Tim Ream Pimpin Timnas AS Hadapi Bosnia di Piala Dunia 2026

Tim nasional sepak bola putra Amerika Serikat bersiap menghadapi Bosnia dan Herzegovina dalam pertandingan babak gugur 32 besar Piala Dunia 2026 pada Rabu mendatang di Santa Clara, California. Bek veteran sekaligus kapten AS, Tim Ream, menjadi sosok krusial di bawah arahan pelatih Mauricio Pochettino untuk membawa timnya melaju lebih jauh dalam turnamen ini.

Dilansir dari Burgundy Wave, Ream mengungkapkan kegembiraannya setelah berhasil mengamankan tiket babak gugur. Keberhasilan tersebut diraih setelah AS memenangkan laga krusial melawan Australia pada fase grup.

"Everyone was super happy and really excited. We set out to obviously win the group and to be able to do that after the second game out of three, everyone was just on a big high," ujar Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ream juga menceritakan bagaimana ia menjaga fokus dan keseimbangan mental di tengah padatnya jadwal pertandingan Piala Dunia. Ia terus berusaha menikmati setiap momen bersama tim sembari memantau perkembangan turnamen.

"I’m a very balanced person, not very up and down. I’m obviously trying to watch at least bits and pieces of every game," kata Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Selain menjaga mental, Ream menekankan pentingnya rutinitas harian yang melibatkan tim medis untuk pemulihan fisik. Dukungan keluarga yang mendampinginya juga membantu menjaga situasi tetap terasa normal.

"You know there’s so many different responsibilities throughout the day. Whether that’s recovery, treatment, the medical side. I want to enjoy every moment, what we’re doing, where we are, who we’re with, while also paying attention to potential outcomes," tutur Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Pemain berusia 38 tahun ini juga menyoroti perubahan mentalitas Timnas AS yang kini menjadi lebih agresif dan berani di lapangan. Menurutnya, tim asuhan Pochettino ini berkomitmen untuk tidak lagi mudah ditekan oleh lawan.

"They’ve basically made it a point to say like listen, ‘We’re American, we don’t take shit.’ In the past, we’ve taken a little bit of shit and not given it back, so it’s been more intentional, you know we’re not gonna be pushed around anymore," ucap Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Atmosfer Piala Dunia di rumah sendiri diakui Ream memberikan ikatan yang sangat kuat dengan para pendukung domestik. Fenomena bersatunya berbagai budaya di media sosial turut memicu semangat tim.

"We are very aware of what the performances and games have been doing for fans and for the country and creating this connection," sebut Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ream membandingkan pengalamannya saat berlaga di Piala Dunia Qatar 2022 dengan turnamen kali ini. Ia berharap atmosfer meriah ini mampu menginspirasi generasi muda Amerika Serikat untuk mencintai sepak bola.

"Qatar was a great World Cup, but I just feel this one is different. We hope this inspires more and more people to be on this journey, pick up a ball, and have this sport be their go-to," tambah Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Banyaknya pemain muda dalam skuad AS saat ini dinilai Ream tidak menurunkan mentalitas tim. Ia memuji fokus baja yang ditunjukkan para pemain yang baru pertama kali tampil di ajang Piala Dunia.

"One of the coolest things was seeing guys that were not awed by the occasion. It was like a steely focus and an almost knowing of what it was gonna take, what we had to do, and what we would do," urai Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Nuansa emosional juga dirasakan Ream ketika mendengar lagu kebangsaan dikumandangkan di hadapan puluhan ribu pendukung di Seattle. Hal itu mengingatkannya pada pesan yang selalu ditekankan oleh Pochettino.

"In Seattle, I could have shed a tear, and I was like, maybe I’m the only one. I’m old, sentimental, and near the end," ungkap Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Rasa bangga mengenakan seragam tim nasional diakui menjadi energi tambahan bagi para pemain. Ream menegaskan bahwa seluruh elemen tim memiliki keyakinan besar untuk melangkah sejauh mungkin.

"Leaving those places and hearing that the national anthem is moving them is everything we’ve been discussing, is everything that Maurizio has tried to, you know, instill how important it is to represent the country and the badge," jelas Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Staf pelatih di bawah kendali Pochettino pun terus menanamkan pola pikir optimistis agar para pemain tidak merasa inferior di hadapan tim-tim besar dunia.

"Mauricio and his staff, you know, saying, why not us, why can’t we be the ones to win this," kata Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Keyakinan kolektif tersebut diyakini Ream mampu melahirkan keajaiban di lapangan, terlepas dari siapa pun lawan yang akan mereka hadapi di babak gugur nanti.

