United States center back Tim Ream signed a contract extension with Fulham on Boxing Day, the same day he netted his first Premier League goal.
Ream, 35, is arguably in the prime of his career, playing some of the best football weโve seen from him to date. He was a key player for USMNT in Qatar, where he started all four World Cup games for the Stars and Stripes.
The positive form has continued since the resumption of the domestic schedule, where Ream competes in the English Premier League for Fulham. Reamโs been with Fulham since 2015; heโs witnessed the highs and lows but always remained a loyal and robust player. The club gained promotion to the EPL after winning the EFL Championship last term, and theyโre enjoying an excellent return to the top flight of English football, currently sixth in the standings.
โSince he joined the squad in 2015, Tim has been a reliable force at the heart of the defence,โ commented Tony Khan, Fulhamโs GM. โThrough his hard work and dedication, heโs become a favourite of our supporters โ and on matchdays, they collectively exclaim, โREAM!โ to celebrate his frequent contributions.
โUnder the coaching of Marco Silva, Tim has been in the best form of his career, winning a third promotion with Fulham last season and consistently turning in strong performances in this EPL campaign.
โIโm delighted that Rim will be with us for at least one additional season, and we are all very grateful for his contribution to the team. Thank you, Tim! Come on, Fulham!โ
The announcement of Reamโs one-year contract extension arrived in unison with his first career Premier League goal in a 3-0 success over Crystal Palace on Dec.26.
โI feel the best Iโve ever felt, as confident as Iโve ever been,โ Ream told the media. โTo extend it another 12 months into 2024 is a proud moment for myself and my family.
โIt was an easy decision for me. I obviously have a young family who is very much settled, and Iโm very much settled on the pitch, settled in the changing room, and, with this group, the skyโs the limit. Itโs such a good group of guys, a wonderful club. The connection with the fans is stronger now than itโs ever been. A no-brainer for me.โ
Bolton Wanderers spotted Ream and brought him to England following an impressive stint with the New York Red Bulls in 2010-2011. When heโs in the starting XI, you can ensure New York Sports Betting is still fully supporting the player.
Supporting Ream as a player to wager on continued at the 2022 World Cup. After 272 appearances in a Fulham shirt with three separate promotions to the Premier League in between, he had played all but two minutes of the current 2022/23 EPL season, making him a no-brainer choice for Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. squad.
USMNT Drama
Reamโs arrival on the World Cup squad was a surprise for some. He hadnโt appeared in a single game for the U.S. or even been called to the first squad after September 2021. And as a chunk of Berhalterโs was made up of youthful talent, nobody predicted the Fulham man would arrive in Qatar and be in the starting line-up for every game the USMNT team competed in.
As a senior player on the U.S. roster, Ream was a leader in the locker room, and he also shared his comments about the drama between Berhalter and Gio Reyna, an attacking player for USMNT who wasnโt a critical component of the team.
Berhalter shared that an unnamed player (Reyna) was nearly sent home following an issue in camp; the team voted on whether he should stay or go.
Reyna responded on Instagram with his side of the story, and many USMNT players, including Ream, liked it.
When questioned about the Ream situation, Ream said: โI mean, for us, itโs a non-story. We dealt with it in camp, things moved on, we moved past it, and thatโs where we are.
โThe players, there was a no vote. So we can put that to bed. And like I said, we addressed it in camp, and (Reyna) did what he had to do, and obviously came on against the Netherlands and played a pretty solid 45 minutes for us and helped to drag us kind of back into the game.
โSo yeah, for us, thatโs it. Thatโs the end of it.โ
