In the 82nd minute of Wednesday’s game, Malik Tillman sealed the victory for the USMNT. After carefully lining up his shot, Tillman drilled a free kick into the back of the net to give the United States a late 2-0 lead over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That kick occurred after Tillman made a curious decision. Before taking the free kick, he decided to change his cleats. Was that a strategic move? Did he simply have a pair of lucky cleats he was keeping for this exact moment?
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Nope, turns out the reason for the cleat change was much more practical. Tillman made the swap because he got stepped on earlier in the contest and had a hole in his right cleat.
After the game, it was clear that his cleat wasn’t the only thing that took damage in the incident. Tillman appeared in front of reporters wearing a bloody sock on his right foot. There was also a hole in his sock, suggesting the cleat pierced through his shoe and broke some skin.
Despite the way things looked, Tillman didn’t seem too concerned about the injury moving forward. He said the issue was “nothing too bad,” describing it as “just pain, I guess.”
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The cleat change ultimately worked. Tillman was able to execute the perfect shot, sending the ball over the wall of Bosnia and Herzegovina defenders and into the top corner of the net.
It gave the USMNT some crucial breathing room in the 2-0 win.
Assuming Tillman’s injury isn’t serious, the USMNT should have him available when the team takes on Belgium on Monday. His availability will be even more important than usual, as the United States will have to take on Belgium without Folarin Balogun, who received an early red card Wednesday. As a result, Balogun will have to miss the team’s game against Belgium.
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