1. Early Life
Chandler was born on March 29, 1990, in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, to an African American father who served in the U.S. military in Germany, and a German mother. His parents separated shortly after his birth. Chandler lived in New York City for three years before returning to Frankfurt with his mother after their divorce. He continued to reside with his mother in Germany throughout his formative years.
2. Club Career
Timothy Chandler's professional club career began in Germany, progressing through youth systems and reserve teams before establishing himself as a key player in the Bundesliga.
2.1. Youth and Early Senior Career
Chandler started his football journey at Sportfreunde Oberau. At the age of 11, he joined the youth academy of Eintracht Frankfurt, where he spent nine years developing his skills. He eventually played for Eintracht Frankfurt's U-23 team in the Regionalliga Süd, which was the fourth tier of German football at the time. However, due to what he perceived as inconsistent performances and a lack of clear path to the senior team under then-manager Michael Skibbe, Chandler decided to terminate his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2010.
Following his departure from Frankfurt, Chandler joined 1. FC Nürnberg in the summer of 2010 on a one-year contract. He was initially part of Nürnberg's reserve team but was promoted to the first team within three months, after Nürnberg's reserve coach recognized his potential and the club's philosophy of providing opportunities to young players. His first appearance for the senior team was in a training match against SK Sigma Olomouc on October 8, 2010. He was first named to the bench for a competitive match on January 15, 2011, against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Four days later, he made his DFB-Pokal debut against Kickers Offenbach.
2.2. 1. FC Nürnberg
Chandler made his Bundesliga debut on January 22, 2011, against SC Freiburg. His first professional goal came on February 12, 2011, against VfB Stuttgart, where he scored from a Julian Schieber cross while playing as a right-midfielder. By the end of his debut professional season, he had established himself as a regular right-back, featuring in 14 of the 17 matches played during the winter break. In March 2011, he extended his contract with Nürnberg until 2013.
For the 2011-12 1. FC Nürnberg season, Chandler made his first official appearance on July 30, 2011, in the first round of the 2011-12 DFB-Pokal against Arminia Bielefeld, where he assisted Markus Feulner's equalizing goal in a 5-1 victory. His first Bundesliga appearance of the season was a week later on August 6, playing the full 90 minutes in a narrow 1-0 defeat of Hertha BSC. His sole goal of the season occurred on November 26 against FC Kaiserslautern, a strike from the edge of the area that secured a 1-0 win, marking the club's first victory in eight games. Two weeks later, on December 10, in a match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Chandler was sent off for a strong challenge on Sejad Salihović, leading to a 2-0 loss for Nürnberg, with both goals coming from Vedad Ibišević. The situation worsened for Chandler and Nürnberg two days later when his defensive error contributed to the only goal conceded against SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the third round of the DFB-Pokal, leading to their elimination.
On April 11, 2012, Chandler provided his second assist of the season in Nürnberg's 4-1 win over FC Schalke 04, setting up Daniel Didavi for a goal that made the score 3-0. He concluded the 2011-12 Bundesliga season on April 28 with his 30th appearance (29 of which were starts) in a 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim, providing a measure of revenge for the earlier defeat. Nürnberg finished a respectable tenth in the Bundesliga, and Chandler attracted interest from several clubs, including VfB Stuttgart. However, in April 2012, he opted to extend his contract with Nürnberg until July 2015, rejecting other offers.
The 2012-13 1. FC Nürnberg season began with a humbling 3-2 defeat to fifth-division side TSV Havelse in the first round of the 2012-13 DFB-Pokal on August 19, 2012, which marked Chandler's first appearance of the campaign. His only goal of this season came on September 26 against Hannover 96, a consolation goal in a 4-1 loss. Despite his consistent performance, including another 30 Bundesliga appearances (29 starts), Nürnberg finished tenth in the league with 44 points. Chandler's season was cut short on May 7 when he sustained a ligament injury during training, forcing him to miss the final two matches.
