West Ham United are back at The Soccer Tournament (TST) with a point to prove, and a squad built to go all the way.
Having competed in the inaugural edition in 2023, the Hammers return to the $1 million, winner-takes-all, 7v7 world championship with a more focused set-up second time around.
Player-Coach Anton Ferdinand leads the squad once again, but this time he’s not just relying on experience, he’s brought reinforcements who are well versed in this fast-paced format.
“We were underprepared last time,” Ferdinand admitted at a press conference on the eve of the tournament. “A lot of older players, like myself, had been retired for four or five years already. We were coming up against young players who play seven-a-side week in, week out. That was very, very difficult. But this time, we've come in better shape.”
That shape includes proven seven-a-side specialists and ex-pros like Mauro Zárate. The former Argentina U20 World Cup winner is no stranger to this format, having won the Copa Potrero, a major seven-a-side tournament in Argentina, last year. The competition was organised by his teammate from that 2007 World Cup-winning side, Sergio Agüero. Fittingly, both scored in the final almost 20 years ago, and now, will both be lacing up at TST.
“I’ve played this format before,” Zárate explained. “I have a team called La Crema back home. We played in a tournament Sergio Agüero organised and played with his Selección Potrero team. It’s very different to eleven-a-side football. It’s fast, intense, and you have to be physically ready.
“The main thing is to go far, get through the group, and then play against the best. That’s the idea.”
Joining them are other West Ham fan favourites such as James Collins and Ricardo Vaz Tê, who famously fired the Hammers to promotion in 2012, along with a whole host of seven-a-side talent. It's a blend that Ferdinand believes gives the side a serious chance.
“You have to understand seven-a-side football to even think about winning the million-dollar jackpot,” he said. “We’ve got players now who do. And most importantly, they understand what it means to wear the West Ham shirt, to wear it with pride.”