Tag: Tim Ream

Ream: Charlotte FC move shouldn’t knock me out of USMNT picture

The center back has returned to MLS 12 years after he initially departed the league

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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Richards admits USMNT must change mentality after Colombia thrashing

The U.S. is looking to bounce back after a humiliating defeat to Colombia

U.S. men’s national team defender Chris Richards has admitted that the team must improve mentally following a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Colombia on Saturday.

The USMNT’s Copa América preparations got off to the worst possible start in Landover, Maryland, as a late collapse saw a one-goal game turn into a thrashing by the South American side.

Individual errors were at least partially to blame on all five Colombia goals, which Richards said could potentially be viewed as a positive.

“Some of the positives that we can take from the game is that we did play with one of the Copa favorites for 65, 70 minutes,” Richards told the media on Monday.

“We watched the tape back, I think almost all of their goals were goals that we gave to them rather than completely being broken down.”

Both Richards and Tim Ream admitted that the USMNT wasn’t up to the task mentally on Saturday, which will need to be corrected quickly with Brazil looming on Wednesday in the team’s final pre-Copa América friendly.

“From being on the field you learn how much these games mean to other teams,” Ream said. “I know we talk about these being friendlies and you’re not playing for three points or moving on in a knockout stage, but you understand and start to get a feel for what those games are going to be like.

“We’re moving into tournament play after this week. So knowing what it means to them, I think it needs to mean as much if not more to us and that goes back to the intangibles, the fight and the will to try to get a result.”

Asked about what needed to change going into the match against Brazil, Richards echoed his teammate’s thoughts on the mental side of the game.

“I think a few things willl need to change, not just structurally but also I think mentality, like Tim spoke about,” the Crystal Palace defender said.

“When you play these types of teams, even if it’s a friendly, you can tell the spirit, the fight that they have. And so I think for me, the one thing that we really need to change is our mentality.”

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Reports: Charlotte FC closing in on USMNT defender Ream

After over a decade in England, Ream may be eyeing a move back to MLS

Tim Ream’s European adventure may be coming to a close.

The U.S. men’s national team center back could be on the brink of a transfer to MLS, with Top Bin 90 and The Athletic both reporting that Charlotte FC is close to finalizing a move for the 36-year-old.

Tuesday’s reports say that Ream — who back in December signed a Fulham contract extension running through the 2024-25 season — may be open to the move.

There’s good reason for that: In his final press conference of the just-concluded season, Fulham manager Marco Silva said that he’d like to sign two new center backs. Ream, meanwhile, fell out of favor not long after signing that extension.

The veteran was an unused substitute in both legs of Fulham’s Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool — arguably the biggest matches of the campaign — and did not appear for the Cottagers from February 17 until a season-ending 4-2 win over Luton Town.

Ream has had rare longevity at Fulham

Should Ream opt to leave Fulham, it would mark the end of one of the longest tenures at one club for any USMNT player in Europe. After three-and-a-half years at Bolton, Ream moved to Fulham in 2015, and has spent the last nine seasons at Craven Cottage.

The USMNT center back has 312 appearances for Fulham, sticking around through the promotion/relegation yo-yo cycle that saw the club move up or down the pyramid five times since his arrival.

A move to Charlotte FC would bolster a defense that is already among the best in MLS. Charlotte has conceded just 18 goals, good enough for fourth-best in the league at the moment. Head coach Dean Smith coached against Ream during his spells at Brentford, Aston Villa, and Leicester City.

Ream remains in the picture for the USMNT, with Gregg Berhalter naming him to the U.S. squad for June friendlies against Colombia and Brazil.

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USMNT captain Tim Ream justifiably called out Sergiño Dest over his embarrassing tantrum and red card

Dest had one of the uglier meltdowns we’ve seen.

The U.S. men’s national team qualified for the 2024 Copa America and advanced in the CONCACAF Nations League on Monday, but it certainly didn’t happen in the way the team would have preferred.

Heading into the second leg up 3-0 against 99th-ranked Trinidad & Tobago, the USMNT lost 2-1 and played much of the match down a man. The familiar score line and loss to Trinidad was embarrassing enough, but Sergiño Dest’s behavior on the field was on a different level of shameful.

