Tim Ream Jadi Kapten Timnas AS di Piala Dunia 2026, Pochettino Puji Kepemimpinannya

Bek veteran Tim Ream resmi dipercaya sebagai kapten tim nasional putra Amerika Serikat dalam perjalanan mereka di Piala Dunia 2026. Di bawah asuhan pelatih Mauricio Pochettino, pemain berusia 38 tahun itu memimpin skuad yang akan menghadapi Bosnia dan Herzegovina pada babak 32 besar, Rabu mendatang.

Perjalanan Ream menuju posisi ini tidaklah mudah. Sebelum Piala Dunia 2022, ia sempat tersingkir dari skuad internasional selama 14 bulan dan hampir menyerah pada mimpinya tampil di turnamen akbar. "Being out of the picture for 14 months leading into 2022, I pretty much accepted that my opportunities to play in a World Cup were not going to be there," ujarnya. Kini, ia justru memimpin tim di Piala Dunia yang digelar di kandang sendiri. "To be sitting here now and being able to play in a second World Cup, a home World Cup, is pretty special for me, for my family," tambahnya.

Karier Ream di Inggris dimulai sejak 2012 bersama Bolton Wanderers, sebelum ia menghabiskan sebagian besar waktunya di Fulham. Performa konsistennya di Premier League menarik perhatian pelatih AS saat itu, Gregg Berhalter, yang bahkan mendapat pujian dari manajer Manchester City Pep Guardiola. "He put himself in a position where we couldn't leave him off the team because he's starting for a good team in the Premier League and he's one of the best passing center backs in all the Premier League," kata Berhalter. "That's an example of a guy self-selecting based on his performance," lanjutnya.

Figur Ayah di Ruang Ganti

Di dalam tim, Ream dihormati tidak hanya karena kemampuannya di lapangan, tetapi juga pengaruhnya terhadap pemain muda. Gelandang Gio Reyna menyebutnya sebagai figur ayah. "I think everybody knows what he means to this team. It's weird to call him like a father figure to this group, but he really is," ujarnya. Penyerang Folarin Balogun juga mengakui hubungan baik dengan sang kapten. "My personal relationship with Tim is great. He gives me lots of advice and he's somebody who has tons of experience. I'm a younger player, so I love to learn from him," katanya. Balogun bahkan bercanda tentang selisih usia 17 tahun antara Ream dan pemain termuda, Alex Freeman. "He will score in training and they'll say he's the oldest scorer in World Cup history. Stuff like that," ujarnya.

Sejak Pochettino mengambil alih pada September 2024, Ream semakin tak tergantikan. Dari 29 pertandingan di bawah kendalinya, Ream menjadi kapten sebanyak 21 kali. "I am so grateful that he is with us because he's a great captain not only on the field, he's maybe more important off the field," puji Pochettino. "He has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader that we want and to be a positive leader," tegasnya.

Setelah memastikan tempat di babak gugur lewat kemenangan atas Australia, Ream menegaskan komitmennya. "I've done everything I possibly can to be a part of this group. I've done everything I possibly can to push myself and push the guys," katanya. Ia tak lagi memikirkan usia atau pencapaian masa lalu. "I don't really think about my age or everything that I've done. I just know that everything I've done has been for a reason and it's all been worth it to be here and stand here and have this conversation," pungkasnya.