Oldest and Youngest Players on the USMNT World Cup Roster—Tim Ream Sets Record

Tim Ream was the only USMNT player alive when the Berlin Wall still stood.

Alex Freeman (left) is nearly 16 years younger than Tim Ream (right). | Icon/Sportswire/Imago, Icon/Sportswire/Imago

The U.S. men’s national team will make history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when Tim Ream steps onto the pitch wearing the captain’s armband, likely for the opening game on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles. 

The veteran center back, born in 1987, will become the oldest player to ever play for the USMNT at the World Cup, doing so at 38 years old, overtaking Fernando Clavijo’s record from the 1994 World Cup, which was hosted solely on U.S. soil. 

Ream, hailing from St. Louis, serves as the captain for both the USMNT and MLS side Charlotte FC. He will be 38 years and 250 days old on the opening day of the World Cup, surpassing Clavijo, who was 38 years and162 days old when he last played in the tournament for the USMNT.

Ream’s age gap to the youngest player on the roster is nearly 17 years, with fellow defender Alex Freeman making his World Cup debut at 22 years old. Freeman was born in 2004, a time at which Ream was in his final year of elite youth soccer with St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC ahead of joining the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team. 

Here, Sports Illustrated lists out the 2026 USMNT roster by age and one momentous thing that occurred near the date of each player’s birth. 

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USMNT World Cup Roster By Age

Tim Ream will become the oldest player to ever play for the USMNT at a World Cup. | John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images

Tim Ream, 38 (Oct. 8, 1987)—In June, then U.S. president Ronald Reagan urged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. The Wall wouldn’t fall for another two years.

Matt Turner, 31 (June 24, 1994)—That summer, the USWNT won the first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup, also hosted on U.S. soil. 

Cristian Roldan, 30 (June 3, 1995)—Five months later, “Toy Story” premiered in New York, becoming the first full-length film created exclusively with computer animation.

Miles Robinson, 29 (March 14, 1997)—The first Harry Potter book came out in the U.S., titled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Antonee Robinson, 28 (Aug 8, 1997)—On July 4, NASA’s Mars Pathfinder successfully landed on Mars, deploying Sojourner, the first-ever rover on the Martian surface.

Alex Zendejas, 28 (Feb 7, 1998)—Born in February, Zendejas came into the world the same month NHL players and women’s hockey were introduced to the Olympic Games of Nagano.

Haji Wright, 28 (March 27, 1998)—Just days before Haji Wright’s birthday, the film “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. 

Auston Trusty, 27 (Aug 12, 1998)—San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds became the first player in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and steal 400 bases in a career, before becoming enveloped in a doping scandal. 

Weston McKennie, 27 (Aug 28, 1998)—Earlier that summer, Frace defeated Brazil to win their first World Cup on home soil.

Matt Freese, 27 (Sep 2, 1998)—Aerosmith's “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing” hit the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Christian Pulisic, 27 (Sep 18, 1998)—Google officially incorporated and went online around the same time Pulisic was born. Two elite U.S.-made products. 

Tyler Adams, 27 (Feb. 14, 1999)—Hockey star Wayne Gretzky posted five assists in a game for the New York Rangers, expanding his lead atop the NHL’s all-time scoring charts by more than 1,000 points. 

Mark McKenzie, 27 (Feb. 25, 1999)—The Toulouse center back was born two days after Eminem released his first record album, “The Slim Shady LP”

Tim Weah, 26 (Feb. 22, 2000)—Tim Weah was born while his father George Weah played for Chelsea.

Chris Richards, 26 (March 28, 2000)—Hal Sutton won the PGA Players Championship, finishing one stroke ahead of Tiger Woods.

Brenden Aaronson, 25 (Oct. 22, 2000)—The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics ran until October in 2000, ending just before Aaronson’s birthday.

Sergiño Dest, 25  (Nov. 3, 2000)—Just days after the star fullback was born, the controversial U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was deemed inconclusive.

Max Arfsten, 25, (April 19, 2001)—Apple launched iTunes.

Sebastian Berhalter, 25 (May 10, 2001)—The animated film, “Shrek”, hit theaters right around the midfielder’s birthday.

Folarin Balogun, 24 (July 3, 2001)—The IOC awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics to Beijing, bringing the Games to China for the first time. 

Malik Tillman, 24 (May 28, 2002)—Sherpa Temba Tsheri became the youngest person to successfully climb Mount Everest at just 16 years and 14 days old. 

Gio Reyna, 23 (Nov. 13, 2002)—The second Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” hit theaters, and Eminem released “Lose Yourself.”

Joe Scally, 23 (Dec. 31, 2002)—The world welcomed 2003 as soon as 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 launched the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field image, showcasing the deepest view of the universe at that time.

Alex Freeman, 22 (Aug. 4, 2004)—Freeman is the only USMNT player born after the end of the “Friends” TV sitcom, which ended in May of 2004. 

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