"When you believe something and put it out in the universe, things happen, they really do happen. We truly believe we can make an incredible run, and we believe in each other no matter who we are playing," pungkas Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Di sisi lain, laporan dari Time menyoroti sisi unik mengenai usia Ream yang kerap menjadi bahan candaan di dalam tim. Rekan setimnya, Chris Richards, sempat berseloroh membandingkan usia Ream dengan penyerang Bosnia, Edin Dzeko.

"is not quite as old as Tim." kata Chris Richards, bek Timnas AS.

Richards awalnya mengira bahwa Ream merupakan pemain tertua yang ada di turnamen kali ini, bahkan sempat terkejut saat mengetahui fakta usia Dzeko.

"Tim’s 40 then," canda Chris Richards, bek Timnas AS.

Menanggapi candaan tersebut, Ream mengaku sudah terbiasa dengan gurauan mengenai umurnya yang dilontarkan oleh para pemain muda setiap hari.

"It's on the daily that he's coming up with all kinds of random things to remind me of how old I am," ujar Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ream menjelaskan kepada rekan-rekannya bahwa sebenarnya masih ada sekitar selusin pemain lain di Piala Dunia 2026 yang usianya lebih tua darinya, termasuk Cristiano Ronaldo dan Lionel Messi.

"I don't know why he thinks I'm so much older than everybody else, but I tell them all the time, there's at least probably 10 guys who are older than me in this World Cup." kata Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Namun, Richards dan rekan-rekannya tetap bersikeras menganggap Ream sebagai figur paling senior di dalam skuad Amerika Serikat.

"And he’s like, ‘Well, it doesn't matter,’" tutur Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Panggilan akrab sebagai kakek di dalam tim sudah melekat sejak Piala Dunia 2022 di Qatar.

"‘You're still the oldest.’" tiru Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Pada awalnya, Ream mengira karier internasionalnya akan berakhir sepenuhnya setelah kompetisi di Qatar selesai empat tahun lalu.

"I was unequivocally finished," aku Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Jika ada orang yang memprediksi dirinya akan kembali menjadi kapten dan bermain penuh di fase grup Piala Dunia 2026, Ream mengaku pasti akan menertawakan prediksi tersebut.

"I probably would have laughed at you right in your face," cetus Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Meskipun demikian, motivasi internal dan dukungan dari anak-anaknya membuat Ream mengurungkan niat untuk pensiun dini dari panggung internasional.

"I probably would have smirked and bit my lip and bit my tongue and just said, ‘Ok, well, I appreciate the confidence, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty slim.’" kenang Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Pola pikir untuk terus menembus batas kemampuan menjadi kunci utama mengapa dirinya masih mampu bersaing di level tertinggi sepak bola dunia.

"My mindset has never been one to just throw in the towel," tegas Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ream menambahkan bahwa ketahanan mentalnya akan terganggu jika ia memutuskan menyerah sebelum mengerahkan seluruh kemampuan terbaiknya.

"Never to just say, ‘You know what, I've had enough, I'm just going to let somebody else take over.’ My mindset has always been I'm going to push as hard as I can. If I don't get there because I'm pushing, then I can accept that.

If I don't push myself and don't get there, I don't know that I could mentally handle that. So it became almost a countdown. OK, well, there's only three and a half years." papar Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Mengenai keputusannya tetap bermain, Ream tidak menampik bahwa seorang atlet profesional terkadang harus bersikap egois demi mengejar mimpi besar mereka.

"If a professional athlete tells you that they're not selfish in a lot of ways and in a lot of moments in their career, they're lying to you," aku Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Dukungan dari anak-anaknya yang kini beranjak remaja justru menjadi dorongan moral yang sangat besar baginya untuk terus mengukir memori indah di lapangan hijau.

"We have to be. As my kids have gotten older, they're actually to the point now where they're like, ‘Well, dad, you're the oldest one, but we don't want you to retire. We get to enjoy these moments with you. We know you're away, but it's also really cool to share in these core memories that we're making.’" cerita Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Untuk menjaga kondisi fisiknya di usia 38 tahun, Ream mengandalkan metode pemulihan yang ketat seperti pilates, suplemen, terapi lampu merah, hingga menjaga kualitas tidur.

"I was someone who always took fitness very seriously," kata Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Bagi Ream, fokus terbesar seorang pemain senior saat ini terletak pada proses pemulihan fisik di antara jeda pertandingan yang padat.

