My chat with Tim Ream

A few things that didn't make it into my Guardian article

In January, I spoke with the USMNT’s enduring center back, Tim Ream, for The Guardian.

We talked about playing for Pochettino, changes to the team’s system, and his desire to compete in the 2026 World Cup. If he does— and he’s on track to— he’d be three months shy of his 39th birthday.

Among the things that didn’t quite make it into the article, are that no, he’s not secretly taking a magic aging elixir. Though he says one of his secrets to longevity is never really stopping:

“I think as you get older, the hardest thing to do is to stop and then try to restart again. And so for me, it's all about maintenance. It's all about maintaining what you have, and trying to keep it at that level, if not going above and beyond it.” He continued, “When a season finishes, I take seven to 10 days and completely shut down. And then it's back into fitness mode and making sure that I'm doing everything I possibly can to come in as fit as I possibly can, to make sure that I'm staying at or above where the young guys are coming in fit.”

January camp is a youth-heavy camp with most of the senior team in Europe. Ream’s veteran presence was even more stark, as he played 90 minutes against Costa Rica alongside a starting XI that included players as young as 19-year-old Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi. In that friendly, Ream showed once more that his longevity isn’t just about his physical fitness, which is commendable, but also about his mental acuity and skill. As he noted to me in our conversation: “...It's just a matter of being able to maintain that kind of physical sharpness, but also the mental sharpness.”

Last August, Ream moved home to play in Major League Soccer (for Charlotte FC) after 12 years among the English.

Reflecting on the 12-year span since Ream played in MLS with the New York Red Bulls, he cites a notable difference is the evolution in playing styles: “... You're seeing different coaches come in with different ideas, different philosophies. They've been influenced by completely different coaches and managers from other countries. And you see that in the playing styles. I think that's something that is very different to when I left, in a very good way.”

Elaborating, Ream notes the subsequent impact on players, “It makes players have to adapt. It makes players have to think. It makes players have to understand more than just, okay, ‘We're going to run, we're going to kick, we're going to fight, we're going to tackle, we're going to be stronger than you are.’ You actually now have to understand opponents and their movements and where their players are supposed to be, or where they're they're intending to be. And I think it just creates, or it forces players to have to think quicker, be smarter, and play faster.”

Nine of Ream’s years overseas were with Fulham, where he made 312 appearances and helped the team secure three promotions to the Premier League. He called one of the most quintessential English football stadiums left standing (Craven Cottage) his home.

When I asked about his transition to playing in an NFL stadium in Charlotte, Ream was quick to note the crowds are in fact bigger, and he’s not worried about turf:

“The crowds we get [in Charlotte] are actually bigger. The support is amazing in both places. I don't even really notice that we're in an NFL stadium. I've been getting a lot of questions like, 'Oh, the turf, and this and that.' And I'm like, I mean, the turf is turf. I've played on it before.” He went on: “Listen, I'm 37 years old. If I was younger, maybe I'm worrying about, okay, the turf. Maybe I've got a longer career. I'm 37. I'm two, three years removed from not playing anymore. I don't care about the turf. The turf actually plays all right. We can move the ball really well.”

Charlotte debuted in MLS in 2022, and finished 2024 with the second-highest average attendance in the league (behind Atlanta United). Ream complemented their passion: “In terms of fan support, it's got to be up there. It is by far some of the best support that I've had playing any club. And they're passionate.”