West Ham United toured the United States of America, as part of the Premier League Summer Series, and now we’ll see if they’re adequately prepared for when the matches start to actually count. First up for the Hammers, a trip to the Stadium of Light, one of the greatest named venues in all of sports. They’ll visit Sunderland A.F.C. which is a great way to ease into the season.
If your first match is against a newly promoted side, well, it’s a good way to “warm up” into the new campaign.
Season Opener FYIs
West Ham United at Sunderland A.F.C.
Kickoff: Saturday, August 16, 3pm, Stadium of Light, Sunderland, UK
Google’s Win Probability: West Ham United 42% Draw 26% Sunderland 32%
Now we’ll see if that trip across the pond helped ready the Irons for what’s ahead. Certainly their summer transfer window didn’t help too much, as it has been “less than inspiring” to say the least. Maybe they will still get something done before the deadline closes?
Just our opinion, but we think the West Ham preseason highlight was Graham Potter’s stand-up comedy bit hitting out at water breaks, in Chicago, after his side just beat Everton 2-1 at Soldier Field.
West Ham Team News at Sunderland
Michail Antonio has ended his playing career, and he’ll now serve as a pundit for TNT Sports this upcoming season. And then we’ll see what’s next for him after that, maybe coaching? A potential comeback someday? A “retirement home league” kind of stint in MLS?
There are no injury concerns at this time, with Crysencio Summerville (thigh) the only standing injury concern.
West Ham Starting XI Prediction at Sunderland
Alphonse Areola; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Max Kilman, Nayeuf Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kyle Walker-Peters; James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta; Jarrod Bowen, Nicklas Fullkrug
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter