Hayden Mullins is bringing ‘something a little different’ to West Ham United’s squad for the inaugural The Soccer Tournament (TST).
The Hammers team – comprised of legends, famous faces and Academy stars – has set up base in North Carolina for TST; a $1million, winner-takes-all, 7v7 world championship event which will pit 32 teams from across the globe in competition.
Among the 14-player squad are the likes of goalkeepers David Martin and Jimmy Walker, forwards Carlton Cole and Marlon Harewood, Promotion-winning centre-back pairing Anton Ferdinand and Elliott Ward, pacey-wingers like Matt Jarvis and Kyle Reid, and U21s’ midfielders Keenan Appiah-Forson and Archie Woods.
None of them can bring what Mullins brings, though.
“I bring something a little different to the team. I think I bring a bit more tackling and a little bit more steel,” he said.
Mullins made 223 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers during a five-and-a-half year spell, establishing himself as a fan favourite for his commitment, hard work and tenacity.
It is the same qualities he is looking to showcase for the Hammers in TST over the next few days.
He continued: “This is the first time I’ve been back in 15 years. The first person I bumped into was Anton Ferdinand and he hasn’t changed a bit.
“The rest of the guys, a lot of them you speak to and you bump into them sometimes. This football Club is a special club. Especially the time we had here. We had a really good group.”
Managed by Apprentice and Celebrity MasterChef star, TV personality and Hammers supporter Tom Skinner, West Ham’s TST group stage campaign gets underway on Thursday. 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).
The victors of each group will then progress to the knock-out rounds, with the winners claiming the $1million prize.
Mullins is used to achieving success with West Ham United. He is aiming to do so again in TST.
“When I joined, the first two seasons, we made it to the Millennium Stadium for the Play-off final. The season after that, we were back there for the FA Cup final, and the season after that we were in Europe.
“When you get to a football club and you have such a good connection with the fans, then they really appreciate the work you’ve done. It was also quite a successful period.
“You join West Ham and you understand it’s a big Club but, until you actually join, you don’t know just how special this Club is.”
To find out more about TST and buy tickets, visit TheTournament.com/TST, or follow The Soccer Tournament on Twitter.
