With the 2022 World Cup still over a year away, there is always the potential for a new player to work his way into the national team. Center back Lennard Maloney recently made his first-team debut in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld. While only a brief substitute appearance, the U.S. youth international has quietly been growing over the past year and could experience an unexpected breakthrough with continued experience.
Maloney was born in Berlin, the son of an American father in the Air Force and German stewardess mother — although the pair met in Kenya.