Rangers’ United States international, Malik Tillman was named PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year at a star-studded ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday, with FirstPoint USA sponsoring the illustrious award.
The attacking midfielder, on loan from Bayern Munich this season, staved off competition from Celtic duo, Liel Abada and Matt O’Riley, as well as Albion Rovers starlet Charlie Reilly to lift the prestigious award.
Tillman has enjoyed a successful debut season in Scotland, becoming a stalwart in the Gers first team, weighing in with 12 goals in all competitions and making a key contribution to Rangers’ qualification for the Champions League group stages, assisting the crucial winner against PSV Eindhoven in the playoff second-leg.
20 year-old Malik Tillman said: “I was extremely happy myself to get the Young Player award. I’m proud of myself. It is an important kind of a recognition because the other players voted for it. It is just great. I didn’t expect the season to go so well.”
Celtic’s Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi, who has so far bagged an impressive 30 goals in all competitions for the Hoops, was named Men’s Player of the Year while defender Caitlin Hayes, also from Celtic, collected the Women’s Player of the Year prize. It was also a night to remember for Rangers' 17-year-old Emma Watson, who won the Women’s Young Player of the Year category fresh from netting twice for Scotland in their recent win over Costa Rica in what was just her second appearance for the national team.
Andrew Kean, FirstPoint USA’s Chief Executive Officer, was delighted to support the event:
“We were extremely proud to sponsor the Young Player of the Year award for the first time and congratulate Malik on winning, as well as the three other nominees who made the shortlist. The PFA Scotland Awards event is a fantastic showcase for Scottish football, celebrating the achievements of male and female players at all levels of the professional game.
FirstPoint USA have partnered with PFA Scotland for the last three years and we’re delighted to support the great work they do in providing a range of services to players. The opportunity of playing at a high level for a US university, while studying for a degree, is a fantastic option for some young players at a certain stage of their career and we are proud to have helped so many in making the transition from professional academy to life as a student-athlete in the States.”
Among those players in former Rangers Academy defender Matthew Henderson, who has recently completed his freshman year at the prestigious Penn State University, having performed at the PFA Scotland exit trial at the end of last season. FirstPoint USA is once again supporting this year’s event, taking place at Broadwood next month, by bringing over US coaches as part of their recruitment activities.
“The US coaches always enjoy making the trip across for the PFA Scotland trial match as the standard is always so high.” added Kean. “We’ve seen many players go from Scotland over to the US college ranks and progress on to a successful professional career, either back in the UK or overseas. It’s a great option to have, and we’re happy to support any player who may be considering it as their next move.”
For more information on the life-changing opportunities for young men and women that an athletic scholarship in the USA can provide, why not get in touch with one of our specialist sports consultants today: Sports Scholarships | FirstPoint USA | FirstPoint USA
FirstPoint USA is an international scouting service, providing recruitment services to hundreds of NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA member institutions seeking to identify the very best in overseas talent, both male and female.
The company was founded in 2001 by former University of Cincinnati All-American and Hall of Fame inductee, Andrew Kean, and evaluates over 100,000 prospective student-athletes, competing in over 20 different sports, across 187 countries each year.
