U.S. NATIONAL TEAM DEFENDER TO JOIN ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP CLUB AFTER TWO YEARS WITH THE RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls announced that Major League Soccer and English Premiership side, Bolton Wanderers FC, have agreed to a transfer fee for Red Bulls defender and United States National Team international Tim Ream. Ream has agreed to personal contract terms with Bolton, earned United Kingdom visa approval and passed a physical. The transfer terms were not disclosed.
“We are extremely happy for Tim. He has worked very hard since he joined Major League Soccer and became a Red Bull and we firmly believe that this opportunity will be beneficial to him and the Red Bulls. This was a difficult decision for us as a club, but at the end of the day, we could not turn down this opportunity to help Tim’s development as a player. He has become a mature professional during his time here and we will fully support him as he moves to Bolton. He will always be welcome at Red Bull Arena,” said Red Bulls General Manager and Sporting Director Erik Soler.
“While we will miss Tim and his contributions both on and off the field, this deal also presents us with a significant amount of financial flexibility heading into the 2012 MLS season. We are confident that we will be able to add quality players that will strengthen the squad to help us towards our goal of winning MLS Cup this year.”
“I want to thank the Red Bulls and their fans for their tremendous support over the past two years. The club gave me an unbelievable opportunity to play in Major League Soccer and I would not have been in this position without the team and league’s backing. I will always cherish my memories playing for New York,” Ream said. “This was a hard decision for me considering the fact that I enjoyed playing for the Red Bulls and was looking forward to the upcoming MLS season. However, after consulting with those closest to me, I decided that this was a once in a lifetime chance that I could not pass up.”
Ream recently completed his second season for the Red Bulls. The St. Louis, MO native started 28 games, only missing time because of international commitments with the U.S. National Team. His play in 2011 was recognized as he was named to the MLS All-Star Team for the first time in his career. His sophomore season in professional soccer followed a terrific first year for the 24-year-old in 2010, as Ream was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year. Ream played every minute of the team’s 30 regular season games, helping the club to a single-season franchise record of 13 shutouts.
New York acquired Ream after drafting him in the second round (18th overall) in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft out of Saint Louis University. He played four seasons at Saint Louis and was named the 2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. On the international level, Ream has earned seven caps for the U.S., making his senior team debut when he started in a 1-0 win over South Africa on Nov. 17, 2010 in Cape Town.
