USL @ West Ham: Part II
Interview with Atlanta Fire United midfielder Ryan Lehman
 Wednesday, April 2
LONDON, ENGLAND – The fifth day of United Soccer Leagues Super Y-League venture with West Ham United’s Youth Academy saw the players undertake their second exclusive training session with Paul Hilton of the West Ham Academy. Hilton previously starred at West Ham United from 1984-1989 before suffering an injury that shortened his career. His first coaching stint at West Ham began in 1989.
“Hilton seems to have a great passion for the game,” said Ryan Lehman, a former midfielder for the Super Y-League’s Atlanta Fire United. “Tactically, he really focuses on the ‘West Ham Way,’ which basically means that you are always trying to advance the ball forward or play the ball to a player who is in a position to go forward.”
“His main focus is on precise passing,” continued Lehman, who was selected to attend USL’s West Ham United trip following his participation in the SYL ODP National Camps held earlier this year. “Hilton said [Tuesday] he would rather have a player with an eye for the game than a strong technical dribbler of the ball. He said it is more difficult to train someone to see what is happening around them than to train a strong technical player.”
The West Ham Academy, recognized throughout the world as one of the top developers of youth talent, is run by Tony Carr. Carr, whom Lehman and the rest of the SYL West Ham invitees met with upon their arrival, was appointed Director of Youth Development at West Ham in 1973. In over thirty years of coaching, Carr has developed such talents as Joe Cole (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) and Michael Carrick (Manchester United) among others.
“On Monday we played with a 15-year old and a 20-year-old player from the academy,” said Lehman. “They are better than our group at certain exercises, mostly because they have been in the academy for three years already, but there are also things we are better at. We are better on the ball. Over here, they call it “tricks and flicks,” but it just means the technical ability of a player. The West Ham guys are very good at playing the ‘West Ham Way.’ They look to get the ball down and play one or two touch right away. They also play a very strong possession game and rarely turn the ball over.”
“I can notice the tactics West Ham stresses in training on the field in the West Ham Academy matches and in the game between Newcastle and Tottenham,” added Lehman. “Everything at the academy is about getting your head up and playing one or two touch soccer.”
In addition to the player’s training sessions, the North Americans are attending daily classroom discussions to further their understanding of the game on and off the pitch. On Monday, the boys listened as another former West Ham player, Paul Heffer, reiterated the finer details of the ‘West Ham Way.'
Heffer was a teammate of English Soccer icon Bobby Moore at West Ham United from 1966-1971. Moore was Captain of the English National team when they won the only World Cup in their nation’s history in 1966.
“The biggest difference I have noticed between soccer in the US and soccer in England is the speed of play,” said Lehman. “The players also have a lot more discipline in their training. Where a few kids would tend to slack off back home, everyone here is focused on what they are doing and what the coach is saying.”
“The trip has been great so far,” added Lehman. “We are staying in a hotel that overlooks the stadium [Upton Park]. Everything is just amazing. Heading over here, I knew it would be fun, a once-in-a-lifetime experience – but it has gone far above my expectations.”
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