"I took recovery very seriously. Now at 38 and a half, the games are not the hard part. It's in between the games that you really have to focus." tambah Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ia juga mengingatkan bahwa stimulasi konstan dari gawai sering kali mengganggu instrumen pemulihan paling alami bagi seorang atlet.

"Sleep is the best recovery tool," sebut Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Keputusan tim pelatih untuk mengistirahatkannya pada laga terakhir fase grup melawan Turki sepenuhnya dihormati oleh Ream demi kebaikan strategi tim secara keseluruhan.

"The staff obviously looked at everybody's outputs and all the science and the data behind everything, and they made the decision that they felt is best for the group," kata Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Sikap profesional yang ditunjukkan oleh kapten Charlotte FC ini menuai banyak pujian dari rekan-rekan setimnya yang mengagumi cara Ream memimpin skuad.

"I fully respect that." tegas Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Richards menambahkan bahwa Ream mampu memadukan kepemimpinan berbasis tindakan nyata dengan komunikasi verbal yang sangat baik.

"He leads by example and leads by the way he carries himself and how he speaks," puji Chris Richards, bek Timnas AS.

Kemampuan ganda tersebut membuat Ream dihormati baik di dalam maupun di luar lapangan pertandingan.

"Sometimes you get one or the other. Tim does them both really well. He can be" sambung Chris Richards, bek Timnas AS.

Berdasarkan ulasan dari La Crosse Tribune, perjalanan karier Ream yang sempat absen dari panggilan tim nasional selama 14 bulan sebelum Piala Dunia 2022 menjadikannya contoh nyata dari sebuah kegigihan.

"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," aku Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Bisa kembali mengenakan ban kapten di Piala Dunia yang digelar di rumah sendiri diakui Ream sebagai momen yang sangat istimewa bagi kehidupan pribadinya.

"So yeah, 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," tutur Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ia mengaku tidak ingin menyia-nyiakan kesempatan ini karena memahami betul betapa cepatnya roda nasib dapat berputar dalam dunia sepak bola profesional.

"I don't take (it) for granted because I know how quickly things can change. I know how quickly you can be in and how quickly you can be out." urai Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Kemampuan Ream dalam mengalirkan bola dari lini belakang bahkan sempat menarik perhatian manajer Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, beberapa tahun lalu.

"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 Gregg Berhalter, mantan pelatih Timnas AS.

Kombinasi performa impresif di Premier League bersama Fulham kala itu membuat tim pelatih tidak memiliki alasan untuk mencoret namanya dari daftar skuad.

"That's an example of a guy self-selecting based on his performance." tambah Gregg Berhalter, mantan pelatih Timnas AS.

Gelandang muda Gio Reyna bahkan menyamakan peran penting Ream di dalam dinamika internal tim layaknya seorang figur ayah yang mengayomi.

"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," aku Gio Reyna, gelandang Timnas AS.

Candaan mengenai usia Ream juga sering kali muncul saat sesi latihan tim, seperti yang diungkapkan oleh penyerang Folarin Balogun.

"He will score in training and they'll say he's the oldest scorer in World Cup history. Stuff like that," ungkap Folarin Balogun, penyerang Timnas AS.

Meski terpaut usia yang cukup jauh, Balogun mengaku sangat menikmati hubungan profesionalnya dengan Ream yang gemar membagikan pengalaman berharga.

"My personal relationship with Tim is great," aku Folarin Balogun, penyerang Timnas AS.

Bagi para pemain muda, keberadaan bek senior tersebut menjadi jembatan ilmu yang sangat penting untuk mematangkan permainan mereka.

"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." imbuh Folarin Balogun, penyerang Timnas AS.

Sejak mengambil alih kursi kepelatihan pada September 2024, Mauricio Pochettino langsung memercayakan ban kapten kepada Ream dalam mayoritas laga yang dimainkannya.

"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 Mauricio Pochettino, pelatih Timnas AS.

Pochettino menilai Ream memiliki kapasitas kepemimpinan positif yang sangat dibutuhkan untuk membimbing generasi emas sepak bola Amerika Serikat saat ini.

"He has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader that we want and to be a positive leader." jelas Mauricio Pochettino, pelatih Timnas AS.

Ream menegaskan bahwa segala upaya keras yang telah ia lakukan selama ini ditujukan sepenuhnya untuk memperkuat soliditas tim nasional.

"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," pungkas Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.

Ia memilih fokus memberikan kontribusi nyata di lapangan daripada merisaukan angka usianya yang kian menua.

"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." tutup Tim Ream, bek Timnas AS.