Tag: Tim Ream

The Americans Abroad Five: Fulham wins the Yankee Doodle Derby

Like it’s been for so much of the season, Fulham’s Americans had a good day and those at Leeds did not

The preponderance of Americans in the Premier League this season meant games like Saturday would always be on the horizon.

Fulhamerica versus Leeds United States of America. The Yankee Doodle Derby. The game that we here at the Five had been salivating over for weeks.

Four Americans started, two on either side. Two more could’ve been involved were it not for injury (Tyler Adams) or getting sacked (sorry, Jesse Marsch).

In the end, like it’s been for so much of the season, Fulham’s Americans had a very good day and those at Leeds did not.

The marquee matchup for fervent Americans Abroad trackers like ourselves leads off this week’s Five.

Tim Ream is happy with what he’s seeing from Gio Reyna

The USMNT is trying to put all of the controversy behind them

Tim Ream has said he’s been impressed with Gio Reyna’s attitude and work ethic in his return to the U.S. men’s national team.

Reyna’s attitude and work ethic, you may recall, was the spark that lit what has become one of the biggest scandals in American soccer history.

After being told by Gregg Berhalter that he wouldn’t have a major role in Qatar, Reyna, by his own admission, let his “emotions get the best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days.”

Berhalter nearly sent Reyna home before the player apologized to his teammates. And that was it. Until it wasn’t.

A few months later, the first-choice roster for the USMNT is back together ahead of CONCACAF Nations League matches against Grenada and El Salvador.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ream said that Reyna’s attitude has been exemplary so far and the USMNT is looking to move on from the controversy.

“The biggest thing is making sure that everybody knows we’re here for a reason and what’s happened with Gio in the past is in the past and what happened at the World Cup happened at the World Cup and we moved on from that as players,” Ream said.

“I think the biggest thing for us as a leadership and all the guys in camp is to see that he’s working hard, training hard, that he’s wanting to be here and up to this point, it’s been nothing but positive,” Ream added. “Having conversations with different guys, everybody knows what he can bring to the table, everybody knows how talented he is.

“And to see him come in here with that attitude and the work rate and the desire to be a part of the group and just get back on level terms with everyone without having to overly address it has been a big positive for all the guys to see.”

Ream said that he’d also spoken to Reyna individually.

“I’ve had individual conversations with him. Those will stay between him and I because I think that’s important, to have that kind of line of communication and trust between players, between teammates, between groups,” Ream said. “What he’s feeling, what he’s seeing, what his worries may be will stay between him and I, because I think that’s important to allow him to move past everything that’s happened.

“And I think it’s important for all of us to be able to move past that and work together as a good team.”

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USMNT player ratings: Adams, McKennie, Ream help secure World Cup draw vs. England

A smart adjustment from Gregg Berhalter ends with an impressive draw

The U.S. men’s national team stepped it up against England, securing a 0-0 draw in which they had the better of the game’s few chances.

The USMNT may have been slightly disappointed with one point against Wales, after dominating in the first half and leading until the final stages, but it’s hard to have too many serious complaints after they held the Three Lions to virtually no serious chances.

We’ll have deeper analysis in the future, but during the World Cup we’ll be giving a quick breakdown of each USMNT player’s performance.

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of Pro Soccer Wire’s staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Maradona vs. England in 1986.

USMNT player ratings: Adams, Weah the best from World Cup draw against Wales

The USMNT needed one more standout, and one less mistake

A strong start from the U.S. men’s national team wasn’t quite enough for them to get their first World Cup win since June 16, 2014.

The USMNT dominated the first half and took a deserved lead through Tim Weah, but fell under progressively more pressure and conceded a late Gareth Bale penalty kick, sealing a 1-1 draw that is neither satisfactory nor a disaster.

It’s a bit of a tough game to parse, with many players doing an adequate job, a couple being outright good, and one major mistake undoing their efforts. We’ll have deeper analysis in the future, but during the World Cup we’ll be giving a quick breakdown of each USMNT player’s performance.

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of Pro Soccer Wire’s staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Maradona vs. England in 1986.

‘Grandpa’ Tim Ream on making USMNT World Cup roster: ‘I didn’t expect to be here’

The 35-year-old admitted he had made his peace with the fact he probably wasn’t going to Qatar

Tim Ream was a surprise late addition to the U.S. national team’s World Cup roster. Among those who were surprised? Tim Ream.

Ream is in the midst of a stellar season in the Premier League with Fulham but it appeared his fate was sealed in September when he was omitted from the team’s roster for two friendlies.

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter then appeared to deliver an epitaph on Ream’s national team career, saying that the veteran defender didn’t fit the style he was looking to play.

But when Berhalter named his World Cup roster earlier this month, Ream was there. It was his first call-up since September 2021.

“You don’t ever give up hope,” Ream said at a press conference. “You never completely say you’re out of the picture.”

But he added: “With not being involved, not being called in, you kind of start to make peace and accept where things are heading.”

But things have changed rapidly in recent weeks. Ream’s ascent is mostly due to his form at Fulham, but an injury that kept Chris Richards off the roster also helped the veteran’s chances.

“Two weeks ago I had a phone call with Gregg and things kind of took a turn for the better for me personally,” Ream said.

“I didn’t expect to be here,” he added. “To get a phone call from Gregg to invite me in and officially put me back in the squad is great. It’s something that we all dream of as a kid to be here, and to have that opportunity after the last year of being away, it’s a proud moment and a special feeling.”

At 35, Ream is the oldest player on a youthful U.S, roster by two and a half years. Tyler Adams joked that he and his teammates call Ream “grandpa,” but added that the defender’s experience was crucial in a team with an average age of 25 years, 175 days.

“Tim’s the grandpa of the group,” Adams said with a laugh. “It’s exciting to have him back. Obviously, his performances with Fulham this season so far speak for themselves.

“Not getting called into last camp for him was tough probably. But he’s been working hard and his performances earned him this position right now.

“He’s a crucial part to our team. I think at times we probably missed him in this team, his leadership, his quality that he has, just having someone of that experience and caliber in and around the group — it’s good to have him back.”

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Pep Guardiola told Tim Ream he’d be playing for him if he were 24, not 34 (he’s 35)

The Man City boss is a big fan of Ream — now he just needs to get his age right

Tim Ream is winning a lot of new fans with his displays for Fulham this season, including Man City head coach Pep Guardiola.

Now Pep just needs to work on getting Ream’s age right.

Ream was included in the U.S. national team’s World Cup squad on Wednesday, as Gregg Berhalter rewarded the defender for his excellent campaign in the Premier League.

Speaking on ESPN’s “Futbol Americas” after releasing his roster, Berhalter recounted a conversation between Ream and Guardiola after last weekend’s Premier League match between Man City and Fulham.

“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.'”

‘Have you watched any Fulham games lately?’

Despite his strong campaign with Fulham, Ream was a somewhat surprising inclusion on the World Cup squad because he hasn’t played for the USMNT in more than a year.

Asked at a press conference about selecting Ream, Berhalter responded:  “Have you watched any Fulham games lately? Then you know why we brought him in.

“He was in the Premier League three years ago, and he struggled, the whole team struggled. And he went to the Championship and he started performing better, and they got promoted. And now he’s in the Premier League, and he’s a top performer for his team. It’s really hard to ignore stuff like that.

“And by the way, he’s been a guy that’s been with us since day one. So to me, all the pieces were aligned to bring him back into the squad. Based on what we’re seeing, the level he’s playing at, he’s ready to play in a World Cup for sure.”

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The Americans Abroad Five: Tyler Adams is The One

The 23-year-old may be the most important player for Leeds and the USMNT

As Tyler Adams strode off the pitch following Leeds’ madcap 4-3 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, the home fans serenaded their star midfielder.

“There’s only one Tyler Adams!” they sang to the tune of “Guantanamera.”

In bestowing another American player with their own song, Leeds fans were acknowledging how vital and unique the 23-year-old has been for them since his summer arrival.

