S. at the 1998 World Cup. In 2014, that U.S. Germany match that a young Maloney watched at Union Berlin's stadium was the only one of four U.S. games in which one didn't score, with John Brooks, Jermaine Jones and Julian Green all find the net in Brazil. Bayern Munich prospect Malik Tillman, another German-American, was originally on the current U.S. squad but was forced to withdraw with an unspecified aliment. Maloney, who previously repped the red, white and blue at the under-20 level, is the program's latest.

"What really attracted the staff to him is how he plays the game with really a lot of emotion with a lot of passion," U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said of Maloney earlier this month after naming him to a senior USMNT roster for the first time. "You see him clapping for his teammates, you see him going into tackles — a really committed, really team-orientated player. And we're excited to have him into camp and see what he can do."

After not playing in Saturday's disappointing 3-1 loss to Germany in Connecticut, U.S. fans could get to see what the hard-tackling Maloney can do on Tuesday.

"He's definitely shown it in training," fellow midfielder Weston McKennie said of the newcomer's robust style. "He's been fitting in well, he's been making good plays, breaking up plays, [doing] what is it what's expected of him."

It's not a glamorous role, but it's a hugely important one. The Americans desperately missed Tyler Adams, their top midfield destroyer and 2022 World Cup captain, against the Germans; all three goals against the hosts came straight down the center of the field.

Adams is out long-term with a hamstring injury, and there's clearly a huge drop-off behind him in that spot in the USMNT player pool. Yunus Musah, more of a natural bob-to-box type, has been shoehorned into the "No. 6" job most often recently. But there's an obvious opportunity for someone new to step up. Kellyn Acosta, Adams' understudy last year in Qatar, is also hurt. And while Brazil-based Johnny Cardoso played the final 15 minutes on Saturday, the race to replace Adams remains wide open. 

"I'm aware of it" Maloney said of the chance to fill a position of need for the USMNT. "If the coach calls on me, I'll be ready."

Either way, Maloney has already come full circle by finally joining the same U.S. side he once rooted for from afar as a young fan.

"I'm enjoying every second," he said, "just being part of the team right now."

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.