West Ham United v Everton
Premier League Summer Series, Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, United States, Wednesday 30 July 2025, 5.30pm CDT (11.30pm BST)
West Ham United Head Coach Graham Potter has put faith in the Academy of Football for Wednesday’s 2025 Premier League Summer Series fixture with Everton.
Potter has named three Academy graduates in his starting XI for the game at Soldier Field in Chicago, with Kaelan Casey one of three centre-backs, Freddie Potts anchoring the midfield and Callum Marshall leading the line.
Potter makes eight changes from the team which started against Manchester United at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, with Maximilian Kilman, El Hadji Malick Diouf and James Ward-Prowse the three players to keep their places.
Ward-Prowse captains the side, with regular skipper Jarrod Bowen named among the 15 substitutes.
Wes Foderingham starts in goal behind a back three of Casey, Kilman and Dinos Mavropanos. It is the 34-year-old’s first appearance since last pre-season, but he does have over 400 senior club appearances to his name.
Right wing-back Kyle Walker-Peters plays for the first time in a West Ham shirt since joining following his departure from Southampton, with Diouf starting wide on the left.
In midfield, Potts will play deep, with Ward-Prowse and Andy Irving, who came on as a substitute at MetLife Stadium, playing in more advanced midfield positions.
Paquetá will support Northern Ireland international Marshall in attack. The 20-year-old scored a fine goal in the 3-1 win over Grasshopper Club Zurich in our opening pre-season game earlier this month.
Unfortunately for Edson Álvarez, the game comes too soon in his pre-season for the Mexico captain to feature at the stadium where he won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with his country in 2019.
West Ham need a victory to maintain the chance to win the Summer Series trophy, having been edged out 2-1 by Manchester United in New Jersey on Saturday. The same is true for Everton, who were defeated 3-0 by AFC Bournemouth earlier the same day.
Academy prospects Ollie Scarles, Airidas Golambeckic, Lewis Orford and Preston Fearon will hope for chances off the bench, as will French youngster Mohamadou Kanté, who won promotion from Ligue 2 while on loan at Paris FC last season.
Today's referee is American Rosendo Mendoza, who has taken charge of over 100 Major League Soccer (MLS) matches, as well as dozens of games in the USL Championship and US Open Cup, among other American domestic competitions.
West Ham United: Foderingham, Walker-Peters, Casey, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf, Potts, Ward-Prowse ©, Irving, Paquetá, Marshall
Subs: Areola (GK), Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Aguerd, Todibo, Golambeckis, Orford, Rodríguez, Kanté, Fearon, Souček, Luis Guilherme, Cornet, Bowen, Füllkrug
Everton: Travers, Patterson, Keane, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Armstrong, Gueye ©, Iroegbunam, Nidiaye, McNeil, Beto
Subs: Pickford (GK), Tyler (GK), Tarkowski, Barry, Chermiti, Alcaraz, Garner, Onyango, Heath, Thomas, Clarke
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