Dest was shown a red card in the 39th minute after frustrations about officiating led to him kicking the ball towards the stands and shouting at the referee as his teammates desperately tried to calm the PSV defender down.

Though the USMNT was already playing an uninspired match, the team was up 1-0 at the time. Being forced to play a man down changed the entire dynamic of the game, and Trinidad responded with two unanswered goals. While the USMNT did hold on to the aggregate advantage, the players were visibly livid with Dest after the match.

Captain Tim Ream didn’t disclose what the players said to Dest in the locker room, but he didn’t hold back on his disappointment with Dest in the postgame press conference. You almost never see a player speak about a teammate like this, and in Ream’s case, he was totally justified for it.

Dest did apologize for his meltdown after the match, but that had to be one awkward flight back to the U.S. (and back to PSV with USMNT teammates Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman).

USMNT fans were also furious with Dest. He really had no excuse for that tantrum.

Inter Miami youngster Cremaschi impressing Pulisic, Ream at first USMNT camp

Add Pulisic and Ream to the list of players who see big things for Cremaschi

These are heady days for Inter Miami’s Benjamin Cremaschi.

Less than a year ago, the 18-year-old was suiting up for the club’s MLS Next Pro side, pursuing an MLS contract.

Flash forward just 10 months, and the dual national is routinely connecting with Lionel Messi and getting U.S. men’s national team call-ups.

The latest chapter showing just how much Cremaschi’s life has changed came Thursday, when USMNT veterans Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream both singled the versatile Miami midfielder out for praise.

Asked on Ream’s The American Dream podcast for new faces in camp that have impressed, Pulisic cited Cremaschi right away.

“I really like this kid out of Miami, man,” said Pulisic. “Nice kid. It’s been exciting to follow Miami recently for obvious reasons. And yeah, I like him. In the few trainings I’ve seen him, I see a lot of potential there as well. So that’d be one that I would say [has impressed], but, I mean, [I’ve] seen good things from a lot of them, to be honest, a lot of the new guys.”

Cremaschi has been a high-energy compliment to Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, producing one goal and four assists since the trio of former Barcelona stars joined Miami. New manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino has used the Miami native as both a box-to-box midfielder and on the wing, and like teammate Robert Taylor has thrived in the open space created by opponents collapsing on Messi.

Cremaschi looking ‘sharp’ at USMNT camp

For his part, Ream’s evaluation of the USMNT’s newcomers took him to the same conclusion, with the Fulham defender praising Cremaschi’s game as well.

“Yeah, I would agree,” said Ream, adding that in his view, Cremaschi “has looked good.”

“He’s looked sharp. He’s technical, not afraid to get into a tackle,” continued Ream. “Benja and I think Kristoffer [Lund], he’s kind of settling in [too]. Obviously English is more of a second language, but both very good with their English. [Cremaschi] has been the most impressive for sure in the couple of training sessions that we’ve had.”

Ream alluded to another dual national in camp, the Danish-American fullback Lund. That proved timely, as FIFA approved the Palermo left back’s one-time federation switch shortly after the podcast episode was published.

For Cremaschi, meanwhile, an appearance in the USMNT’s friendlies against Uzbekistan (Sept. 9) and Oman (Sept. 12) would not guarantee his international future to U.S. Soccer. As both matches are friendlies, Cremaschi would still be eligible to play for Argentina, who have Messi lobbying his club teammate to keep the Albiceleste in mind.

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Americans in the Premier League in 2023-24

Eight USMNT players are in the English top flight this season

The U.S. contingent on Premier League rosters may have diminished in the last couple of months, but the group is still solid.

Even after Serie A became the summer’s hot new league to play in for U.S. men’s national team players, eight remain on rosters in the English top flight.

With Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson holding it down at Fulham, and moves for Tyler Adams and Matt Turner to stay in the English top flight, four players seem set for plenty of starts in the world’s most highly-regarded league.

On the other hand, a quartet of players face something of a battle for minutes at their clubs, though Chris Richards has at least appeared in cup play for Crystal Palace.

