FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Tim Ream was surprised, his voice filled with emotion.
On the verge of becoming the oldest U.S. player to appear in a World Cup, the 38-year-old defender was picked by coach Mauricio Pochettino to captain the U.S. men’s national team next month, when the Americans will co-host the expanded 48-nation tournament with Canada and Mexico.
“Wow,” Ream said during a news conference Saturday, seated alongside Pochettino. “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. I’m just really, really grateful to be sitting here, to have this honor.”
Ream was not aware he was going to be appointed captain until Pochettino made the announcement during a news conference on an indoor field at the new U.S. National Soccer Training Center.
“It’s the highest honor for me in this group,” he said, his voice echoing in the gym-like room. “I’m not going to take that for granted.”
A St. Louis native who plays professionally for Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC, Ream will be 38 years, 250 days on the day the United States plays its World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12, older than defender Fernando Clavijo when the host U.S. was knocked out by Brazil in 1994. Clavijo was either 37 years, 162 days old or 38 years, 162 days old; his birth date was listed at Jan. 23, 1957, when he played, but it was given as Jan. 23, 1956, at the time of his death in 2019.
Ream started all four games for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when Tyler Adams at 23 was the youngest captain among the 32 nations and the youngest for the U.S. since 1950.
Adams said Thursday that he didn’t care whether he would return as captain.
“It’s a privilege and honor, anyone that gets to wear the armband,” he said. “What I represent and 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 80 international appearances and has captained the U.S. in 16 of 23 games since Pochettino took over in October 2024.
“A great captain, not only on the field, maybe more important off the field,” Pochettino said. “He has the experience, he has a capacity to be the leader that we want, the positive leader.”
Ream played college soccer for Saint Louis University, then joined the New York Red Bulls in 2010 to begin his MLS career. He moved to England with Bolton in 2012, then signed with Fulham in 2015 and spent 10 seasons at Craven Cottage. He returned to MLS in 2024 with Charlotte, playing in the same North Carolina city that will host an exhibition between the Americans and Senegal on Sunday.
Previous U.S. World Cup captains include 24-year-old Mike Windischmann in 1990, 25-year-old Tony Meola in 1994, 37-year-old Thomas Dooley in 1998, 28-year-old Claudio Reyna in 2002, Reyna again in 2006, 31-year-old Carlos Bocanegra in 2010 and 31-year-old Clint Dempsey in 2014.
“So lucky to have a player like him with his personality and his character involved and helping the young players and the players also that have lesser experience,” Pochettino said. “Playing or not playing, he is the captain. It’s not now he’s the captain, he’s going to be sure in the starting 11.”
Richards not ready
Top U.S. defender Chris Richards is uncertain for the World Cup because of an ankle injury and will miss Sunday’s game, the Americans’ penultimate tuneup match.
Richards tore two ligaments in his left ankle on May 17 while playing for his pro club, Crystal Palace, which competes in England’s Premier League. The 26-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, arrived at U.S. training camp Friday and was assessed by the medical and performance staff.
“We need to see,” Pochettino said Saturday. “The next few days are going to be key to see the possibility to be ready or not on the World Cup.”
Pochettino said he has been anxious to learn whether Richards will be available and repeatedly inquired of the player’s status with Jesús Pérez, his first assistant coach.
“I was asking … 100 times, what do you think?” Pochettino said. “The answer was wait, wait, wait, wait.”
Teams must submit their 26-man rosters to FIFA by June 1. The U.S. can replace injured players until June 11.
Central defender is among the positions with the least depth in the U.S. player pool, and Richards is considered the best American at that position. Ream, Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty are other central defenders on the roster. Tristan Blackmon and Walker Zimmerman would be possible replacements.
Zimmerman was a member of the U.S. team for the 2022 World Cup, which Richards missed because of a hamstring injury. Pochettino said Richards would remain Fayetteville rather than travel to Charlotte for Sunday’s game.
“I think he needs to keep doing his rehab,” Pochettino explained, “and I think it’s much better to stay here and plan to train and reevaluate next week how he is.”
After facing Senegal, the Americans will have one match remaining before the World Cup, with an exhibition against Germany set for next Saturday in Chicago.