Tim Ream showing he still has it despite being the oldest World Cup player in USMNT history
Los Angeles – Most of the soccer players have retired by the time they celebrate their 38th birthday.
Most players don’t see Tim Ream.
When Team USA took the field at SoFi Stadium on Friday, the man wearing the captain’s armband was carrying nearly two decades on his shoulders.
At 38 years and 250 days old, Ream became the oldest player to ever play for the United States in a FIFA World Cup match. That achievement is impressive enough, but what happened next was even more amazing.
Ream’s place among Team America’s starting 11 was not ceremonial. It wasn’t a sympathetic nod to a respected veteran before riding off into the sunset.
The veteran defender can still play at a high level, and despite being a few months shy of his 39th birthday, he had the best game in our country’s history.
Ream, a former New York Red Bull, completed 23 passes in the United States’ 4-1 win over Paraguay.
It has been more than eight players in the tournament so far, and the most number of defenders in a World Cup game since John Paintsil of Ghana in 2010.
Ream’s pass against Paraguay was ambitious. Twenty of his 91 passes were completed in the final third. That is part of the reason why American coach Mauricio Pochettino chose Ream as captain. He is not only a leader in singing, but he is one of the best in the distribution of football.
Ream tore apart the Paraguayan defense with passes that instantly turned defense into attack. The result was four goals, the most in American World Cup history.
Four years ago, Ream believed that Qatar was his last World Cup with the American team. At the time, he was anchoring Fulham’s defense in the English Premier League and serving as an official in the American youth team led by then-captain Tyler Adams.
Young players gravitate towards him because of his professionalism, reliability and constant presence. The players praised his calmness on the field. When Pochettino was appointed manager in 2024, he preached a simple message: Representing your country should feel like the greatest honor a player can have. Every time you walk onto the field wearing the USA crest, it should feel like a World Cup final.
Few players have embraced that philosophy more than Ream.
Gradually, almost naturally, he became an extension of Pochettino’s voice inside the locker room.
“He is a professional at the highest level,” said Pochettino. “He’s 38 years old. He’s really good. He’s committed. And he has a lot of experience playing 10 years in Europe. When he plays, he’s a leader on the field, and when he’s not playing, I feel like he’s on the field.”
That is what separates Ream from the captains of the past. His leadership has nothing to do with playing time.
“This is more than a dream come true,” said Ream. “I did everything possible to be part of this team, to help this team.”
There may be younger and faster defenders in the US pool, but few have Ream’s experience.
Now that the World Cup has returned home for the first time in 32 years, there is a lot of pressure and expectations on Team USA. Ream, a native of St. Louis, you accept it. In their first game, he looked the most comfortable player carrying the weight of the moment.
If the Americans are going to make history this summer, they’re going to need Ream to lead the way and prove that age is just another number on a roster sheet.
