Two guys from the same town getting to live their childhood dreams😏🇺🇸 Bet nobody had that on their bingo cards? pic.twitter.com/4Cm944knEV— Tim Ream (@timream5) November 30, 2022 On another discussion I always felt of Brooks and Ream, Ream was more likely to not only get back to the team but also more likely to play well. Why? Cause Ream has developed into a claiming presence. Can he have shaky moments? Absolutely, but it's kind of like when Boca was still playing. He has the intangible ability to just calm everybody around him and get people organize. Is Brooks a better player? Probably. But I don't think Brooks even at his top form was the type of guy who could calm a frantic defense down... heck I'd argue that Tim Ream I'm his current form would actually unlock the best of Brooks because it would allow Brooks to focus on what he does best
Whoops and I’m teaching my 4 year old numbers too! 9th. Diop seemed pretty meh when he left WH but fair enough. I would agree he hasn’t been terrible. I think Ream’s passing has been a lot better. Ream in truth hasn’t been massively tested but I thought he was so good breaking up plays yesterday with skill and control. His passing and possessing are his best defensive skills perhaps.
Make sure you have your vial of clean urine handy Tim - just in case you are selected for post match drug testing! Seriously though he has had a massive 3 game stretch!
Ream Accurate passes54/59 (92%) Passes into final third9 Accurate long balls5/6 (83%) Clearances4 Headed clearance2 Interceptions1 Recoveries5 Ground duels won0 Aerial duels won0/1 (0%) McKennie Accurate passes29/37 (78%) Successful dribbles0/1 (0%) Passes into final third8 Accurate long balls3/6 (50%) Recoveries1 Dribbled past2 Ground duels won1/5 (20%) Aerial duels won0/1 (0%) Ream really cleaned up for McKennie's poor game on that left side. I hope Tim can keep it up. He had more passes into the final third than McKennie. Above from fotmob.
I was there in Philly when he was massively drafted 2nd in the 2nd round. The comment among RB fans was "Who the f... is this guy?" But he showed us that he was one of our best draft picks ever, despite several screw-ups.
Before the World Cup started, a lot of us were talking about Ream's limitations as a player (pace) and how he could be easily exploited in space if teams wanted to counter on us and the game opened up. Through three matches, that hasn't happened. We really haven't been in a situation that's exploited Ream's weaknesses. I'd credit two things for that: 1) Our midfield, namely Tyler Adams, and 2) our coach, for designing a game plan to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of guys like Ream.
I credit Reams positional sense and ability to snuff out danger before it becomes a foot race. His timing and reading of the game are excellent.
It's been a perfect fit for both player and team. Ream has always been good on the ball and more of an all-around soccer player than any sort of bruising defender. This is what has often kept him out of US teams looking for a defensive presence to lock things down, playing out of the back be damned. Now, this US team has plenty of defensive grit through midfield and he's always going to have a bruiser next to him. But the US lacked passing out of the back and experience. Ream has both in spades. It's been a perfect fit. As we've seen at the World Cup, the notion of playing a high line for long stretches were a guy gets more isolated up field doesn't happen nearly as much as in qualifying, the competition is just too strong to think the US will camp out for long stretches in the opponent's half so his lack of blazing speed in open spaces isn't that big of a deal in the end. But a team that wants to play the ball forward and mostly keep it on the ground really needed his ability on the ball to make it happen. The insertion of his ball skills in exchange for the physicality Long brought has been a huge positive. It's what this team really needed, not just another big, fast body, another soccer player.
waiting for the comparison with Wes and Turner. You have to have stats to go your way there too. Wes is in midfield. Not on the backline. Passing is a different ballgame in different situations. A for continual effort on your part. D for the actual comparison. A Ream vs Long or Zimmerman comparison might be good though.
Basically, Ream successfully progressed the ball forward by dribbling (the Y axis) twice as much as any other player in the match. At the same time he successfully progressed the ball forward by passing more than everyone (except for maybe Adams) as well.
One thing I found interesting during his press conference last week is that a reporter asked Ream about how he found his way back into the national team despite Berhalter expressing a preference for CBs that play a high line at the club level. And Ream seemed a little bemused by the question and responded that Fulham do in fact play a high line, except when they're playing one of the top 6 or so teams in the Premier League, so there wouldn't really be a big adjustment there. I'd be curious to hear what people who watch Fulham regularly think about that.
I watch Fulham and it isn't unusual to see Ream at center stripe and even venture into opponents half to break up plays. But, as he says, against top opponents they defend deeper and sometimes for their lives.
You have to give Berhalter a lot of credit for bringing Ream back into the fold and starting him over Long. I’ve criticized Berhalter a lot over the last few years, but credit where it’s due. Ream, for his part, has completely validated his coach’s faith in him and then some.
American hero and legend... hope he goes into coaching when he retires A parting message from Tim Ream, who essentially capped his USMNT career, at 35 years old, with an incredible World Cup: pic.twitter.com/kswEJTLGII— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) December 3, 2022
While it didn't go great today, have to give all credit to Ream for a great tournament. This may be (probably is) his last appearance with the USMNT. Went from guy everyone pretty much loathed, to legend over three games there. Who had Ream playing every minute of this World Cup? Whether that was 3 weeks ago, 3 months, ago, 3 years, ago, 6 years ago... Gonna say Nobody. Proud Tim!
Yup great tournament. I hope John Brooks see this as inspiration. You can still make it to 2026 if you find good club and keep yourself focus.
He had a heck of a World Cup, even if he was the guy that we were expecting to be our rock in the back all along. But for a guy who was virtually out of the picture for over a year, and had never really been a key guy for the national team at any point in his career previous, it's almost unbelievable. This is what he'll be remember for, much like 2002 Tony Sanneh.
Three weeks ago I was leaning in that direction, and I think a lot of us were. In September I thought that there was a realistic chance that we might look to him after the way that Japan took us apart. But before that? Not a chance.
I was too, but the consensus was Gregg was all in on Long. I don;t think "we" really believed Ream was #1. Credit to Gregg there. And all hail the Bun-Bothers!
Not unlike Beckerman who became a real solid player. The reactions and positioning allowed him to be there before he should have so his pace isn't an issue. Crazy to think how Gregg said we know Tim, he ain't it to him being the best US defender at the WC.