West Ham were defeated 3-0 by Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders on Tuesday night at CenturyLink Field. The result looks worrisome without context, but after only four days of training, the Hammers were not perturbed by it.
A training exercise of a match, West Ham looked more concerned with staying healthy than attacking the Sounders’ goal, which is understandable regarding the season does not start for another month. Also, playing on an artificial turf pitch, Noble admitted to playing a slow tempo.
Herculez Gomez opened scoring for the Sounders in the first half, scoring a penalty right before halftime. Seattle’s Jordan Morris scored twice in two minutes against the Hammers in the 70th and 72 minutes to put the friendly away.
So, what can we take away from a match more suited to be seen at Chadwell Heath training ground in East London rather than in front of 38,585 fans in Seattle?
These five things:
