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U.S. SOCCER NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER (Fayetteville, Ga.) — Tim Ream will captain the U.S. men’s national team at the World Cup this summer, manager Mauricio Pochettino announced Saturday morning.
The 38-year-old center back has already worn the armband in 16 of 23 matches in the Pochettino era, including that first game vs. Panama on Oct. 12, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
“What I want to say is that I am so grateful that he’s with us, because he’s a great captain not only on the field, but maybe more importantly, off the field,” Pochettino said while 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 that we want, the positive leader.
“For me, that’s one of the most important things is to connect [with] the players. He’s an amazing 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 bit surprised despite his veteran status on the team.
“Wow,” Ream said. “This is more than a dream come true. I’ve done everything possible to be a part of this group, to help this group along, and I’m just really, really 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 highest honor for me” and “I’m not going to take that for granted.”
Pochettino said he was the one who chose Ream, not the players.
“Not a vote of the team, of the players,” Pochettino said, with his arms folded on the table. “It’s my decision.”
Ream is already widely viewed as a leader in this team. Fellow defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the roster at 21 years old, said earlier this week that he is always trying 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 for 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 handled captain responsibilities.
“Listen, it’s a privilege and an honor for anyone who gets to wear the armband,” Adams told reporters earlier in the week before Ream was officially named. “But what I represent, how I lead, I think anybody that plays with me knows that I’m a leader. That’s just how I’ve been my entire career, whether I’m wearing the armband or not.”
Ream has been on this team for 15 years and made his national team debut on Nov. 17, 2010. He has 80 appearances, scored one goal, and played every minute of the 2022 World Cup.
The U.S. plays two tuneup 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 their World Cup base camp in Irvine, Calif. before kicking off 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 L.A. on June 25.
