American players in Germany: 2026/27
The American presence in German soccer includes established USMNT players and young prospects, but their seasons are at different stages. Malik Tillman is looking to build on a productive first year at Bayer Leverkusen; Joe Scally has already made himself central to Borussia Mönchengladbach’s campaign. Their latest appearances offer an early snapshot of how the U.S. contingent is faring.
Malik Tillman
At 24, the midfielder has five appearances and two starts for Bayer Leverkusen this season. A Bayern Munich academy graduate, Tillman scored six goals in 29 appearances during his first Bundesliga campaign with Leverkusen, then represented the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His latest outing was brief: Tillman entered in the 73rd minute of Leverkusen’s 2–1 home victory over Freiburg on Matchday 6. The numbers so far suggest a player still working toward a regular starting role.Joe Scally
Scally, 23, has started six of seven matches at full-back for Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was a near-constant presence last season too, recording two goals and three assists across 32 games before joining the United States’ World Cup squad. On Matchday 7, Scally helped Gladbach secure their first points of the season with a win over VfB Stuttgart. He supplied the equalizer with a backheel, then set up teammate Wael Mohya. That’s a more persuasive sign of his influence than appearances alone: Scally contributed at both ends of the decisive sequence.Cole Campbell’s move has produced an early highlight
Campbell has already made a mark at Elversberg: he scored his first Bundesliga goal in the club’s Matchday 1 upset of Leverkusen. That’s a striking moment in a young career, though his recent record still points to a player finding his footing. The 20-year-old forward, born February 20, 2006, has played six games for Elversberg this season, starting four. Cole CampbellClub:Elversberg
Position: Forward
Age: 20 (born February 20, 2006)
Games played: 6
Starts: 4 Last season offered less evidence of a settled role. Dortmund loaned Campbell to Hoffenheim for the second half of the campaign, where injuries limited him to five substitute appearances. He had also made one first-team appearance for Dortmund earlier in the season. At Leipzig on Matchday 7, he came on late in Elversberg’s 4-0 defeat.
Cole Campbell scored his first Bundesliga goal in Elversberg's suprise win over Leverkusen on Matchday 1. — Bundesliga/Getty Images/Christian Kaspar-Bartke
Banks is sidelined after a strong season
Noahkai Banks had established himself as a regular for Augsburg before losing his starting place late in 2025/26. The Honolulu-born defender started regularly from Matchdays 6 to 25 and finished that season with 20 starts. At 19 (born December 1, 2006), he has appeared in all four of Augsburg’s league games this season, starting each one—though a knee injury kept him out of the 4-3 loss at Elversberg. Noahkai BanksClub:Augsburg
Position: Defender
Age: 19 (born December 1, 2006)
Games played: 4
Starts: 4
Noakhai Banks made 20 starts for Augsburg in 2025/26. — Sebastian Widmann
Paderborn’s steady presence: Santiago Castaneda
Santiago Castaneda is 21, a midfielder at Paderborn, and has started all seven of his appearances so far. That consistency follows a substantial role in the club’s promotion campaign: he played 31 times in Bundesliga 2 in 2025/26, then completed both legs of Paderborn’s play-off win over Wolfsburg.
He again went the distance in the 1-0 home victory against Hamburg. For a player who helped drive promotion, regular minutes in the top flight look like a natural continuation of that responsibility.
Santiago Castaneda scored Paderborn's first Bundesliga goal of the 2026/27 season against Hoffenheim on Matchday 4. - Christof Koepsel
Limited minutes for Lennard Maloney
Lennard Maloney, 27, is listed as a Mainz midfielder. He has appeared four times this season but hasn’t started. That fits his 2025/26 pattern: he was mainly a second-half substitute, including when Mainz confirmed the relegation of his former side Heidenheim on Matchday 34.
Maloney didn’t get on the field against Werder Bremen, as Mainz lost 3-2 at home. Four appearances without a start leave his current place in the rotation difficult to read.
Lennard Maloney made four Bundesliga starts for mid-table Mainz over the 2025/26 season. - IMAGO/Steven Mohr
Young prospects and a veteran on the margins
Mathis Albert, Borussia Dortmund’s 17-year-old forward, has one appearance and no starts. His Bundesliga debut came at 16, when he played a two-minute cameo in a 4-0 win over Freiburg on Matchday 31 last season. He’s been tipped for more opportunities this term, though he wasn’t in the squad for Dortmund’s Matchday 7 fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. The gap between promise and playing time is still there.
Mathis Albert made his first appearance of the season for Borussia Dortmund against Union Berlin on Matchday 6. - IMAGO/Michael Taeger
Timothy Chandler is 36 and has made two appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt, neither from the start. Last season brought a late appearance on Matchday 34, his 12th with the club. He has accumulated 200 appearances for Frankfurt, where he was born, and has been on the club’s books since July 2014. Chandler was absent from the squad for the Matchday 7 meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
Timothy Chandler has been on the books of Frankfurt - the city of his birth - since July 2014. - Bundesliga/Getty Images/Simon Hofmann
Montrell Culbreath, a 19-year-old German-American right winger at Bayer Leverkusen, has yet to play this season. The previous campaign offered a glimpse of his potential: he started nine of Leverkusen’s final 11 league matches and scored on his debut in Leipzig just before Christmas. A foot injury kept him out of the comeback win over Freiburg too. His immediate prospects depend on getting back fit.