In the 2013-14 Bundesliga season, Chandler returned from injury in the second matchday against Hertha BSC. On August 24, 2013, he played his 100th competitive match for Nürnberg against Bayern Munich. He continued to be a key player at right-back until February 8, 2014, when he suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee during a match against Bayern, sidelining him for up to 10 weeks. This injury led him to miss the remainder of the season.
2.3. Eintracht Frankfurt
After Nürnberg's relegation at the end of the 2013-14 Bundesliga season, Chandler signed a three-year contract with his former club, Eintracht Frankfurt, on June 3, 2014. Since returning to Frankfurt, Chandler has played a significant role for the team, adapting his position and contributing to their success.
The 'Other' column in the career statistics below refers to appearances in the Bundesliga relegation play-offs, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League, and UEFA Europa Conference League.
3. International Career
Timothy Chandler's international career has been with the United States national soccer team. Despite his German birth and bicultural upbringing, he chose to represent the United States.
In March 2011, Chandler received his first call-up to the United States' 24-man squad by then-coach Bob Bradley for international friendlies against Paraguay and Argentina. He made his debut on March 26, 2011, playing the entire second half of a 1-1 draw against Argentina. He then started in the match against Paraguay on March 29.
In May 2012, Chandler controversially declined an offer from U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann to join a training camp ahead of upcoming friendlies and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. Klinsmann stated that Chandler felt a need to take a break from the U.S. national team to "find his international identity," which led to questions from the media and fans regarding his commitment. Despite concerns and a suggestion from Nürnberg's sports director, Martin Bader, that Chandler might opt for Germany, Chandler later accepted a call-up for a friendly against Russia in November 2012, expressing that he was "1,000 percent" committed to the U.S. team.
On February 4, 2013, Klinsmann included Chandler in the 24-man roster for the February 6, 2013, match against Honduras. His start in this match, being a FIFA-sanctioned competitive game, effectively "cap-tied" Chandler to the United States for all future international competitions under FIFA rules, meaning he could no longer represent Germany. However, following this match, Chandler did not feature for the United States for 15 months, partly due to injuries that led him to miss several matches, including the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup and later 2013 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This further fueled doubts about his commitment and whether he was out of Klinsmann's plans. Despite this, Klinsmann publicly stated in February 2014 that the "door remained open" for Chandler, acknowledging his consistent good work at his club.
Chandler was recalled by Klinsmann as part of the 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He was then selected to the final 23-man roster on May 22, 2014, for the tournament, though he did not play in any of the matches. He was later called up for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup and started at right-back in the opening game against Honduras. On July 3, 2015, Chandler scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Guatemala. His last international appearance was in 2016.
4. Career Statistics
Presented below are comprehensive statistical data for Timothy Chandler's appearances and goal-scoring record throughout his professional career.
4.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Eintracht Frankfurt II | 2007-08 | Hessenliga | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2008-09 | Regionalliga Süd | 19 | 2 | - | - | - | 19 | 2 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Regionalliga Süd | 28 | 6 | - | - | - | 28 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 8 | - | - | - | 50 | 8 | |||||
| 1. FC Nürnberg II | 2010-11 | Regionalliga Süd | 17 | 4 | - | - | - | 17 | 4 | |||
| 1. FC Nürnberg | 2010-11 | Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2011-12 | Bundesliga | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2012-13 | Bundesliga | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2013-14 | Bundesliga | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 95 | 4 | 7 | 0 | - | - | 102 | 4 | ||||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2014-15 | Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2015-16 | Bundesliga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | - | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2017-18 | Bundesliga | 24 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 25 | 3 | |||
| 2018-19 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019-20 | Bundesliga | 22 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | - | 33 | 5 | ||
| 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2021-22 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2024-25 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 166 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 197 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 328 | 25 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 366 | 26 | ||
4.2. International
Scores and results list the United States's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | July 3, 2015 | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, United States | Guatemala | 2-0 | 4-0 | Friendly |
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 8 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 9 | 1 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 29 | 1 |
5. Honors
Eintracht Frankfurt
- DFB-Pokal: 2017-18
- UEFA Europa League: 2021-22