'Grandpa' of the US, Ream has become indispensable in Qatar

DOHA, Qatar -- In the wintertime of 2010, Tim Ream received what helium called "the Petke test." Ream was successful his archetypal nonrecreational preseason grooming campy with the New York Red Bulls, and then-teammate Mike Petke decided helium was going to trial the mettle of the rookie defender. From a dormant sprint, Petke went close done the backmost of Ream with a descent tackle.

Ream's effect spoke volumes astir the benignant of subordinate helium was past and would proceed to beryllium passim his career. He looked astatine Petke, stood up, didn't accidental a connection and got connected with the grooming session.

"He was investigating maine archetypal and foremost, but what americium I going to bash astir it?" Ream said during an exclusive interrogation with ESPN. "I'm going to effort to bushed him a antithetic mode due to the fact that that wasn't the mode I played, and wasn't the mode that I knew to get the feline back."

Such a absorption is wholly successful keeping with Ream's personality, 1 that radiates a calmness successful each aspects of his life.

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"I don't cognize that I've ever, ever truly mislaid my cool," helium said. "There's nary constituent successful retaliating oregon seeing reddish and getting aggravated due to the fact that past your full benignant of [mindset], conscionable everything shifts and you suffer absorption connected what you request to do, and that's conscionable continuing to play the game, and past trying to win."

It is that composure -- not lone emotionally, but besides connected the shot -- that has travel to epitomize Ream's revival with the United States men's nationalist squad during this World Cup. He has gone from being connected the extracurricular looking in, arsenic it related to the US roster, to being indispensable. In 2 games with the Americans, the center-back from St. Louis has been 1 of the team's MVPs. Ream has been his accustomed dependable aforesaid connected the ball, completing 89.1% of his passing and winning 60% of his duels, each portion committing conscionable 1 foul.

There is besides Ream's leadership. On the second-youngest squad astatine the World Cup, the 35-year-old is the omniscient aged head, though it earns him grief connected occasion. Earlier this month, US skipper Tyler Adams called Ream the "grandpa" of the group, starring to immoderate good-natured banter connected the squad bus. Following Friday's 0-0 draw with England, each of those aspects volition beryllium needed again travel Tuesday, erstwhile the US look Iran with progression to the knockout rounds connected the line. His teammates are grateful for his presence.

"The modular that [Ream] has been at, it's been amazing," said Antonee Robinson, Ream's teammate and chap defender astatine some planetary level and astatine nine broadside Fulham. "He's specified a calming beingness connected the ball. It's nary daze to me. I've played with him for a long-enough clip present to cognize what he's each about. But to spot him really travel retired connected this stage, erstwhile it was astatine 1 constituent looking similar helium wouldn't beryllium here, and rise his level adjacent much than helium has done already this season, it means a batch to me."

It's an attack that Ream has honed ever since helium began playing shot with famed younker nine St. Louis Scott Gallagher. It was determination that method quality was encouraged and valued, which raises the aged question: Did his situation mold him, oregon is that conscionable who helium is?

"I deliberation it's precisely wrong his DNA," said Dan Donigan, who coached Ream astatine Saint Louis University. "I deliberation it is his personality. He's a precise mild-mannered, soft-spoken guy. Nothing rattles him. He ne'er overreacts to anything, connected oregon disconnected the field. He's conscionable a precise composed idiosyncratic nary substance what he's dealing with."

Ream is much of the sentiment that some quality and nurture -- astatine slightest successful a shot consciousness -- shaped him. He has 4 younger siblings, and helium says, "They're each a full heck of a batch louder than I am. I don't cognize if that's a archetypal kid happening due to the fact that my oldest is the aforesaid way. I'm not 1 of those guys that's going to beryllium the astir vocal successful a crowd. But with the ball, that was taught from a young property and, thing that our manager truly believed in."

Ream's dependable demeanor and quality person served him good successful a pro vocation that has present spanned 14 nonrecreational seasons. This is, aft all, a antheral who successful his past 5 campaigns has been connected teams that were either relegated from oregon promoted to the Premier League. He besides endured different relegation with Bolton Wanderers erstwhile helium archetypal went implicit to England.

"The archetypal happening that comes to caput is it's humbling," helium said of the yo-yo quality of Fulham's caller years. "This crippled tin springiness you truthful galore unthinkable things and unthinkable moments and experiences. At the aforesaid time, it tin instrumentality those distant and past propulsion the rug retired precise quickly."

Ream's planetary experiences person been a roller coaster thrust arsenic well, conscionable drawn retired implicit a longer period. He was archetypal brought into the nationalist squad framework nether Bob Bradley successful 2010, but immoderate uneven play astatine the 2011 Gold Cup saw him drift retired of the side. He earned a callback during the 2018 World Cup rhythm nether Jurgen Klinsmann, but erstwhile again fell retired of favor. Ream was past brought into supply a seasoned beingness during the archetypal twelvemonth of Gregg Berhalter's tenure, and the aforesaid happening happened. Not adjacent a mistake-free show against El Salvador successful the archetypal World Cup qualifier was capable to garner a bigger role, arsenic the US manager soon turned his attraction to younger players.

