USMNT Names Captain For 2026 LA World Cup

Sam GarciaSat, May 30, 2026 at 4:38 PM UTC·2 min read

United States Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino named center back Tim Ream as the team’s captain for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday.

“This is more than a dream come true,” Ream said, per US Soccer. “I’ve done everything possible to be a part of this group, to help this group along, and I’m really grateful to be sitting here and to have this honor. At the same time, it’s not going to change what I do or who I am and how I help the group… it’s the highest honor for me with this group for the World Cup, and I’m not going to take that for granted.”

Ream has been captain for 26 of his 80 caps with the USMNT. Under Pochettino, Ream has been captain for 16 of the 23 matches. The 38-year-old learned he would be captain for this year’s World Cup when Pochettino announced it at the team’s pre-match press conference at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center.

AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement

“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,” Pochettino said. “He has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader that we want and to be a positive leader.”

USMNT has one more game remaining in the Allstate Continental Clásico before the World Cup begins. The team will take on Senegal on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, which is the home field of Ream’s club, Charlotte FC.

Then, USMNT will open its World Cup run against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium.

Photo Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

The post USMNT Names Captain For 2026 LA World Cup appeared first on LA Sports Report.