West Ham United supporters need no introduction to our leaders for The Soccer Tournament (TST), Club legend Anton Ferdinand as player-coach and actor and lifelong supporter Hero Fiennes Tiffin as a player.
The Claret and Blue Army will also be instantly familiar with cult heroes James Collins, Ricardo Vaz Tê and Mauro Zárate, who have all been named to the Hammers’ squad for the $1million, winner-takes-all 7v7 world championship event, being hosted in North Carolina in the United States between 4-9 June.
Meanwhile, despite already announcing the exciting additions of India international winger Rahul KP and highly respected trainer and mentor Dillon Vedral as our Head Coach, West Ham fans are unlikely to recognise the names of the eleven other players who will represent the Club at TST, so here we introduce you to them ahead of the 48-team tournament featuring legends, sportspeople, celebrities and influencers from all over the world.
The men’s field is split into 12 groups of four, and West Ham will headline Group G, which also features La Liga’s Villarreal CF, Tenfifteen FC and Brown Ballers FC. For more information, including kick-off times and where you can watch live streams of our games, click HERE.
Meet our TST squad
Brian Orozco
Goalkeeper
Born: 15 October 2001 (age 24)
Brian Orozco is a Team USA indoor international who plays for Empire Strykers (known as Ontario Fury until 2022), a Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) team based in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles. Born in Guatemala, Orozco moved to California as a child, attended Grand Terrace High School in San Bernadino and played for San Bernadino Valley College men’s soccer team as a midfielder and goalkeeper. Played in goal for Inland Empire Republic FC in the SoCal Premier League before joining Empire Strykers in 2023 and making 35 appearances across the last two seasons.
Claysson De Lima
Goalkeeper
Born: 2 March 1998 (age 27)
Brazilian Claysson De Lima has been with Empire Strykers/Ontario Fury since 2017/18. Named 2021 MASL Goalkeeper of the Year, De Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro and played for Fluminense and Botafogo before moving to Los Angeles and joining USL League 2 club FC Golden State Force in 2016 as part of an international exchange agreement with Botafogo. Je won the prestigious Dallas Cup U19 title with Golden State in 2016.
Robert Palmer
Defender
Born: 15 January 1989 (age 36)
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Robert Palmer is another member of the Empire Strykers/Ontario Fury squad representing West Ham United at TST. An MASL player since 2014, Palmer has made more than 200 appearances for the Missouri/Kansas City Comets, Tacoma Stars and Empire Strykers/Ontario Fury. Collegiately, Palmer played for Park University Pirates in Missouri. He has won the MASL Defender of the Year award twice and was named in the MASL Elite Six on three occasions.
Lesia Thetsane
Defender
Born: 24 May 1997 (age 28 at start of TST)
Versatile Lesotho international defender or midfielder Lesia Thetsane has been playing indoor soccer for MASL clubs Kansas City Comets and Harrisburg Heat since 2021. Thetsane previously played outdoors for Columbia College Cougars in Columbia, Missouri, in 2018-19, and USL League 2 club Ballard FC in Seattle in 2021. Staying outdoors, he won nine senior international caps for Lesotho between 2018-22.
Erik Pereira
Defender
Born: 29 July 1995 (age 29)
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Erik Pereira played outdoor football collegiately for Waldorf University Warriors in Iowa, and Young Harris College Mountain Lions in Georgia and played professionally with National Premier Soccer League clubs Georgia Revolution and Springfield Demize. He focused fully indoors in 2022/23, playing for MASL clubs St Louis Ambush and Kansas City Comets across the last three seasons.
Nilton de Andrade
Midfielder
Born: 20 March 1996 (age 29)
Born in Fogo, Cape Verde, Nilton de Andrade played for Newbury College Nighthawks in Brookline, Massachusetts. As a student-athlete, he was a two-time All-American and Offensive Player of the Year at UMass-Boston. De Andrade won the outdoor UPSL (United Premier Soccer League) Patriots Division title with Massachusetts-based Brockton FC United in 2020. He has played indoors for MASL club Utica City FC in New York since the 2022/23 season and reached the TST semi-finals in 2024 with Newtown Pride.
Leonardo De Oliveira
Midfielder
Born: 18 November 1988 (age 36)
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Leonardo De Oliveira is an experienced indoor soccer player who has played in the MASL for Detroit Waza Flo, Ontario Fury and current club San Diego Sockers. De Oliveira won the MASL Ron Newman Cup championship with the Southern California-based Sockers in 2021 and again in 2021/22, when he was named Pass Master for registering 33 assists. He started for Brazil at the 2019 WMF World Cup (Minifootball) in Perth, Australia, where he finished as a runner-up to Mexico.
Christian Anderaos
Midfielder
Born: 2 February 1996 (age 29)
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Christian Anderaos is a midfielder who helped Kansas City Comets win the MASL Eastern Conference title in 2024. He has 33 goals and 15 assists in 96 appearances for the Comets, including play-off matches. Anderaos attended the Universidade de Sao Paulo before moving to the United States in 2017 and playing collegiate soccer for the University of Missouri–Kansas City Roos in 2017-18. He joined the UMKC Roos coaching staff in 2019, has his own soccer academy and works as a broadcaster.
Lucas Sousa
Midfielder
Born: 29 December 1992 (age 32)
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Lucas Sousa has just completed his fifth season with MASL side Kansas City Comets, having joined the Missouri-based club in 2021. In his first season, Sousa won MASL Rookie of the Year honours. Sousa moved to the United States as a teenager and played for Park University Pirates in Missouri from 2012-14. He combines his playing career with a role as an assistant women’s soccer coach at Park University.
Devin Vega
Midfielder
Born: 11 December 1998 (age 26)
Attacking midfielder Devin Vega is a Puerto Rico international attacking midfielder with 12 caps and three goals for his country. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Vega joined MLS club FC Dallas as a youngster. Played for United Soccer League clubs San Antonio FC, Phoenix Rising, FC Tucson and Real Monarchs between 2017-20. He now coaches youngsters in Texas alongside Dillon Vedral, and played up with his coach for Team USA at the 7v7 Kings League World Cup in Italy in early 2025, scoring two goals before the USA lost on penalties to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Justin Stinson
Forward
Born: 29 May 1997 (age 28 at TST)
St Charles, Missouri native Justin Stinson played collegiately for Yavapai Roughriders in Prescott, Arizona. Since then, he has played indoor soccer for St Louis Ambush, Ontario Fury/Empire Strykers and Tacoma Stars, scoring 143 goals and registering 74 assists in 157 MASL games. Stinson was voted to the 2025 MASL All-Star Game and reached the TST semi-finals with Newtown Pride in 2024.
Rian Marques
Forward
Born: 25 August 1995 (age 29)
Rian Marques plays indoor soccer in the MASL for Kansas City Comets, having joined the club in 2021. He scored in the 2025 MASL All-Star Game. Collegiately, Marques appeared for the 2019 NAIA National Champions Central Methodist University Eagles, then spent a short spell with PASL club Springfield Demize. Scored 91 goals and registered 56 assists in exactly 100 MASL appearances.
Ramone Palmer
Forward
Born: 27 January 1989 (age 36)
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ramone Palmer has played for MASL club Kansas City Comets since 2014/15, bar spending the 2017/18 season with the Tacoma Stars. He has scored 93 goals and registered 77 assists in 221 career MASL appearances. Before turning professional, he played collegiately for Park University Pirates in Missouri in the late 2000s/early 2010s, being named the American Midwest Conference Player of the Year as a junior.
