Carlton Cole is adamant West Ham United are not part of the inaugural The Soccer Tournament (TST) to make up the numbers. Rather, the Hammers are heading to the USA to win the whole competition.
The Irons are sending a 14-person squad to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina for the inaugural TST; a $1million, winner-takes-all, 7v7 world championship event which will pit 32 teams from across the globe in competition between 1-4 June.
Cole is just one of a host of West Ham legends heading out for the competition in a squad managed by Apprentice and Celebrity MasterChef star, TV personality and Hammers supporter Tom Skinner, with the former striker and Academy of Football coach being joined by the likes of Marlon Harewood, Matt Jarvis and Jimmy Walker.
The Irons get their TST campaign underway in Group D on Thursday and Cole says the group is hungry for success in the tournament.
Sights and sounds from our @tst7v7 training session ahead of this week’s tournament 👀 #COYI⚒️ pic.twitter.com/87s2UOMT7Z
— West Ham United US (@WestHam_US) May 29, 2023
“It’s a big tournament,” the former striker, who scored 68 goals for West Ham, said. “A very, very big tournament. But I’m really happy to be involved and be selected by West Ham.
“We’ll go out there with a squad that’s still hungry and still has something to prove. Although I’ve definitely one of the ones that needs to get fit before I go. I need to get an injection in my knee before I can travel!”
West Ham will play twice on Thursday 1 June. They will first come up against Far East United (10.30am EDT / 3.30pm BST) before facing Dallas United (6.30pm EDT / 11.30pm BST).
The group stage will then conclude for the east London side on Friday 2 June against Culture By Mo Ali FC (10.30am EDT / 3.30pm BST).
TST aims to become the defining world championship for 7v7 soccer, in an annual, highly-intense format that follows the World Cup structure, pitting 32 teams against each other in groups before moving into the knockout stages.
The 32 entrants will play in a World Cup format, with eight groups, then four knockout rounds to produce a winner, who will take home a $1million prize.
“The old boys are going to be rolling out but trust me, we’re fit enough to play and make an impact,” Cole continued.
“We’re going to have some proper legends who are very competitive. We’ve got very cultured players who understand the value of being a West Ham player!
“We’ve got some young-ish retirees and hopefully they’re going to bring more to the table than my tired, old legs can!”
Among the other 28 clubs taking part are Borussia Dortmund, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wrexham Red Dragons, Club Necaxa of Mexico, Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel, Como of Italy and Spencer Owen’s Hashtag United.
To find out more about TST and buy tickets, visit TheTournament.com/TST, or follow The Soccer Tournament on Twitter.
