Lennard Maloney: Who is Mainz's new marathon man and USMNT hopeful?
He may have only won two senior USMNT caps to date, but international Lennard Maloney is hoping to catch the eye of coach Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States. bundesliga.com gives you the lowdown on Mainz's new defensive midfielder...
Data correct as of 21 January 2025
Age: 25 (born 8 October 1999)
Club: Mainz
Position: Defensive midfielder/centre-back
Country: USA (two caps)
Key stats and facts
Born to an American Air Force veteran father and German mother in Berlin, Maloney joined Union Berlin's academy aged 13 in 2012. He swiftly progressed through the age categories and became a mainstay in the U19 side in 2017/18, making 23 appearances. The teenager impressed then first-team head coach Andre Hofschneider so much that he was handed his senior debut in Bundesliga 2 on Matchday 28 that season - at the tender age of 18.
Maloney barely featured for his club at any level in 2018/19, though, as he divided his time between training and studying for his Abitur, the German equivalent of A-Levels or a High School leaving certificate. Exams passed, he signed a contract extension in April 2019 before spending the second half of the following campaign on loan at Chemnitzer in Germany's Third Division.
Once ready to focus on his football full-time, Maloney joined Borussia Dortmund in August 2020 - playing for one of the strongest reserve sides in the country and rubbing shoulders with future USMNT teammate Gio Reyna in training. He was handed his full debut on Matchday 9 of the 2021/22 campaign, replacing Mats Hummels late on in a 3-1 win at Arminia Bielefeld, but first-team opportunities were at a premium.
Maloney dropped down a division in pursuit of more senior football, joining Heidenheim in the summer of 2022, and while expectations for club and player might have been muted, he ended up powering them to Bundesliga promotion as champions, making 31 appearances at the base of their midfield.
Just six games into Heidenheim's first ever top-flight season, he earned a call-up into former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter's squad for their friendlies against Germany and Ghana, having last been invited across the pond at U20 level in 2018.
Maloney featured for 25 minutes in his senior United States bow against Ghana in October 2023 and he was back in the fold once more the following month, coming on as a late substitute in a 2-1 reverse against Trinidad in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals.
A move to European hopefuls Mainz came in the January transfer window, with Maloney agreeing terms on a deal that runs until 2028 at he Mewa Arena.
Plays a bit like: Tyler Adams
At 6'2", Maloney may be significantly taller than former RB Leipzig man Tyler Adams, now of Bournemouth, but there are stylistic similarities between the two. Adams covered more distance than any other player per 90 minutes as the US reached the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. With Maloney used to eating up the miles for Heidenheim over the past seasons, it was no coincidence that he was the man called by the Unites States in 2023 when Adams was injured.
Did you know?
Maloney was the first ever Heidenheim player to represent their country at full international level.
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What they're saying
"He’s the perfect fit for Mainz 05. He brings a strong mentality, as well as a willingness to run hard, to the table and is also strong at winning challenges and aerial duels." - Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert on Maloney's signing for the 05ers
"Playing for the United States is one of my greatest dreams. Of course it's also nice to play for Germany. But deep inside my heart, I really want to play for the USA. I don't know why, this feeling is just there." - Maloney speaking to AmericanSoccerNow in 2018
"What really attracted the staff to him is how he plays the game with really a lot of emotion, with a lot of passion. You see him clapping for his teammates, you see him going into tackles, a really committed player, really team-orientated player." - former USMNT coach Berhalter after calling Maloney up
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