On Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Mauricio Pochettino leads the United States in his fifth match in charge of the aspirational co-hosts of the next World Cup. All of his star players are absent. But the mandate remains the same: prepare the program for a history-making run when the US launch their cause in Inglewood.
Given the present timing – the US are set to host friendlies with Venezuela and Costa Rica outside of an official Fifa window – Pochettino’s third camp is a youth-driven affair, defined by hopeful talents with an outside chance of making the World Cup team. Potentially, a few could break in. A handful of positions in particular need are worth studying closely: center-back, goalkeeper, an understudy at full-back or two. In light of the team’s needs, not to mention the laudable staying power of one particular veteran, a pivotal figure to observe in this off-window affair is that of 37-year-old center-back: Tim Ream.
Ream has started and gone the full 90 in all four games of Pochettino’s still-embryonic era. He wore the captain’s armband in a win against Panama, a loss at Mexico, then two straight victories over Jamaica in November. Pochettino is of course familiar with Ream from his time coaching in the Premier League, as Ream charted an impressive, 12-year career in England before moving to Charlotte FC last August. His respect for Ream’s experience and skillset is apparent.
Over the phone, Ream considered the early trust Pochettino has shown him: “I’d like to think it’s because I’m fully versed and understanding of what he’s asking, and doing what the staff are wanting to do, and helping the other guys understand the ins and outs of what they’re trying to accomplish.”
The full breadth of Pochettino’s impact will take time to assess. Likewise, the team’s tactical evolution will take time to fully implement. But the shifts in approach are apparent. Ream noted those shifts manifesting in November’s Nations League wins against Jamaica: “He brings in a little bit different of an idea, philosophy, system.”
On what that means for center-backs: “Not so much in the first two games, we didn’t rotate as much and build with a three.” Ream continued, describing the team’s change in approach from the Berhalter-era: “We become more of a three at the back when we have the ball. The evolution is understanding when, where, how, why, we’re kind of moving into that, into those positions. Whether that’s building straight from the keeper in a three. Or, if it’s further up the field, when we have controlled possession, we can move to a three. Or, moving a full back inside, so all of a sudden, you have a full back in front of you, like last camp, instead of having a natural midfielder.”
Ream, who played every minute of the World Cup in Qatar alongside Tyler Adams and Matt Turner, noted that the team briefly operated with a back three under Gregg Berhalter, but it was rare: “Sometimes we would rotate into a three, but very, very rarely. It was something that was kind of touched on, early in Gregg’s tenure, but not something that we worked on so regularly, and so fluidly, to make it look the way it looked in the last camp.”
At this, Ream fondly recalled his time with Fulham (where he made 312 appearances over the course of nine seasons) which has him well-drilled to operate in Pochettino’s system: “I’ve actually done it previously. We actually did it quite a bit at Fulham, especially working on different things in training. So it didn’t seem so eye opening to me. … When you really look at it, it’s pretty simple. But you can definitely make it as complicated, and more complicated than it looks.”
As was the case with the last World Cup, Ream has emerged as one of three players to play every minute of this era. Ream is joined in that feat by the team’s presumed starting keeper, Matt Turner (Crystal Palace) and right-back Joe Scally (Monchengladbach). Should his relentless role continue in this camp, he’d be the only one to keep the streak alive.
Elaborating on his applicable experience and the trust Pochettino has shown, (“I’d like to think it’s because I’m fully versed and understanding of what he’s asking…”) Ream also emphasized his adaptability: “If that continues to be the case, great. If not, and I’m asked to do other things, and adjust and adapt in other ways, then I am good to do that as well. This game is all about adapting to the people on your own team, the people next to you, people in front of you, and adapting to your opponents at the same time. I think being able to adapt and see things as an experienced player has definitely played its part.”
Ream’s experience at the club and international level is notable in most USMNT camps, but it’s a cavernous gap in this one. With the core of the team in Europe, Pochettino named a 24-player roster that includes seven new callups and 10 players with zero caps. Just six players have registered 10 or more appearances for the United States. Ream leads the pack with 66.
Yet despite his experience, Ream’s approach to this camp matches the long-held tradition of January gatherings for the US men’s national team. He’s taking hold of this unique opportunity, unsure of how many more he’ll have, and making his case for a World Cup roster: “I don’t have many more of these [camps] left. And it was why, when conversations were had, it was like, ‘Oh, you know, do you really want to go in? It’s a January camp. It’s usually younger guys, guys who are trying to get a look in.’ And the more I thought about it, I was like, well why wouldn’t I? Right? If you count the number of camps left between now and the 2026 World Cup, all of those [camps] are probably the only ones I have left within the US program.”
Ream continued, “I don’t take that for granted. I don’t ever want to take that for granted. I don’t want anybody else to, you know, to take it for granted. And for me, yes, the goal is to make it to the 2026 World Cup. Whether that be starting, whether that be coming off the bench, getting minutes, whether that be part of the support, you know, the veteran experience behind the scenes. That’s not for me to decide, but that is definitely where my head space is at, where my goal is.”
In what feels like multiple lifetimes ago, Ream made his first appearance for the United States in 2010, under Bob Bradley. Since then, he’s represented the USMNT under nine different managers (including interim managers), with the 2022 World Cup being his first and only World Cup.
With 508 days between Saturday’s friendly and the start of the World Cup, Ream feels confident with the team’s trajectory under Pochettino: “I think right now we’re trending in the right direction. We’re moving in the right direction. And with Mauricio taking over, bringing in his ideas, his knowledge, the staff knowledge. I think we’re moving in the right way, and on a good path. Once 2026 rolls around, I think guys are going to be probably feeling the best that they felt for the national team since they all broke in.”
Ream’s secret to longevity? Never stopping: “I think as you get older, the hardest thing to do is to stop and then try to restart again. And so for me, it’s all about maintenance.” On Saturday in Florida and through next week, the USA’s remarkably durable veteran will make his case to compete with the national team for two more summers.
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