Tim Ream, who made his debut with the U.S. men鈥檚 national soccer team in 2010, was talking about the value to his younger teammates of playing in front of a hostile crowd at home, like it did on Wednesday in 51黑料.
Of course, with the United States qualifying automatically as one of the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the next that comes up in a match might not be until 2027 or 2028.
鈥淚 probably won鈥檛 be involved,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f I am, we鈥檝e got big, big problems.鈥
But here鈥檚 the thing about Tim Ream: Who鈥檚 to say he won鈥檛 be around? He just keeps on going. Many, including himself for a while, thought that the 2022 World Cup would be his last, but here鈥檚 the player who went from St. Dominic High in O鈥橣allon, Missouri, to 51黑料 University to Major League Soccer to the English Premier League, still starting for the national team. He turns 38 in October but has played more minutes than anyone else on the team in 2025, and will be captaining the team for the 21st time on Sunday when it faces Mexico in the championship game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Houston.
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It鈥檚 a significant game for the U.S. team, not just because it鈥檚 the regional championship game that will be played in front of a huge crowd against their biggest rival, but it鈥檚 also the last competitive game the team will play prior to the World Cup, which is less than a year away. After this, every game will be a friendly.
Someone asked him Saturday about this being his last chance to win a Gold Cup.
鈥淢y last chance?鈥 he replied, laughing. 鈥淢aybe. Maybe. They鈥檝e been telling me that for a long time.鈥
But among the people who haven鈥檛 been certain about Ream鈥檚 future is Tim Ream. When the United States was eliminated from the most recent World Cup, on Dec. 20, 2022, in Qatar, to most everyone, it seemed like that would be the last time around for Ream. He was 35 years old, which even then made him the old-timer on a national team populated by players in their 20s. The list of players who had been on the national team at that age was short, the list of field players even shorter.
鈥淚 think if everyone goes back through they鈥檒l say, oh, he thought he was finished,鈥 Ream said Wednesday night after his team鈥檚 2-1 win over Guatemala in the semifinals. 鈥淗e thought he was done with the U.S. team. And to be completely honest, like I thought, all right 鈥 what was I, 35? It all runs together 鈥 and thinking, 鈥極K, that was my one and only World Cup.鈥 But the more I thought about it. I was like, 鈥榃ell, why does it have to be?鈥 Everyone else can try to retire me, but I鈥檓 still going, still playing. Why not continue on? Why not put that goal out there of getting to another one?
鈥淪o I did, and that鈥檚 where I am, and whether I get there or not, is not solely down to me, I know, but it is solely down to me as well. And then it鈥檚 just a matter of keeping pushing, keeping a strong mentality and trying to get there. It鈥檚 something that is in that moment when I left there, I mean, multiple conversations with people like, this is it, and that鈥檚 OK. I achieved a goal, and then, I reset, I set another one and here we are, less than a year out, and happy to be here and help, happy to help these guys along, and happy to continue to push myself to try to get to another one.鈥
His decision came only a few months after Qatar. Anthony Hudson had taken over as the interim coach of the U.S. team after Gregg Berhalter鈥檚 contract had expired in January of 2023. Ream was playing for Fulham, his longtime English club, at the time.
鈥淎nthony Hudson came to London and said, 鈥楬ey, can you meet me?鈥欌 Ream said. 鈥淚 met him for a coffee, and he said, 鈥榃hat do you think?鈥 And I was like, I mean, I鈥檓 there, if you guys want me there. And that was it. I decompressed from that World Cup for a few months, and when he came, just before the March window, he asked if I wanted to continue on and I said yeah, absolutely. I won鈥檛 turn that opportunity down. And here we are.鈥
Berhalter used to say that as long as Ream was playing in the Premier League, he鈥檇 have a spot with the U.S. national team, and even now that Ream has returned to America to play with Charlotte in MLS, the coaches that have followed Berhalter, whether interim or full time, like Mauricio Pochettino, have kept calling him in.
鈥淭im is a very experienced player,鈥 said Chris Richards, 25 and Ream鈥檚 partner on the backline in the Gold Cup. 鈥淚鈥檝e tried to learn a lot off of him over the last few years. And he鈥檚 just a good guy in general, a good guy to bounce ideas off and like, he鈥檚 what, 37? So he has a few more years of experience on me. Regardless, he鈥檚 a good guy just to have around.鈥
That leadership has been one of the reasons coaches keep bringing Ream back, and the bonding this group has done in the more than a month it鈥檚 been together, a time for everyone to really get to know Pochettino and his staff has been held up as, win or lose, one of the best things about this tournament.
Ream could joke about that Saturday 鈥 鈥淚 feel like I have 20 more kids in my family,鈥 he said 鈥 but the reality is it鈥檚 one of the reasons he鈥檚 hung around.
鈥淲hen you have that feeling,鈥 Ream said, 鈥渙f, oh, this is my national team, this is what I鈥檓 doing. I鈥檓 walking the guys on in my hometown. It鈥檚 just a pride thing. It鈥檚 just being able to continue to do it is what drives me. Being able to help the rest of the guys alone is another driver for me. I love watching these guys grow up. I love watching them right before my eyes starting to understand better, starting to create the connections more. Those two things are what keep me going, the atmosphere and helping these guys along to become better players and better people is what putting on this jersey is all about, and the pride that I have to do it will never change. It won鈥檛 change when I鈥檓 done playing and it won鈥檛 change until I鈥檓 done. Like completely done.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy that I鈥檓 with this group and so happy that I can help them.鈥
51黑料 City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and co-host Beth O'Malley talk about the team's winless streak hitting four games with a 1-0 loss to Houston that was devoid of much offense, but saw the team allow only one goal with a very makeshift lineup. But one goal allowed was one too many.
