West Ham United have been making their presence felt Stateside ahead of this summer’s Premier League Summer Series tour across the Atlantic.
The Hammers will be heading to the United States in late July and early August to take on Manchester United, Everton and AFC Bournemouth for a four-team pre-season tournament with double-header fixtures to be played in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta.
Graham Potter’s men will face Everton in Chicago on 30 July, and in the run-up to Saturday’s Premier League meeting with the Toffees, former West Ham striker and Club ambassador Marlon Harewood has been out and about helping turn the Windy City Claret and Blue.
Harewood teamed up with Hammers mascot Hammerhead and iconic Chicago pizzeria Lou Malnati’s to give away West Ham-branded pizzas to the delight of locals at famous landmarks around the city.
Chicago is of course home to the world-famous deep dish pizza, with the Malnati family name continuing today as the oldest in Chicago pizza.
Hot on the heels of showing off our colours at the Chicago Bulls’ Thursday night win over the Brooklyn Nets, Harewood was on the ground on Friday at Soldier Field – home of the Chicago Bears NFL team and venue for our game against Everton – Buckingham Fountain, Lake Michigan and along the Chicago River, among other hotspots in the city, to hand out 137 mouthwatering pizzas in West Ham boxes to celebrate the amount of days until the Hammers face the Toffees in the Premier League Summer Series at Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field.
This all came ahead of Saturday’s Goodison Park meeting with Everton, when Harewood will join the Chicago Hammers at AJ Hudson’s Public House to cheer on Potter’s men in the Premier League fixture.
Marlon Harewood was thrilled to spread the Hammers word Stateside, saying: “We are delighted to be in Chicago this weekend to embrace the city and meet with people to celebrate our involvement in the exciting Premier League Summer Series.
“We met so many amazing people and spread the West Ham cheer to the people of the city. We can’t wait to see all the Hammers fans at Solider Field when we come back to Chicago in July.”
“We are happy to work with West Ham United FC and are excited to welcome the team to Chicago,” said Marc Malnati, Owner of Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.
“We want to bring fans together and look forward to watching their games this summer. We can’t wait to serve the team some legendary deep dish pizza and will be doing giveaways with them to celebrate the series.”
Chicago Hammers is one of our most engaged and passionate Official Supporters’ Groups around the world. Formed in 2011 and boasting hundreds of fervent supporters as members, they gather for every matchday at AJ Hudson’s, offering a home from home for Hammers in the American Midwest.
Wherever fans are in the world, being part of an Official Supporters’ Club (OSC) provides a great way to come together to show your support for West Ham United in your local area and to meet fellow Hammers who share the same passion for the Claret and Blue Army. With over 130 registered Official Supporters’ Clubs from every corner of the globe.
Tickets for the Premier League Summer Series are on General Sale now via this link.
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For media enquiries contact arowe@westhamunited.co.uk
