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US SOCCER NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER (Fayetteville, Ga.) – Tim Ream will captain the US men’s national team at the World Cup this summer, announced manager Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday morning.
The 38-year-old centre-back has already worn the armband in 16 out of 23 matches in the Pochettino era, including the first match against Panama on October 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
“What I want to say is that I am so grateful that he is with us because he is a great captain, not only on the pitch but perhaps more importantly, off the pitch,” Pochettino said, sitting next to Ream during a press conference at the National Training Center outside Atlanta. “I think he has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader we want, the positive leader.
“For me, it’s one of the most important things to connect [with] the players. He’s a great voice, so lucky to have a player like him with his personality and his character.”
Ream, the oldest player on the USA’s 26-man roster, seemed a little taken aback despite his veteran status on the team.
“Wow,” Ream said. “This is more than a dream come true. I’ve done everything I can to be a part of this group, to help this group along, and I’m just really, really grateful to be sitting here to get this honor. And at the same time, it’s not going to change what I do or who I am or how I help the group.”
Ream thanked Pochettino before adding that this is “the highest honor for me” and “I will not take that for granted.”
Pochettino said he was the one who chose Ream, not the players.
“Not a voice from the team, from the players,” Pochettino said, arms folded on the table. “It’s my decision.”
Tim Ream of the United States after a match between the United States and Belgium in March. (Photo by Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Ream is already widely seen as a leader on this team. Fellow defenseman Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the roster at 21, said earlier this week that he always tries to learn from Ream and goes to him when he needs advice.
Four years ago, a then 23-year-old Tyler Adams was named captain of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and handled the role with remarkable maturity and poise. Just because he’s not captain this summer doesn’t mean he’ll be any less of a leader. In fact, there are quite a few players on the team who could have taken on the captaincy.
“Look, it’s a privilege and an honor for anybody who gets to wear the armband,” Adams told reporters earlier this week before Ream was officially named. “But what I represent, how I lead, I think anybody who plays with me knows I’m a leader. That’s just the way I’ve been my whole career, whether I’ve got the armband on or not.”
Ream has been with this team for 15 years and made his international debut on 17 November 2010. He has 80 appearances, scored one goal and played every minute of the 2022 World Cup.
The USA will play two tune-up friendlies over the next week, against Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday and then Germany in Chicago next Saturday, June 6. The team will then fly to their World Cup base camp in Irvine, California, before starting the tournament in Group D, where they will play Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19, and Türkiye again on June 25.