Here are the eight Americans playing in the Premier League this season:

The Americans Abroad Five: PSV showing promise for USMNT trio

Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi should all be big factors for the Dutch giants this season

In the span of just a few months, PSV became one of the first clubs on the list of anyone monitoring Americans Abroad.

Three players who figure to play a key role over the next decade for the U.S. men’s national team — Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi — all joined the Dutch giants over the summer.

The transformation of PSV into a hub for Americans is largely due to Earnie Stewart, the former sporting director of U.S. Soccer who now holds the same position with PSV.

The season is still young, but there are some promising signs coming out of Eindhoven for all three USMNT players.

Dest looks to be the player who’s immediately benefitted the most, but Tillman and Pepi can also be encouraged by their first month at the club.

Let’s kick off this week’s Five with a look at PSV’s American trio.

The Americans Abroad Five: A fresh start for Brenden Aaronson

There are some early signs of positivity in Aaronson’s loan at Union Berlin

Last season was rough on Brenden Aaronson.

After a promising start with Leeds, the U.S. national team attacker faded badly down the stretch en route to an ugly outcome for both player and team.

For Aaronson? Just one goal and three assists in more than 2,300 league minutes. For Leeds? Relegation.

Though a season in the Championship could have had its benefits for the 22-year-old, the chance to join a Bundesliga side in the Champions League was clearly too good to pass up.

It’s obviously way too soon to judge Aaronson’s loan with Union Berlin, but there are at least some early signs of positivity. Let’s look at Aaronson’s Bundesliga debut to kick off the Five this week.

The Americans Abroad Five season review: The best and worst of 2022-23

Some teams were fun, some very much weren’t. Some players broke out, while others broke down

With the European club season in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to take stock of the year that was for Americans Abroad.

In many ways, 2022-23 felt like a preamble, a precursor to a much more significant club season to come. For the future of the U.S. men’s national team, what comes next will be more significant than what came before.

That’s because so many vital USMNT players are unsettled due to the nature of their 2022-23 campaign — some are ready to move up the food chain due to standout seasons, while others need a change of scenery for less positive reasons.

Before we turn the page to next season, let’s take a look back by handing out a few accolades for some notable Americans Abroad.

Ream: I’ll tell my grandkids about Guardiola compliment — even if it was backhanded

It’s true: Guardiola really did tell Ream he would be playing for him if he were 10 years younger

Tim Ream has said he’ll be able to tell his grandkids about an encounter he had with Pep Guardiola after a Fulham-Manchester City match last fall.

The story was originally recounted by then-U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter after Ream was selected for the 2022 World Cup roster.

“Tim Ream just played against Man City and after the game, Guardiola walks up to him and says, ‘If you were 24 instead of 34, you’d be playing for me,’” Berhalter said.

“So Tim said, ‘It’s too bad I’m not 34, I’m 35.’”

Speaking to Pro Soccer Wire, Ream called Berhalter’s version of the story “pretty accurate” and said the run-in with City’s manager took place in the tunnel of Etihad Stadium after Erling Haaland had scored a stoppage-time penalty to give City a 2-1 win.

“I was heading to the bus and [Guardiola] stopped me and said that,” Ream said. “For me, I wouldn’t say it’s the culmination, because I’m not finished playing, but to have a manager of that caliber, a manager of that quality stop and recognize what you’re doing is pretty cool.”

Ream said Guardiola may have been flying high after City’s win, but was still happy the manager felt compelled to offer some praise to “an old guy” who turned out to be even older than he thought.

“Some may see it as a backhanded compliment and it very well could have been,” Ream added. “I’m sure he was feeling good after they scored a 90-plus minute penalty to win the match and he felt like dishing out a compliment to an old guy.

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“It’s a pretty cool anecdote to have for myself in my career, just to have that recognition that somebody of his quality recognizes that you are doing something in a really good way. It was a pretty cool moment that I’ll be able to take. Obviously I told my kids, and I’ll tell my grandkids when he’s still managing in potentially 20 to 30 years.”

Ream had a stellar campaign with Fulham, starting every game and captaining the Cottagers until he suffered a broken arm in the reverse fixture against City on April 30.

The center back also started all four of the USMNT’s World Cup matches, though that arm injury will keep him out of national team action this summer.

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