Carolina, West Ham Ready To Face Off In 'Special Occasion'

The Carolina RailHawks will take a brief respite from the NASL Fall Season, but the side won’t rest on its laurels after claiming a big 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The RailHawks welcome West Ham United, which finished in seventh the Barclays Premier League, in a midweek friendly at WakeMed Soccer Park.

“The RailHawks have big aspirations for professional soccer in North Carolina and this is a huge step to achieving our goals on and off the field,” RailHawks President Curt Johnson said at a press conference on Monday ahead of the game.

The Hammers’ visit represents the first time a team from England’s top division will play in The Triangle as the club prepares for the start of its season in August. The game, which is expected to be a sold-out affair, is drawing plenty of excitement as kickoff draws near.

“You can just see the excitement,” RailHawks coach Colin Clarke said. “You can feel it starting to build for tomorrow night. It’s going to be a special occasion.”

Members of West Ham’s traveling group have been impressed with what they’ve seen from the RailHawks, especially the facilities at WakeMed Soccer Park.

“The reason we are so satisfied here is because of the facilities,” West Ham coach Slaven Bilić said. “They are much better than Europe. It’s really one step above."

One of West Ham's aims during its travels to the United States, as the team also played a friendly against the Seattle Sounders, is to make connections. The club’s captain, Mark Noble, pondered the possibility of RailHawks players getting the chance to train with the Premier League side.

“If the RailHawks have a special player, why can’t they send him over to us for a month and gain experience when we’re in full training and fully up to speed?” Noble said.

When the two clubs step on the field, the friendly game could very well turn into anything but.

“You get out on the pitch and all of a sudden it takes over,” Noble said. “All of a sudden you’re flying into tackles and want to win the game.”

RailHawks captain Nazmi Albadawi added: “The result doesn’t matter, but it’d be fun to win, right?”