Tim Ream, at 38, eyes second World Cup roster as U.S. Men’s National Team co-hosts 2026 tournament
Defender Tim Ream hopes to secure a spot on the final 26-man roster for the United States Men’s National Team when it is announced tomorrow, as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. Ream, who plays for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC in North Carolina, described the tournament as a pivotal moment to inspire a new generation of American soccer fans and prove the men’s team can advance deep into the knockout stages.
Veteran leadership and World Cup experience
Ream, 38, started all four games for the United States at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the squad — then the second-youngest in the tournament — was eliminated in the Round of 16 by the Netherlands. The U.S. Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, missing an opportunity to build an identity on the global stage. Ream is the only player in the current talent pool who remembers the last time the tournament was held in the United States, in 1994, when he was six years old.
“At the last World Cup, none of us had played. We had one guy who had played in a World Cup previously,” Ream said in an interview with All Things Considered host Juana Summers. “And now I think guys have a much better understanding of what it takes.”
Ream has previously served as team captain and is considered a likely selection for the final roster. He said he is ready to accept any role the coaching staff assigns.
“If that's starting every game and playing every minute like I did in 2022, if it's being the person who comes on and helps see out the games, if it's being the leader behind the scenes and the voice behind the scenes to help guys navigate the whole World Cup tournament. I'm willing and able to do anything that's asked of me,” he said.
Stakes for American soccer
The 2026 tournament marks the first time the United States co-hosts the World Cup since 1994, and organizers hope it will expand the sport’s domestic audience. The U.S. women’s national team has driven much of the growth in American soccer, but questions remain about the long-term viability of a men’s audience. Ream said he has no doubt the squad can win multiple knockout-stage games.
“I have no doubt in my mind that we can win in a knockout stage game. I have no doubt that we can win multiple games in the knockout stages,” he said.
Context
The United States men’s team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a setback that delayed efforts to build a consistent competitive identity. The 2022 squad was the second-youngest in the tournament and exited in the Round of 16, a result the current group hopes to surpass in 2026.