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The U.S. men's national team will create a piece of history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when Tim Ream takes the field wearing the captain's armband, most likely for the tournament opener on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
The experienced center back, born in 1987, will become the oldest player ever to represent the USMNT at a World Cup, doing so at the age of 38, breaking Fernando Clavijo's record set at the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted entirely on American soil.
Ream, a St. Louis native, serves as skipper for both the USMNT and MLS club Charlotte FC. He will be 38 years and 250 days old on the World Cup's opening day, eclipsing Clavijo, who was 38 years and 162 days old when he last featured in the competition for the USMNT.
The age difference between Ream and the youngest player on the squad is nearly 17 years, with fellow defender Alex Freeman making his World Cup debut at just 22 years old. Freeman was born in 2004, a period when Ream was completing his final year of elite youth soccer with St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC before going on to join the Saint Louis University men's soccer program.
Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down the 2026 USMNT roster by age, alongside a notable event that took place around the time of each player's birth.
USMNT World Cup Roster By Age
Tim Ream, 38 (Oct. 8, 1987)—In June of that year, then U.S. president Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. The Wall would remain standing for another two years.
Matt Turner, 31 (June 24, 1994)—That same summer, the USWNT claimed victory at the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup, also held on American soil.
Cristian Roldan, 30 (June 3, 1995)—Five months later, "Toy Story" had its New York premiere, becoming the first feature-length film produced entirely through computer animation.
Miles Robinson, 29 (March 14, 1997)—The debut Harry Potter novel was released in the U.S. under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Antonee Robinson, 28 (Aug 8, 1997)—On July 4, NASA's Mars Pathfinder touched down on Mars, releasing Sojourner, the first rover ever to traverse the Martian surface.
Alex Zendejas, 28 (Feb 7, 1998)—Born in February, Zendejas arrived in the world the same month NHL players and women's hockey made their debut at the Nagano Olympic Games.
Haji Wright, 28 (March 27, 1998)—Just days before Haji Wright's birthday, the blockbuster film "Titanic" swept the Oscars with 11 wins, including Best Picture.
Auston Trusty, 27 (Aug 12, 1998)—San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds became the first player in MLB history to record 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases in a career, before later becoming embroiled in a doping controversy.
Weston McKennie, 27 (Aug 28, 1998)—Earlier that summer, France defeated Brazil to claim their first World Cup title on home soil.
Matt Freese, 27 (Sep 2, 1998)—Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" climbed to the number one position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Christian Pulisic, 27 (Sep 18, 1998)—Google officially launched and went live around the same time Pulisic was born. Two standout products of American origin.
Tyler Adams, 27 (Feb. 14, 1999)—Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky recorded five assists in a single game for the New York Rangers, extending his commanding lead atop the NHL's all-time scoring list by more than 1,000 points.
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Mark McKenzie, 27 (Feb. 25, 1999)—The Toulouse center back was born just two days after Eminem dropped his debut studio album, "The Slim Shady LP."
Tim Weah, 26 (Feb. 22, 2000)—Tim Weah came into the world while his father, George Weah, was playing for Chelsea.
Chris Richards, 26 (March 28, 2000)—Hal Sutton claimed the PGA Players Championship, edging out Tiger Woods by a single stroke.
Brenden Aaronson, 25 (Oct. 22, 2000)—The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics ran through October that year, wrapping up just before Aaronson's birthday.
Sergiño Dest, 25 (Nov. 3, 2000)—Just days after the star fullback's birth, the contentious U.S. presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore remained unresolved.
Max Arfsten, 25, (April 19, 2001)—Apple introduced iTunes to the world.
Sebastian Berhalter, 25 (May 10, 2001)—The animated feature "Shrek" opened in cinemas right around the time of the midfielder's birthday.
Folarin Balogun, 24 (July 3, 2001)—The IOC selected Beijing to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, marking the first time the Games would be held in China.
Malik Tillman, 24 (May 28, 2002)—Sherpa Temba Tsheri became the youngest individual to conquer Mount Everest at just 16 years and 14 days of age.
Gio Reyna, 23 (Nov. 13, 2002)—The second Harry Potter installment, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," opened in theaters, while Eminem released "Lose Yourself."
Joe Scally, 23 (Dec. 31, 2002)—The world rang in 2003 at the very moment Joe Scally was born.
Ricardo Pepi, 23 (Jan. 9, 2003)—Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus Williams in the Australian Open final.
Chris Brady, 22 (March 3, 2004)—NASA unveiled the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field image, offering the most detailed view of the universe ever captured at that time.
Alex Freeman, 22 (Aug. 4, 2004)—Freeman is the only USMNT player born after the conclusion of the beloved TV sitcom "Friends," which aired its final episode in May 2004.