Crazy idea with World Cup side! Will their key player be benched?

A few days before the start of the home World Cup, the hopes of millions of American fans rest above all on Cristian Pulisic. The superstar of the US national team plays for AC Milan, is 27 and in his footballing prime, and is widely regarded as probably the most talented “soccer player” of all time. His nickname? Naturally, it’s Captain America.

Given that prominence, a recent personnel decision by national team coach Mauricio Pochettino seems all the more surprising: Pulisic will not lead the USA onto the field as captain at the home tournament! Instead, veteran Tim Ream will wear the Stars and Stripes armband. 

The center-back is a proud 38 years old and is under contract with MLS club Charlotte FC. So while Pulisic embodies the present and future of American soccer, Ream is already deep into the twilight of his career. The defender looks back on a nine-year spell at Fulham and enjoys enormous respect within the team.

And so, a few days ago, Pochettino officially confirmed what had already been becoming clear. Since taking over in 2024, the Argentine has sent Ream onto the field as captain in 16 of a possible 23 matches. He has now definitively named the veteran as the leader of the US boys.

“I’m very grateful that he is with us because he’s a great captain—not only on the pitch, but perhaps even more so off it,” Pochettino said. He particularly values Ream’s influence on young players. More generally, his character is said to be of inestimable value to the team. 

The decision was not made by the team, however. “It was my decision,” Pochettino made clear. He said he had consulted trusted people, but in the end he made the choice himself. 

Captain America only on the bench?

Curiously, despite all the coach’s praise, Ream does not even have a guaranteed starting spot at the World Cup. “Whether he plays or doesn’t play—he is the captain,” Pochettino said. “Just because he is captain now does not automatically mean he will definitely be in the starting lineup. That’s not the main point.” Much more important, he said, is that the defender is “a great guy.”

That could lead to a remarkable situation. The captain of the host nation sitting on the bench for many matches? That has not happened all that often in World Cup history. But looking at the USA’s most recent internationals, it is fair to assume that is exactly what will happen. Ream played the full 90 minutes in only five of the last nine matches. Three times he did not play at all, and once he was substituted at halftime.

📸 Jacob Kupferman – 2026 Getty Images

However, this does absolutely nothing to diminish the veteran’s extreme ambition. Ream is approaching the home showpiece with maximum confidence. “The mindset is: let’s win this thing. Let’s win the World Cup,” he recently said in an interview with ‘Fox News Digital’. There is no reason to “shy away” from that objective.

But for all the veteran’s positive energy, the whole thing still feels a bit odd. Just imagine Joshua Kimmich not going into the tournament as an undisputed starter. Football Germany would probably be foaming with rage. In the USA, though, that exact scenario is reality. 

That leaves just one question: who gets the captain’s armband if Ream—just as Pochettino has suggested—really does not make the starting lineup? Will the one and only Captain America, Cristian Pulisic, then get the nod? We may find out in just a few days.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.