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USA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TRAINING CENTER (Fayetteville, Georgia) — Tim Ream will captain the United States men’s national team at this summer’s World Cup, coach Mauricio Pochettino announced Saturday morning.
The 38-year-old centre-back has now worn the armband in 16 of 23 matches in the Pochettino era, including that first match against Panama on October 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
“What I want to say is that I am very grateful that he is with us, because he is a great captain not only on the field, but perhaps more importantly, off the field,” Pochettino said while sitting next to Ream during a news conference at the National Training Center outside Atlanta. “I think he has the experience, he has the ability to be the leader we want, the positive leader.
“For me, one of the most important things is to connect [with] the players. “He has an incredible voice, it’s lucky to have a player like him, with his personality and character.”
Ream, the oldest player on the 26-player U.S. roster, seemed a little surprised 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 it, and I’m very, very grateful to be sitting here to have 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 greatest honor for me” and “I’m not going to take it for granted.”
Pochettino said he was the one who chose Ream, not the players.
“It’s not a vote of the team, of the players,” said Pochettino, with his arms crossed 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 viewed as a leader on this team. Fellow defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the squad 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, Tyler Adams, then 23, was named captain of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and took on 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 captain’s responsibilities.
“Listen, it’s a privilege and an honor for anyone who gets to wear the bracelet,” Adams told reporters earlier in the week before Ream was officially named. “But what I stand for, how I lead, I think anyone who plays with me knows I’m a leader. That’s how I’ve been my entire career, whether I wear the armband or not.”
Ream has been in this team for 15 years and made his national team debut on November 17, 2010. He has 80 appearances, scored one goal and played every minute of the 2022 World Cup.
The United States will play two warm-up friendlies over the next week, facing Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday and then Germany in Chicago next Saturday, June 6. The team will then fly to its World Cup base camp in Irvine, California, before starting the tournament in Group D, where it will play Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Türkiye back in Los Angeles on June 25.