But Berhalter, everlastingly hedging his bets, maintained connection with Ream during this period, though the conversations took connected a acquainted pattern. It seemed similar each clip the US manager called Ream, helium had to explicate to the defender wherefore helium wasn't getting called in.

"The disappointment conscionable kept coming each and each camp," said Ream, adding that astatine 1 constituent helium had "made peace" with the imaginable of missing retired connected the World Cup.

But Berhalter's continued connection paid off. Miles Robinson tore an Achilles successful May, portion Chris Richards picked up a hamstring wounded successful September. All of a sudden, determination was an opening connected the World Cup roster, and Ream was needed.

Berhalter rang Ream up successful aboriginal November to cheque connected the player's intelligence state, and spot if helium was inactive engaged. Ream was wary, lest disappointment smack him successful the look again, but helium hung up the telephone reasoning helium had a accidental to marque the World Cup squad. As it turned out, these were importantly amended than Lloyd Christmas odds, and Ream yet got the connection that helium had made the team.

"I inactive was inactive trying to process it until we landed successful Qatar," helium said.

But if the speech with Berhalter included immoderate tense moments, that was thing compared to the speech helium had to person with this 3 children, Aidan, Theo and Lilia. Just 3 days earlier talking to Berhalter, Ream had booked a 10-day abrogation to Disney World with his family. When Ream's plans for the period of November changed, helium had to interruption the pugnacious quality to them that the travel to Disney would person to wait.

"I explained to them, 'What are your hopes? What are your dreams? Like, you person dreams, what bash you privation to do? Well, Daddy got a telephone call, I americium going to spell to a World Cup, and we're going to person to postpone Disney,'" helium said.

It helped that his 2 boys are already immense shot fans, collecting the stickers that travel the World Cup. That helped soften the blow.

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Herculez Gomez praises the United States' show successful their 0-0 gully with England astatine the FIFA World Cup.

"It was a hard merchantability astatine first, astir apt the archetypal hour," helium said. "Then erstwhile they wrapped their caput astir it, I deliberation they were much excited to travel present and spot the spectacle and beryllium progressive successful it now. They were asking for a week erstwhile they were getting connected a level and erstwhile they tin get here."

Ream is afloat alert of his bully luck successful presumption of making the roster, but rightly notes that helium wouldn't beryllium successful Qatar if helium hadn't been playing good for Fulham, wherever his signifier successful the Premier League this play has been outstanding. That counts arsenic lone somewhat little astonishing than his play astatine the World Cup. When Ream was past successful the Premier League 2 seasons ago, helium made lone 7 league appearances and seemed to conflict astatine that level.

What changed? When asked, a rueful grin creased Ream's face, and helium said, "I've seen this debate." He goes connected to importune that he's fundamentally the aforesaid subordinate he's ever been. Neither his benignant nor his wide quality person changed.

"Do I deliberation I'm a amended subordinate now? Yes," helium said. "Do I deliberation I bash things otherwise oregon person miraculously go a antithetic benignant of player? No, I don't deliberation that."

Ream admits immoderate improvement has taken place. The accomplishment of manager Marco Silva "was astir apt the champion happening to hap to me." Fulham are a overmuch amended balanced broadside this play than they were during their much caller forays successful the Premier League, and are solidly successful ninth spot astatine the moment. Experience counts, too. Ream noted that he's ne'er stopped learning, and that he's seeing the crippled better, recognizing opponents' patterns of play and reacting accordingly. But alternatively than creating tension, the realization that he's nearing the extremity of his vocation has been liberating, truthful overmuch truthful that helium thinks helium tin support playing for different 3 oregon 4 years.

"I deliberation it's freed my caput to past conscionable play the crippled connected autopilot, conscionable similar I would erstwhile I was younger," helium said.

The uptick successful his play is clear, arsenic is the gratification he's getting from being fixed this accidental connected a worldwide stage. Following the Wales game, the affirmative vibes began to amusement done Ream's usually placid facade.

"I enjoyed it immensely and it's thing I privation would've happened a agelong clip ago," helium said astir that match. "But I'm enjoying each azygous infinitesimal of playing and being here."

Now Ream and the US look an immense situation successful taking connected an Iran broadside brimming with assurance and momentum, and 1 apt to beryllium backed by a hyper-partisan, pro-Iran crowd. Not that Ream is going to alteration his approach.

"I dainty each azygous crippled arsenic a knockout game," helium said. "Every azygous crippled is important and that 1 is the astir important astatine the minute. I'm not going to physique it up [that] this crippled is connected a pedestal due to the fact that past you commencement to overthink it. We cognize what has to beryllium done. Win, we're in."

Ream's play tin assistance them get there.