MetroFanatic: Tim, you had quite a good year, wouldn't you say?
Tim Ream: Yeah, obviously coming in, I didn't expect to have the season I had. Looking back on it, it's a great year. I'm looking to build on that and do better things this year.

MF: So what does better than last year include?
TR: Just being sharper. Being more sound in every aspect of the game. Defensively, passing. Just being sharper all around. Being mentally into every minute of every game.

MF: What do you think about partnering Rafa Marquez in the back?
TR: It's going well so far in the preseason. Ironic to say for a young US player.

MF: You obviously watched the 2002 World Cup...
TR: (laughs) Yeah, yeah. It's an interesting partnership. There's nobody better to learn from. Learning from guys like Mike and Carlos last year, two guys who have been in this league for a long time, and learning from Rafa, an international superstar, is unbelievable.

MF: In MLS, teams usually have a bruiser in the back, but you and Rafa are not really like that.
TR: Technically, no. But everybody knows Rafa can be a bruiser if he wants to. That's something I'm trying to learn from him, to hit guys if I have to. But we're trying to change the way teams play, the way we play out of the back with him and me back there.

MF: So let's talk about changing the way that teams play.
TR: We're trying here to be a possession side, to build an attack from the back. Really, to build an attack from anywhere on the field. With guys like myself and Rafa, whoever is playing on the left and right, we all can play the ball out of the back. That's something that Hans likes and that's something we're trying to bring to the league.

MF: You might be the only American in the starting 11 on many nights.
TR: The league has grown so much and there are so many international guys coming in. There's gotta be teams with not that many Americans. That's not to say that there aren't any good young Americans on this team. There are a lot of guys who can step in and push for a starting spot.

MF: What do you think about Bob Bradley?
TR: He's a great guy.

MF: When you met him, was a different than what you thought it would be?
TR: Yeah, he was very talkative. He's not the quiet guy everyone seems to think he is. He's a good coach to learn from, he's very tactical. He loves the game and is trying to teach their style of play to everybody that comes through. I personally love the guy.