Fulham centre back Tim Ream enjoyed an emotional homecoming overnight – captaining his country in his home town of St. Louis as the United States beat Uzbekistan 3-0 in an international friendly.

The 35 year-old defender, who returned to the USA set-up and played every minute of their World Cup campaign last winter having performed peerlessly in Fulham’s first campaign back in the Premier League, wore the captain’s armband at CITYPARK on Saturday night as goals from Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepi and Christian Pulisic secured a straightforward win for the States.

Speaking to the USMNT website after the final whistle, Ream said:

“It’s special. [I] saw a lot of faces I knew – friends, family, ex team-mates. A lot of people that helped me on the way to get here. To be able to lead the team out, it’s always an honour. It’s always an honour to represent your country and represent soccer in the U.S. To be able to do it in your home town makes it that much more special.”