Tim Ream Reflects on September USMNT Camp, Upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup
Ream appeared on the U.S. Soccer Podcast to discuss how he’s evolved as a leader, how soccer has progressed in the U.S. and more with host Meghan Klingenberg
One of Tim Ream’s earliest memories as a kid falling in love with soccer was watching the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted by the United States.
It’s a “poetic, full circle” opportunity for Ream, who was just seven years old at the time. Now, at 37, he has the chance to help the U.S. Men’s National Team in the lead-up to the pivotal moment in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ream has the experience and knowledge of a World Cup veteran. He was one of 26 players on the 2022 roster in Qatar, where he started every single match. Ream has been a pillar on the backline for the U.S. Men’s National Team throughout his 15-year international career. This year, the center back has captained the squad in 10 of 14 matches, including every match in the USA’s Concacaf Gold Cup Final run this past summer.
In the September camp which the USMNT split games to Korea Republic and Japan, Ream wore the armband in both friendlies. He tied Thomas Dooley for ninth in the USMNT’s all-time captains list in the resounding 2-0 win over Japan, donning the band for the 23rd time.
Leading the USMNT is something Ream thoroughly enjoys. He compares it to the fondness he has for watching his three children grow up. He’s seen several of his younger teammates develop since he earned his first call-up in 2010.
“I tell them all the time. They’re like, ‘How are you still doing [this]?’ I say, ‘Because I love coming in here with you guys,’” Ream said. “I love coming in, listening to the conversations, being a part of the conversations, hearing what’s going on in their lives, hearing what they’re doing, hearing the milestones that they’re hitting, guys having kids and seeing them grow up and becoming fathers themselves — it’s fulfilling.”
The twilight of his career may be on the horizon, but it’s not something Ream is focused on. Instead, he has tunnel vision on this upcoming World Cup. He knows the end comes for every player of a certain age, but he wants to stay in the moment. That’s exactly how he’ll approach the tournament when it rolls around next June as the USMNT opens its Group Stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12.
His first World Cup was a blur, Ream said. He was so locked into the day-to-day of competing and recovering, then rinse and repeat. This time, he would take time to take it all in. However, he’ll still view it like his first experience in Qatar, where he treated the tournament like his last. In this case, however, it really would be.
“That's why I'm focused on getting there,” Ream said of next summer. “Because I think that would be the coolest way for me to just say, ‘Alright, that's it. I've done what I wanted to do. I've made one. I made two, at home, and that is the biggest one ever.’”
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