Tillman’s stylish photoshoot earns him ribbing from USMNT teammates

IRVINE, Calif. — Malik Tillman: fashion icon?

The U.S. men’s national team midfielder, who figures to play a key role in the FIFA World Cup run that begins Friday night against Paraguay, has been the subject of much discussion among his teammates for a series of unusual photographs that appeared alongside a profile of him in Flaunt, a fashion magazine.

“It’s been sent around the group chat a few times,” Chris Richards said through a laugh on Wednesday. “There’s some questionable pictures.”

The photos — which include one in which Tillman is wearing a couture hat that sort of resembles an elongated mushroom, and another where he pairs a jacket, shirt and tie with very-short shorts, dress socks and leather shoes — are emblematic of Tillman’s admitted interest in high-end fashion.

Weston McKennie and Alex Freeman also did shorter features and shoots with Flaunt, but neither posed in outfits that were quite as artistic.

“Fashion is a big part of how or where I can express my creativity,” Tillman said in the interview. He added, “And I think if you want to dress trendy and be in the fashion game, you do need a certain amount of money. So, when I got my first professional contract, that’s when I really got into it.”

He certainly isn’t the only player on the team with an interest in fashion, and so even while some of his teammates may have fun with some of the pictures, the joking is clearly light-hearted.

“You can get clowned for it,” Mark McKenzie said, “but at the same time, you put yourself in environments like that and ultimately it was about exposure, you know what I mean? I’m always up for exposure, you know, expressing ourselves in different ways. I had no issue with it.”