On This Day in 2022, a Boxing Day Moment a Decade in the Making
For Tim Ream, the path to Premier League permanence had been anything but straightforward. The St. Louis native had arrived in England a decade earlier, cutting short his honeymoon in January 2012 to sign for Bolton Wanderers. This romantic sacrifice seemed fitting for a player who would spend the next 10 years proving his devotion to English football. He'd experienced the heartbreak of relegation in his first season, fought his way back to become Bolton's Player of the Year two seasons running, then made the move to Fulham in 2015 with hopes of reaching the Premier League.
Those hopes had been realized, then lost, then realized again. Ream had tasted the top flight briefly during Fulham's 2018-19 campaign, but relegation sent them back down. By December 2022, however, everything had aligned. Fulham had returned to the Premier League as Championship winners, and Marco Silva's side was not just surviving—they were thriving. 19 points from their opening 15 matches had them comfortably mid-table, a remarkable achievement for a newly-promoted side.
At 35 years old, Ream had established himself as an indispensable figure at Craven Cottage. In seven full seasons wearing the white shirt, he'd become the embodiment of Fulham's resilience. Just three weeks earlier, he'd started all four matches as the United States reached the World Cup Round of 16 in Qatar, cementing his status as one of America's most consistent defenders. But for all his accomplishments—the Player of the Year awards at Bolton, the promotion triumphs, the international caps—one thing had eluded him: a goal in England's top division.
On December 26, Crystal Palace presented both opportunity and challenge. The Eagles matched Fulham's point total and had won four of their last seven before the World Cup break, though they'd be without suspended center-back Marc Guehi. For Fulham, there were fitness concerns around Aleksandar Mitrović, Antonee Robinson, and Layvin Kurzawa, but Silva's squad had depth. The sold-out away allocation of 2,687 traveling supporters would make the short journey across South London—on buses, as no trains were running on Boxing Day—to Selhurst Park, hoping to see their side maintain their impressive form.
The match unfolded like a Boxing Day gift unwrapping in stages. Fulham controlled possession from the opening whistle, patient and composed, while Palace struggled to create clear chances despite Michael Olise's occasional moments of brilliance. In the 26th minute, Jordan Ayew struck the crossbar, a warning shot that Palace couldn't capitalize on. Five minutes later, Fulham punished that miss. After intercepting a wayward pass from Joachim Andersen, the visitors struck with devastating efficiency. Mitrović, so often the target of crosses, became the provider with an exquisite delivery from the right that Bobby De Cordova-Reid met with a glancing header into the far corner.
The afternoon turned from difficult to desperate for Palace three minutes later when Tyrick Mitchell received a straight red card for a high tackle on Kenny Tete. Patrick Vieira's side now faced over an hour with 10 men against a Fulham team that had been dominating even at full strength. The second half brought further misery when James Tomkins, making his first Premier League start since the previous Boxing Day, raised his elbow to block Mitrović's run and collected a second yellow card. At nine men, Palace's fate seemed sealed.
Yet the insurance goal Fulham needed hadn't arrived. Mitrović had been denied by excellent saves from Vicente Guaita, and Andreas Pereira had struck the post from a tight angle. The breakthrough came in the 71st minute from the most unexpected source. Pereira's deep corner swung toward the far post, where Mitrović, inevitably, rose highest. The Serbian's header came down perfectly into Ream's path, and the American captain didn't hesitate. He spun sharply and lashed a vicious volley that rocketed into the roof of the net, leaving Guaita with no chance.
The Fulham supporters erupted. Seven years since joining the club and finally—his first Premier League goal. The emotion was written across Ream's face as teammates mobbed him. VAR briefly checked whether Mitrović's header had brushed his arm, but referee Andy Madley took one look at the monitor and confirmed the goal. The away end, packed 20 yards to his left, exploded again in celebration.
"We had a plan, and the players stuck to the plan," Silva would say afterward. "Their home record is very strong, but we were the best team on the pitch and showed the maturity we needed." For Ream, the maturity had been earned over years of Championship battles, relegation fights, and the patience required to rebuild a Premier League career at an age when many defenders are winding down. His goal represented not just three points secured—Mitrović would add a third in the 80th minute with a deft header to seal the 3-0 victory—but validation of the long journey.
The timing couldn't have been better. Just hours after the match, Fulham announced that Ream had signed a contract extension keeping him at the club through the summer of 2024. It was the perfect Boxing Day double: his first Premier League goal and confirmation that his Fulham story would continue.
The season would prove to be one of consolidation and success. Fulham finished tenth in the Premier League—a remarkable achievement for a promoted side—while reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals. Mitrović would finish as top scorer with 14 league goals, but it was the collective strength and experience of players like Ream that provided the foundation for Silva's system. The American made 33 league appearances that season, his steady presence at center-back allowing Fulham's attackers the freedom to flourish.
Ream would go on to extend his Fulham career even further, signing another contract in December 2023 that would keep him at Craven Cottage through 2025. In October 2023, he celebrated his 300th appearance for the club in a win over Sheffield United—a milestone that few foreign players in English football ever reach with a single club. When he finally departed in August 2024, he joined Charlotte FC in Major League Soccer on a two-year deal, bringing his nine-year Fulham chapter to a close.
That Boxing Day afternoon at Selhurst Park, with Fulham sitting in the top half of the Premier League table and their captain wheeling away in celebration of a goal a decade in the making, everything felt right. One volley, one moment of pure joy, and one perfect afternoon that captured why Tim Ream had canceled his honeymoon all those years ago to chase an English football dream. It was the kind of goal that makes a career memorable—not for its technical brilliance or tactical importance, but for what it represented: perseverance, loyalty, and the reward that sometimes comes to those patient enough to wait for their moment.