MANILA, Philippines – There’s nothing like getting tested right away.
The star-studded Far East United — composed of players who made their mark in Southeast Asian football — immediately get tested by the West Ham United legends when The Soccer Tournament $1 Million Winner Take All kicks off this June 1 at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Both squads, in Group D, of the 32-team field, clash at 10:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m., Manila time) in the group stages. The matches will be televised live on YouTube.
Far East United is led by two former Azkals in defender Anton del Rosario and forward Bienvenido Marañon as well as former United City defender Joshua Dutosme. They are joined by Thai midfielder Charyl Chappuis, Guam captain Jason Cunliffe, Nigerian-Indonesian midfielder Greg Nwokolo, Malaysian striker Mohd Safee Sali, Japanese defender Masaki Watanabe, Croatian-Indonesian forward Marko Simic, Brazilian midfielder Fellipe Souza, American midfielder Jesus Pacheco, American forward Nestor Hernandez, American defender John Caceres, American defender Tyler John, and American goalkeeper Brandon Gomez.
The Asian squad will be coached by Matthew Holland.
West Ham United, one of two English Premier League clubs in the tournament (alongside the Wolverhampton Wanderers), is bannered by club legends Marlon Harewood, Matt Jarvis and Carlton Cole. And former Hammers in the lineup in this seven-a-side competition include midfielder Zavon Hines, goalkeeper Jimmy Walker, forward Ricardo Vas Te, defender Anton Ferdinand, midfielder Jack Collison, defender Elliot Ward, midfielder Kyel Reid, midfielder Hayden Mullins and keeper David Martin. The West Ham legends are coached by Tom Skinner.
“I am confident about our chances against West Ham,” said Far East United’s Filipino team manager Ethan Lee. “Even if we are going up against a team loaded with Premier League veterans, seven-a-side football is different. We have players who have experience playing this variation of football and can compete physically with the best of them. Plus, many of our players also have international experience.”
Aside from Far East United and West Ham United, other squads in Group D include Dallas United and Culture by Mo Ali FC. The top two teams of each group advance to the win-or-go-home knockout stages.