Head Coach Graham Potter is excited for the next step of West Ham United's Premier League Summer Series adventure after touching down in Chicago, Illinois, ahead of their second clash of the competition on Wednesday evening.
The Hammers are set to take on David Moyes' Everton at the iconic Soldier Field Stadium in a 5.30pm CDT (11.30pm BST) kick-off, looking to bounce back to winning ways after being narrowly beaten 2-1 by Manchester United on Saturday night.
Besides the match against the Red Devils, six nights in New Jersey threw up a number of exciting on and off-field activations for Potter and his players, with the boss himself getting out and about at a Premier League community event at Washington Elementary School in Kearny.
And now, following a final training session at at Rutgers University, and a short flight from Newark to Chicago on Tuesday, he is looking forward to getting stuck into what the rest of the tour has to offer, while ultimately looking for his team to continue their preparations for the fresh 2025/26 season.
Tickets for the Everton game, as well as West Ham's final Summer Series outing against AFC Bournemouth in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, remain on General Sale HERE, with supporters able to save 20% on select seats by using the code PLSS20.
With the clock ticking down to kick-off against the Toffees, here are the key talking points from what Potter had to say to members of the gathered press...
An exciting occasion
We’re happy to be here, and we’re excited for the game on Wednesday. Sometimes you have to remember that we’re playing Everton at Soldier Field in Chicago, and remind yourself how cool that is.
We’re expecting a competitive game. I thought that’s what it was like against Manchester United on Saturday. It wasn’t just a you-have-it, we-have-it kind of match - there were challenges, there was intensity, and that’s good for getting us ready for the season.
Overall, it’s going to be another good experience and we’re very proud to be here and to be taking part in the Summer Series.
Summer Series objectives
We’ve got two games to go and we want to try and push to finish our tour positively.
At this stage of the season, we’re here to develop the team, the fitness and the performance of the team and environment, but ultimately we’re competitive and we do want to win.
Having said that, this is still a development stage. We play Everton fairly early on in the new campaign, but that hasn’t really come into my pre-match thinking, to be honest.
We play them at the end of September, and a lot could change between now and then. For now, we’re just focused on the Summer Series and doing well in the games we’ve got left.
Pre-season so far
From my perspective, it’s been a really positive period so far. I've been working with the players for three-and-a-bit weeks now - we started at Rush Green, then went to Germany, and obviously now we’re here in the US.
The boys have been really focused and open to what we’re trying to do, and I think we’ve all become closer and made some good progress on the pitch.
Coming to the States is a different test for all of us, and I think it’s been brilliant so far. It’s been a different challenge, but everything’s continued to progress in the right way, so I think everything’s looking good.
Putting his stamp on things
The period we had between being appointed and the end of the season was really important, because we found out lots about the team, and a lot about the players as individuals.
But at the same time, you can’t beat this period where you have more time to be able to really do some work that you hope will be a foundation for what’s to come over the course of a season.
It's a chance to establish how you want to play, how you want to develop the playing style, how you want to make it clear for the players that they know their individual roles within the team structure. Then the longer you do that, hopefully the more games and more training sessions we have, the better we'll be.
Strong camaraderie
It sounds obvious, but pre-season is a good period to get to know each other more.
You've got to find the balance as well, because I think you can overdo it. You've got to give the players some space as well. They're human beings and they probably need a bit of a break from my voice and sometimes each other.
It's about finding that balance, but it's the only time of the year when you can really spend sustained time with each other, and get to know how each other work.
I think the group’s in a really good place at the moment, and everyone’s enjoyed the trip so far.
Álvarez back with the squad
Edson Álvarez is back with us. He's in a really good place, as you can imagine, after the summer that he's had winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico.
He had a well-earned break after a long tournament, and it was his first session with us today. It was nice to see him, and I think all the lads enjoyed having him back out there.
I think the Everton game might be a bit too soon for him, because he’s only had that one session. Sunday, against Bournemouth, might be more likely for him.
