Newly promoted clubs normally find it tough at cracking the top half of their respective league table but Bundesliga newboys Heidenheim proved to be one of the rare exceptions during the 2023-24 season.
American midfielder Lennard Maloney was a major part of that achievement for Heidenheim, helping the club finish eighth in the 18-team division and clinch a spot in this summer’s UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying round. Maloney has quickly become a key player for Heidenheim since his arrival in 2022, helping the club win the 2. Bundesliga and quickly impress in the top-flight.
After making a positive impression in his two years at the club, Maloney has high expectations for Heidenheim to continue building off of last season’s success.
“The goal for this season is just to repeat what we did last year,” Maloney told SBI in an interview. “Nobody knows how well that will go but personally I’m just trying to do my best and keep improving in the game. I have no doubt if I give it my all and just keep on working everyday hard for that, I will be better and also the team will be too.”
“I was very pleased of course,” Maloney said about Heidenheim finishing in a European qualification spot. “It’s a great thing, not just for me but for the whole club, to be able to play in the first league again for this season and of course qualifying for the Conference league is also a huge step. We’re extremely proud of that but we can’t rely on that anymore. We got to show ourselves now in the upcoming games.”
Heidenheim’s gradual success is similar to that of Maloney’s during his career to date. Maloney, 24, came through the youth ranks at Union Berlin before eventually making his way to third-tier side Chemnitzer in 2019.
Maloney later transferred to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, mainly featuring with Dortmund II in the German third and fourth tiers over parts of two seasons. He made his Bundesliga debut for the Black and Yellow during the 2021-22 campaign but knew a move elsewhere was needed to earn consistent playing time.
Heidenheim came calling and Maloney has certainly answered the call over his two seasons there, making 68 combined appearances, scoring two goals, and logging over 5,000 minutes of competitive action. Although he’s been on the move pretty frequently in his career, Maloney credited every club, including Heidenheim for helping prepare him into the consistent starter he is today.
“Every club gives you different perspectives and teaches you different things,” Maloney said about his past stops at Dortmund, Union Berlin, and Chemnitzer. “I think that at the end of the day, you are the result of every club because every club gives you a little bit of detail to add into your game. The player that I am right now is a combination of all these clubs that I passed through my career.”
“Heidenheim is small and the fanbase is also, but it’s very family-like so it makes it nice,” Maloney said about his current club. “It’s a small village between Munich and Stuttgart, but it’s very calm too.”
Maloney’s rise to a first team player has not translated to a larger club role, but also a first-ever opportunity with the U.S. men’s national team. A former German and U.S. youth national team player, Maloney earned his first senior call up last October from then-head coach Gregg Berhalter.
He debuted in a 4-0 friendly win over Ghana before later making his CONCACAF Nations League debut in November against Trinidad & Tobago. Although the USMNT will be under new leadership in the coming weeks and months ahead, Maloney credited Berhalter for the work he did with the program and also voiced his excitement for what’s to come.
“He [Berhalter] was a great coach and I’m extremely proud and thankful that he gave me the opportunity to play on the national level,” Maloney said. “It’s sad that he’s gone, he was a good coach in my eyes. Of course, the results didn’t quite show that but at the end of the day that’s the business you’re in. For the next coach I’m just hoping that it’s the same way as it was before, somebody that’s all behind it with heart and soul and gives its all.
“It’s an incredible honor and it makes me extremely proud to represent one of my countries, Maloney added. “I’m very happy that I chose the U.S. because it’s just incredible to think about that you’re playing for a whole nation. I was happy to do that in that moment and of course it’s just one of many games that are still coming.”
Although many of his USMNT teammates are playing at major European clubs like AC Milan, Juventus, PSV, and others, Maloney’s impact at Heidenheim has certainly put him on the radar for 2026. The USMNT will want to make a major splash at the next FIFA World Cup, especially if longtime manager Mauricio Pochettino is on the sidelines alongside them.
Maloney still has time to improve his game by then and already knows the long-term potential that the USMNT has if everyone plays to their level.
“The USMNT is an extremely good team, young and talented,” Maloney said. “There are a lot of great players at big clubs that are also way bigger than Heidenheim. I’m just happy and excited to play my part in it. I’m trying to give the game a little different type of style because I know my role, I know what I can do and what I can’t do. I’m always there if you need somebody that clears the space in front of the own goal, that’s my job. If the new coach needs that, I’m there.”