The build up to West Ham United’s participation in the 2025 Premier League Summer Series is continuing this weekend as Carlton Cole and Hammerhead touch down in Atlanta.
The former Hammers striker has joined the Club mascot in Atlanta, where the Irons will go head-to-head with Saturday’s opponents AFC Bournemouth in a mouthwatering match-up Stateside on Sunday 3 August.
West Ham, Bournemouth, Manchester United and Everton will all feature in the round-robin tournament in the United States this summer, which sees the Hammers competing in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta.
Following on from our visit to Chicago last month, when Marlon Harewood linked up with the Chicago Hammers supporters’ group to watch our Premier League meeting with Everton, while also handing out West Ham-branded pizzas from the city’s famous Lou Malnati’s restaurant to locals, Cole has continued spreading the Hammers word across the Atlantic.
Friday marked 120 days until Graham Potter’s men will take on Bournemouth in Atlanta, and to celebrate the milestone, Cole took Hammerhead around Atlanta’s famous sights, challenging locals to score 120 goals along the way.
The glut of goals came at venues ranging from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where our meeting with Bournemouth will take place, to the iconic Peachtree Street, Centennial Olympic Park and the Fox Theatre.
Atlanta is the soccer capital of the United States, with unmatched passion and record-breaking crowds for the city’s Major League Soccer team, Atlanta United.
Cole also paid a visit to the team’s training ground on Friday, where he met with his former Hammers teammate Jonathan Spector, now Atlanta’s Head of International Player Recruitment and Development, striker Xande Silva, who spent three years with the Hammers early in his career, making two first-team appearances, and his former Celtic boss Ronny Delia, now Head Coach of the MLS side.
This all came ahead of an action-packed Saturday, when Cole and Hammerhead will join the Atlanta Ironworks Supporters’ Group at their regular meeting point, the city’s Brewhouse Cafe, to take in the London Stadium clash with Bournemouth, before bringing a slice of east London to Atlanta United’s Tailgate ahead of their evening MLS fixture against FC Dallas at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Cole is thrilled to help spread the Hammers word in Atlanta, saying: “It was an incredible first day in Atlanta.
“Seeing the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was unbelievable, it’s an amazing stadium and the boys are going to love playing there in the Premier League Summer Series.
“To bring east London to Atlanta has been special and it’s been nice to meet the good people of the city, who really love their football. There’s been some great goals scored too! They are certainly going to bring the energy in August.
“I am looking forward to joining the Atlanta Ironworks on Saturday morning to cheer on the boys at The Brewhouse. Come on you Irons!”
Spector, meanwhile, was delighted to meet up with his old teammate again on home turf, having also represented the Club together at the Premier League Mornings Live event in Chicago in September last year.
“I’ve seen a lot of him recently, more so than in the last ten years,” he smiled. “It’s been great to reconnect with him - we had some fantastic memories on the pitch together, I really enjoyed playing with him and it’s great to see him doing so well at West Ham.
“Mercedes-Benz Stadium is an incredible facility and what’s been impressive to me since being here is how much the city of Atlanta has embraced football, so I think we’ll see a lot of West Ham fans here in August.
“The atmosphere will be good, they’ll be playing in one of the best stadiums in the world, so I think it will be a really good experience for the team.”
Tickets for the Premier League Summer Series are on General Sale now! Click HERE to book your place to see us take on Manchester United, Everton and AFC Bournemouth in the United States this July and August.
