- Tom Patey
- 29 March 2021
Player ratings as United States overcome Northern Ireland on European soil
The United States men's national team (USMNT) made it nine games unbeaten with a 2-1 away win against Northern Ireland on Sunday.
Tim Ream was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1987 and spent his youth career with St. Louis Scott Gallagher, then college with Saint Louis Billikens before making the step up to the next level with Chicago Fire Premier.
He was drafted by the New York Red Bulls and after two seasons in the MLS moved to Bolton Wanderers, who were then a Premier League side in the 2011/12 season.
He was Bolton's player of the season twice and then joined Fulham in August 2015 and went on to make 312 appearances in all competitions, second only in the 21st century to Tom Cairney.
He won the Championship and two play-offs with Fulham and was their player of the year in 2017/18 season.
In August 2024, Fulham agreed to let Ream leave the club and join MLS side Charlotte FC.
Ream made his USA debut in 2010 and has played over 60 times for his country, winning the CONCACAF Nations League twice. He was named in the USA squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Ream's early US career
After youth soccer, he played at St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, Missouri.
Ream set a school record with 39 assists and scored 15 goals while being named All-State, All-Conference and Class 2 Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.
He was a St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro selection and won the Archdiocesan Athletic Association Player of the Year in 2005 too.
St. Dominic won the 2004 Missouri Class 2 state title.
Ream also played for St. Louis Scott Gallagher as an academy team, winning national championships in 2003 and 2004.
After high school, Ream played at Saint Louis University from 2006-08. In 82 games, he scored six goals and was named NSCAA first-team All-Region and second-team All-Conference.
The Billikens made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 but lost their first game in a penalty shootout.
They returned to the tournament in 2008 and won their opening game before falling in the second round to end their season with a record of 12-4-5.
In 2009, Saint Louis also fell in the second round, losing in overtime to finish the season at 15-6-0.
After college, Ream was drafted in the second round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls with the 18th overall selection.
He made his professional debut on March 27, 2010, and played all 90 minutes against the Chicago Fire.
He scored his first goal on September 11, 2010, against the Colorado Rapids in a 3-1 win. Ream played all 30 games in 2010 as the Red Bulls won the regular season Eastern Conference title.
He was named the team's Defender of the Year and finished in the top three in the Rookie of the Year voting.
In 2011, Ream played in 34 matches for the Red Bulls with 28 starts. He had one assist and played in three postseason games as RBNY fell to the LA Galaxy in the quarter-finals.
Moving to England
In December 2011, Ream spent time in England training with West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers. In January 2012, he signed with Bolton on a $3.4million transfer fee.
He made his debut in the FA Cup on February 18, 2012, as Bolton won 2-0 against Millwall. His Premier League debut came a week later at Chelsea.
On March 10, 2012, he picked up his first assist and finished the season with 13 appearances as Bolton were relegated.
In the 2012/13 season, Ream switched to the No. 5 shirt. He played in 15 games for Bolton in the Championship with 13 starts.
In the 2013/14 campaign, Ream played defensive midfielder in addition to left-back and centre-back. In 42 games, all starts for Bolton, he had four assists. He was voted both the fans' and club's Player of the Year in 2014.
Ream signed a new three-year deal in July 2014 and was again named Bolton's Player of the Year for the 2014/15 season. Over the campaign, he played in 49 games in total with 47 starts. Ream had three assists.
Ream's career at Fulham
On August 20, 2015, Fulham bought Ream from Bolton and signed him on a four-year contract. He made his Fulham debut on August 29, 2015, playing all 90 minutes against Rotherham United.
He played in 29 games in the 2015/16 campaign with one FA Cup appearance and two in the League Cup.
Ream scored his first Fulham goal on October 1, 2016, against Queens Park Rangers. For the season, he started 28 of 34 Championship games and also appeared in three FA Cup games and three League Cup fixtures.
In the 2017/18 season, Ream started in every Championship game for Fulham and also one FA Cup game.
He scored in Fulham's Boxing Day fixture at Cardiff City, a 4-2 win. Fulham made the Championship promotion playoffs, and Ream played all 180 minutes of the two-leg semi-finals against Derby County.
Fulham won 2-1 on aggregate, and Ream played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the play-off final.
In addition to the promotion, Ream was named Fulham's Player of the Year and earned himself another two-year contract with the option of an additional year extension (which was taken up in 2019).
Ream returned to the Premier League with Fulham for the 2018/19 season and made his first start on September 29 at Everton.
He played in 26 games and started 25 that season while also appearing in two League Cup games and one FA Cup game. However, Fulham were relegated back to the Championship at the end of the season.
Fulham bounced straight back in the 2019/20 campaign, and Ream started every Championship game plus one FA Cup contest.
In the FA Cup fourth round game at Manchester City, Ream got sent off with a straight red card in the sixth minute as Fulham lost 4-0.
In the league, Fulham again made the promotion play-offs, and Ream started both semi-final games against Cardiff City.
He logged 120 minutes at Wembley as Fulham beat Brentford 2-1 in extra-time to earn promotion back to the Premier League once again.
Fulham were relegated at the end of the 2020/21 season, though Ream only made seven Premier League appearances and spent most of his time on the bench.
The following season, he captained Fulham as the gained promotion from the Championship, making 47 appearances across at competitions.
He continued to captain Fulham for their return to the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign, scoring his first top flight goal for the club on Boxing Day in 2022.
He made 18 appearances for Fulham in his final season at the club in 2023/24 and was allowed to join MLS side Charlotte FC on a free transfer in August 2024.
He made 312 appearances for Fulham in all competitions, second only in the 21st century to Tom Cairney.
International career with the United States
Ream was first called up to the United States national team on November 17, 2010, in South Africa. He played 67 minutes as the US won 1-0.
He played in the 2011 Gold Cup with starts in the first two group stage games. However, Ream was an unused substitute in friendlies in 2013 and was not chosen for the 2014 World Cup.
Ream didn't appear for the US again until September 3, 2014, when he played 45 minutes against the Czech Republic. He played four games in 2014, all friendlies.
Tim Ream, USA, United States, 2019
In 2015, he started two games in the Gold Cup as the US finished fourth. Ream also appeared in five friendlies in 2015 and provided an assist against Brazil on September 8. He scored his first international goal on May 22, 2016, in a 3-1 friendly win in Puerto Rico.
In 2017, Ream played in six World Cup qualifiers, starting five of the games as the US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Ream started five 2019 Gold Cup games as the US finished second to Mexico. He also started five friendlies in 2019 and had an assist against Ecuador on March 21. Ream played all 90 minutes as the US beat Panama in a friendly on November 16, 2020.
Ream won the 2019/20 and 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League with USA and played in all four games of their World Cup campaign, which ended at the round of 16 stage.
Ream's personal life
Ream married his childhood sweetheart, Kristen Sapienza, in January 2012.
The couple cancelled their Tahiti honeymoon 24 hours after getting married so Ream could sign with Bolton Wanderers.
The couple have three children Aidan, Theo and Lilia.
Ream's net worth
Ream's net worth is estimated to be $9million. His contract with Fulham reportedly paid him $1.9million per year while he also has an outfit deal with Nike.
