- Mark Noble says the Hammers enjoyed a good workout in the defeat to the Seattle Sounders
- West Ham only have two days’ training behind them, while MLS clubs are mid-season
- The Club captain also explained why the tour is such a valuable experience for the side’s youngsters
Slaven Bilic’s side were beaten 3-0 by the MLS outfit, as two goals from Jordan Morris came after Herculez Gomez had given Sounders a first half lead.
The Hammers, who were facing Seattle after just two days back in training, lined up with wholly different selections in both periods, as Bilic made ten changes at the break.
But Noble, who was West Ham’s first half skipper, claimed the match was a useful tie for the players as they look to build their fitness ahead of the 2016/17 season.
He said: “It’s good for us to come here at this time of the year because the MLS are already mid-season. They’re really fit and game-ready and we’ve only had two days training after six weeks’ holiday.
It’s really exciting for a lot of younger boys who haven’t been to anything like this before. It’s of massive value
“To be fair, we knew it would be tough, as we’ve had only two days training but it was a great workout for us and we can’t thank Seattle enough for putting on a game for us.
“I’ve never played a game on astroturf like that before either, but it seemed really soft and the game wasn’t too strenuous. We only played 45 minutes at a slow tempo, so it will have done no harm.”
Many promising youngsters were included for the tour to the US, and names such as Moses Makasi, Reece Burke, Lewis Page and Marcus Browne were involved at CenturyLink Field while Sofiane Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit, Toni Martinez and Domingos Quina all pulled on a West Ham shirt for the first time.
And Noble, who came through the Club’s Academy himself, explained how important this experience could be for the Hammers’ hot young prospects.
“It’s really exciting for a lot of younger boys who haven’t been to anything like this before,” he continued. “It’s of massive value.
“I’ve been there and done it before but for the young lads, it’s great. When you go to Old Trafford and the Emirates, there are 80,000 or 60,000 fans there and these are the sorts of atmospheres they want to be playing in, so these experiences are great.
“Seattle is an amazing place, so we’re all very lucky for this trip. I’ve always wanted to come on a pre-season somewhere like this.”
“I’ve never played a game on astroturf like that before either, but it seemed really soft and the game wasn’t too strenuous. We only played 45 minutes at a slow tempo, so it will have done no harm.”
Many promising youngsters were included for the tour to the US, and names such as Moses Makasi, Reece Burke, Lewis Page and Marcus Browne were involved at CenturyLink Field while Sofiane Feghouli, Havard Nordtveit, Toni Martinez and Domingos Quina all pulled on a West Ham shirt for the first time.
And Noble, who came through the Club’s Academy himself, explained how important this experience could be for the Hammers’ hot young prospects.
“It’s really exciting for a lot of younger boys who haven’t been to anything like this before,” he continued. “It’s of massive value.
“I’ve been there and done it before but for the young lads, it’s great. When you go to Old Trafford and the Emirates, there are 80,000 or 60,000 fans there and these are the sorts of atmospheres they want to be playing in, so these experiences are great.
“Seattle is an amazing place, so we’re all very lucky for this trip. I’ve always wanted to come on a pre-season somewhere like this.”