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Tim Ream responds well to Marquez comments in win over Timbers
The young defender had one of his best showings of the season just days after his central partner ripped him and teammates.
Sep 26, 2011 5:50:00 AM
By Allen Ramsey
Getty
There was plenty of controversy surrounding the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night as the club hosted the Portland Timbers in a match with major playoff implications.
Rafa Marquez's comments earlier in the week, ripping teammates and singling out defensive partner Tim Ream, sparked plenty of reactions from the media. But the most important reaction came Saturday night from Ream and his teammates.
Ream, who earlier this year was being hailed as the next in line for one of the USA's back line spots, has had a very up and down year. His performances for the USA drew some poor reviews and his play with Marquez in the center of the Red Bulls' defense has led to the club dropping to the point of possibly missing the playoffs.
On Saturday however, the 23-year-old responded with class both on and off the pitch.
On the pitch, he looked confident in marshaling a defense that held a potent Portland team to just three shots on target all night. And after the match, despite being given ample opportunity to rip back at his more famous teammate, Ream took the high road.
“Honestly, I think it would have happened even if the comments weren’t made”, Ream told MLSsoccer.com. “After you take a solid 3-1 beating, you have something to prove. We wanted to prove it was a fluke and that wasn’t who we are. We put our heads down more because of the way we played [on Wednesday], not because of the comments.”
Ream went on to say that while the controversy was rampant throughout the media, a team meeting allowed him and the other players to put it behind them quickly.
It was a class move from Ream, and one that deserves some credit. At 23-years-old, having a more famous teammate rip him publicly couldn't have been an easy thing to deal with. Marquez, rightly or wrongly, is a respected name in the world soccer community. His words carry weight that could go beyond just fracturing a relationship with a teammate.
It may seem like a reach to say that Marquez's comments could impact how teams around the world view his young teammate, but the truth is that negative comments from respected teammates can impact a player's reputation.
Ream would have been well within his rights to fire back at Marquez after the win with a "see what we do without you" type of comment. Though it easily could have drawn a suspension much like the one Marquez got, it's doubtful that anybody would have blamed him.
But the youngster said all the right things.
“It’s gone,” he told the New York Daily News. “There are no hard feelings. Come Tuesday, we’ll pair up again and everything will be fine. With all the drama going on this week, we all wanted to step it up. I knew early on that it was past us. I think it was a big reason why we came out with so much passion tonight. We wanted to prove that nothing had lingered.”
Ream's ability to respond the right way on and off the pitch may not ever translate into him being a world-class player, but it's an encouraging sign. Being able to put troubling things behind you, or even to turn them into a little chip that rides on your shoulder, is what great players do.
Ream still has plenty of time and the talent to develop into a great player on the pitch, but his words and actions on Saturday show that he's ready for the big time off the pitch. There will be plenty of other trials along the way, but Red Bulls fans and USA fans alike should now be confident in knowing that the promising defender will respond well when times are tough.
Rafa Marquez's comments earlier in the week, ripping teammates and singling out defensive partner Tim Ream, sparked plenty of reactions from the media. But the most important reaction came Saturday night from Ream and his teammates.
Ream, who earlier this year was being hailed as the next in line for one of the USA's back line spots, has had a very up and down year. His performances for the USA drew some poor reviews and his play with Marquez in the center of the Red Bulls' defense has led to the club dropping to the point of possibly missing the playoffs.
On Saturday however, the 23-year-old responded with class both on and off the pitch.
On the pitch, he looked confident in marshaling a defense that held a potent Portland team to just three shots on target all night. And after the match, despite being given ample opportunity to rip back at his more famous teammate, Ream took the high road.
“Honestly, I think it would have happened even if the comments weren’t made”, Ream told MLSsoccer.com. “After you take a solid 3-1 beating, you have something to prove. We wanted to prove it was a fluke and that wasn’t who we are. We put our heads down more because of the way we played [on Wednesday], not because of the comments.”
Ream went on to say that while the controversy was rampant throughout the media, a team meeting allowed him and the other players to put it behind them quickly.
It was a class move from Ream, and one that deserves some credit. At 23-years-old, having a more famous teammate rip him publicly couldn't have been an easy thing to deal with. Marquez, rightly or wrongly, is a respected name in the world soccer community. His words carry weight that could go beyond just fracturing a relationship with a teammate.
It may seem like a reach to say that Marquez's comments could impact how teams around the world view his young teammate, but the truth is that negative comments from respected teammates can impact a player's reputation.
Ream would have been well within his rights to fire back at Marquez after the win with a "see what we do without you" type of comment. Though it easily could have drawn a suspension much like the one Marquez got, it's doubtful that anybody would have blamed him.
But the youngster said all the right things.
“It’s gone,” he told the New York Daily News. “There are no hard feelings. Come Tuesday, we’ll pair up again and everything will be fine. With all the drama going on this week, we all wanted to step it up. I knew early on that it was past us. I think it was a big reason why we came out with so much passion tonight. We wanted to prove that nothing had lingered.”
Ream's ability to respond the right way on and off the pitch may not ever translate into him being a world-class player, but it's an encouraging sign. Being able to put troubling things behind you, or even to turn them into a little chip that rides on your shoulder, is what great players do.
Ream still has plenty of time and the talent to develop into a great player on the pitch, but his words and actions on Saturday show that he's ready for the big time off the pitch. There will be plenty of other trials along the way, but Red Bulls fans and USA fans alike should now be confident in knowing that the promising defender will respond well when times are tough.
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