Adams may be having best season of any American playing in a top-five European league. He’s already one of the most important players on a Premier League team and may be the most important USMNT player when the World Cup kicks off in two weeks.

As much as the Leeds fans love him, if he keeps this up he may not stay at Elland Road for long.

Let’s get to the Five.

Cameron Carter-Vickers to miss USMNT September friendlies

Berhalter is now dealing with a fifth injury-related absentee

Cameron Carter-Vickers is the latest player to end up unavailable for the upcoming U.S. men’s national team friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia.

The Celtic center back was on Gregg Berhalter’s initial roster, but will not participate in the USMNT’s September friendlies after picking up an as-yet-unspecified injury in training.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglu told the Daily Record early on Sunday that the 24-year-old would likely miss the USMNT camp, and that they hoped to have him available coming out of the international break.

“We’ll see how he is. I think he’s out of the US camp,” said Postecoglu. “We are hoping, post-international break, he won’t be too far away.”

Speaking at halftime of ESPN‘s broadcast of the Columbus Crew hosting the Portland Timbers, Berhalter confirmed that Carter-Vickers would not participate in friendlies against Japan (September 23 in Dusseldorf) and Saudi Arabia (September 27 in Murcia).

“Cam will be out of this camp, which is unfortunate,” said Berhalter. “We wanted to get him in and get him around the group this camp, but unfortunately he won’t be in. We are working on a replacement as we speak.”

Carter-Vickers is the latest USMNT player to end up unavailable in this window. Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah are both dealing with ankle sprains, though both players are believed to be close to a return. Zack Steffen was supposed to be out in order to rest and overcome a knee injury, but started for Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Berhalter then called in Internacional midfielder Johnny Cardoso as a replacement for Yunus Musah, who picked up what Valencia has said is a minor groin injury after the initial roster was announced.

Who will Berhalter call in to replace Carter-Vickers?

There was no immediate announcement of the USMNT’s choice to replace Carter-Vickers, but it stands to reason that Berhalter will add a center back to a squad that is currently down to just three (Aaron Long, Chris Richards, and Walker Zimmerman) rather than boosting numbers at a different position.

Mark McKenzie and Erik Palmer-Brown feel like the leading candidates at this point. While McKenzie has been in and out of Genk’s lineup so far this season, he has more of a history under Berhalter. However, Palmer-Brown has started every game for Troyes in Ligue 1, which may be enough to see him push ahead in what is probably a last chance to stake a claim on a World Cup spot for both players.

Berhalter also mentioned Matt Miazga as someone he’s been monitoring after announcing his squad, meaning the FC Cincinnati man is also a candidate here. While Berhalter also mentioned Fulham captain Tim Ream, it came with a note about how the style of play Ream does well in is not a good mesh with the USMNT’s system. A similar situation is likely to keep John Brooks out of the reckoning, even after the USMNT veteran sealed a move to Benfica.

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Pefok, Ream and Vazquez headline the biggest USMNT roster snubs

Barring injuries or a real turn of form at club level, these guys are likely to be watching the World Cup on TV

There will always be a few snubs from any U.S. men’s national team roster, but rarely are they as meaningful as these ones.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter has insisted that the non-injured players who didn’t make his 26-man roster for September’s friendlies still have a shot to make the World Cup squad.

But it will be tough.

This is the last chance to impress Berhalter before the World Cup, so barring injuries or a real turn of form at club level, the following players are likely to be watching the USMNT on TV in Qatar.

Let’s get to the biggest omissions from the USMNT September roster.

The Americans Abroad Five: Reconsidering Ream

Could the Fulham veteran make a late charge toward a World Cup roster spot?

We have been known to lead with the attackers in this here column but this week, it’s time to talk about a defender first.

Tim Ream, at age 34, is commanding a Premier League defense and looking every bit like a player who deserves a spot at the World Cup. But with no USMNT call-ups in almost a year, is it too late for Ream?

We’ll get to the strikers this week too, as a red-hot trio continued their strong play in Europe.

There are also major transfer questions that will be resolved this week, with two of the USMNT’s most vital players potentially set to find new homes.

Let’s get to the Five.