West Ham United’s famous Claret and Blue will reach North Carolina, USA this summer, after the Premier League club confirmed that it will be sending an all-star team to enter inaugural competition The Soccer Tournament (TST), a $1million, winner-takes-all, 7v7 world championship event.
Taking place from 1-4 June at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, TST aims to become the defining world championship for 7v7 soccer, in an annual, highly-intense format that follows the World Cup structure, pinning 32 teams against each other in groups before moving into the knockout stages.
Already confirmed in the West Ham United line-up are fan favourites, former England international winger Matt Jarvis and Premier League star striker Marlon Harewood. More former Hammers heroes will be confirmed in the coming weeks, along with a host of other exciting announcements.
Harewood, who scored 56 goals in 170 appearances for the Club across four seasons from 2003-07, said: “I can’t wait to pull on the Claret and Blue shirt again to represent West Ham United in The Soccer Tournament. It looks like a really exciting tournament, and it will actually be quite emotional to be out on the pitch again with some of the guys that I shared such fantastic memories with during my career. We’re really looking forward to heading out to North Carolina to fly the flag for West Ham and hopefully do the Club proud.”
TST Founder and CEO Jon Mugar added: “We are excited to see West Ham United roll its team out. Not only is the Club almost 130 years old, but it is also forward-thinking enough to embrace the stakes and excitement of the TST model. This will be an exciting team to follow.”
The Hammers join Wolverhampton Wanderers as the only two English Premier League teams competing in the tournament. Also taking part are German club Borussia Dortmund, Welsh club Wrexham AFC, MLS club Charlotte FC, and all-star teams led by former US Women’s National Teamer Heather O’Reilly and former US Men’s National Team star Clint Dempsey.
To find out more about TST or to join the ticket waiting list, visit TheTournament.com/TST, or follow The Soccer Tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @TST7v7.
