The Leadership and 'Aura' Tim Ream, Cristian Roldan Provide as USMNT October Camp Begins
The United States will face FIFA World Cup qualified nations Ecuador and Australia in the international window
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Tim Ream celebrated his 38th birthday as the U.S. Men's National Team reported for October camp on Sunday. Still, he jabbed at his younger teammate Cristian Roldan's age.
“You’re 30? Damn, you’re old,” Ream said jokingly to Roldan in a media availability with the two veteran leaders on Monday.
Ream and Roldan, along with goalkeeper Matt Turner, are the only players 30 years or older on the current National Team roster as the USMNT faces Ecuador (Oct. 10 in Austin, Texas) and Australia (Oct. 14 in Commerce City, Colo.).
The players represented the United States in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and carry valuable leadership qualities as the USMNT gears up for the tournament next summer. To round out 2025, the USA will face two more World Cup-bound squads Paraguay and Uruguay in the next window.
“When I think of Tim — I think of poise, I think leadership, I think of control in every aspect,” Roldan said. “He brings a different aura to the team, and he creates a really good environment, a really welcoming environment for a lot of guys, and that’s the type of leader that we need.”
During the last FIFA World Cup cycle in 2022, Ream contemplated whether that would be his first — and last — World Cup. At 38 years old and counting, there’s no sign of the center back slowing down in the imminent future.
While he’s pondered the sunset of his career on the U.S. Soccer Podcast, playing in a World Cup on home soil is the ultimate dream before any plans of hanging up the cleats for good.
“I’ve always maintained that I’ll push myself to the absolute maximum and bring every ounce of playing time that I can out of my body and my mind,” Ream said. “That’s what I’m going to continue to do. I’m going to continue to push to be a starter.”
Ream has appeared in 11 of the 14 USMNT games in 2025, donning the captain’s band in 10. However, he understands the final decision isn’t up to him, and he’s willing to advance the team’s success in any way.
“If I'm the old guy in the corner handing out orange slices and giving pep talks to these guys, then OK, I’ve still contributed something to the team environment in the culture,” Ream said. "But my aim and my goal is to be starting games.”
Meanwhile, Roldan looks at Ream as an example for sustaining a National Team career at any age.
Roldan turned 30 years old in June and appeared in a USMNT shirt for the first time since 2023 in the Americans’ most recent camp last month. The center midfielder was added to the roster after the initial announcement, and he impressed head coach Mauricio Pochettino enough to earn a second-straight call-up.
“He’s revitalized his National Team career at an older age,” Roldan said of Ream. “It provided me with a little bit more added motivation to get back here with the team, to really believe that I could get here. He's an example that you can not only play at a really high level but sustain that throughout your career.”
Before earning his first cap under Pochettino, Roldan gained confidence once again playing at the highest level this past summer. He credited his run with the Seattle Sounders FC in the FIFA Club World Cup and Leagues Cup as pivotal. Roldan found his stride against top European squads in PSG and Atlético Madrid in the CWC. Then he helped lift a trophy with a victory over Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the tournament featuring MLS and Liga MX squads.
Pochettino utilized the September camp to bring in some different faces and allow the deeper player pool a chance to perform ahead of World Cup roster decisions. Roldan took full advantage of that opportunity with productive minutes in the first match against Korea Republic, which earned him a starting position in the USA’s 2-0 win over Japan.
In this October camp, it’s about building on that for Roldan and the larger group. The time is now to continue growing winning habits. Having leaders like Roldan and Ream in the locker room who know how to steer the ship alongside the coaching staff is crucial in that development.
“The mentality is focused,” Roldan said. “I think that we had a good game against Japan, and how can we build off that? How can we establish the formations, the tactics, the ideas that coach Pochettino wants to bring to the team and then show it on Friday against a tough Ecuador side?”
Focus, high-intensity, aggressive — I think those are the styles, the characteristics we want to have on the field come Friday.”