Mauricio Pochettino named Tim Ream the USMNT’s World Cup captain on Saturday in Fayetteville, Georgia, giving the 38-year-old defender the armband for the tournament and putting him on course to make a little piece of history next summer.
Ream said he was stunned by the decision and made clear he intends to treat it as more than a ceremonial title. “Wow, I’m not sure what to say,” he said, adding that the honor was “more than a dream come true.” He also said he had done everything possible to stay with this group and help it, and that he was “really grateful” to have the honor and would not take it for granted. The keyword search around usmnt is landing now because the captaincy call came during the final stretch of World Cup preparation, with a friendly against Senegal coming Sunday in Charlotte and the opener against Paraguay set for June 12 outside Los Angeles.
Pochettino said Ream had been his first captain since taking over as USMNT head coach and praised him as a leader on and off the field. He said Ream has the experience and capacity to be the positive voice the team wants. Ream had already worn the armband in 17 of the 24 matches under Pochettino, so the announcement formalized a role he had been filling for most of the coach’s tenure. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and others have also led the side at different points, but Pochettino’s choice puts Ream at the center of the group heading into the World Cup.
That choice carries a sharp edge of its own. Adams was the captain at the 2022 World Cup, when he became the youngest captain at the tournament since 1950, but Ream now has the job for the next cycle. If he features against Paraguay, he would become the oldest player to represent the United States at a men’s World Cup, surpassing Fernando Clavijo by a matter of days at 38 years, 8 months, 7 days. Pulisic, who has 84 caps, and Ream, who has 80, remain the most seasoned players on the roster, and Pochettino has also used the armband with Matt Turner, Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie and Chris Richards. Ream’s title is clear; the part still to be answered is whether he is captain only, or captain and starter when the United States opens Group D.
For now, the script is set. The USMNT faces Senegal on Sunday at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, Ream’s home arena, and then turns to Paraguay on June 12, Australia on June 19 in Seattle and Turkey on June 25 in Southern California. Pochettino has already chosen his voice for the World Cup, and it is the same one that has been carrying the room all along.
