Tim Ream believes that his recent move to Charlotte FC should not mean his U.S. men’s national team career is in jeopardy.
The veteran defender signed with the MLS side last week, ending a nine-year stint with Fulham.
Ream has become a vital part of the USMNT during the latter portion of his career, as a renaissance at Fulham over the past two seasons led to him starting every game at the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.
But a move back to MLS may be detrimental to his USMNT future, with former coach Gregg Berhalter mostly phasing out players from the North American top flight in recent years.
Of the 26 players on Berhalter’s Copa América roster this summer, only three were based in MLS.
Though Berhalter is gone, the USMNT is likely to remain heavily Europe-based under his successor.
Ream spoke to the media on Tuesday and declared his intention to remain part of the USMNT player pool under whichever coach comes in to replace Berhalter.
“I think there is no reason that I should not be [considered],” Ream said. “I understand that playing is an important part of that. I’m not going to take myself out of the hat just because people want me to or people think I’m too old. I don’t see the point of that.
“Like I said before, it’s a matter of just continuing to put my head down [and work], and if I get picked, I get picked. If I don’t, I don’t. It’s one of those things that partially under my control and partially not.”
Ream, who turns 37 in October, is looking to regain a regular role at his club after losing his starting spot at Fulham in the second half of last season. Still, Ream said that the Premier League club wanted him to stay for the upcoming season.
“The day after the season finished, I sat down with Marco [Silva, head coach] and we had a good chat,” Ream said. “They wanted me to stay. They tried to push me to stay and really think about it. But, it’s not so much that if I get something in my head that I go for it, but I really think through things.
“We had really thought through this whole move. For us, personally, as a family, it was the right thing to do. It was time to move on.”
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