Chelsea, one of the bigger clubs in Europe, will take on Club America, one of the bigger clubs in North America, in a friendly Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The match is part of Chelsea’s summer tour of the U.S. as it prepares for its coming Premier League season under new manager Enzo Maresca. Club America has started the Apertura portion of its LIGA MX season.
Grass was installed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the match.
Other than the number of times the two teams have combined to play in Atlanta, there is a local tie: Caleb Wiley. Chelsea purchased the Atlanta native and fullback from Atlanta United for $11 million earlier this month. Wiley is with the U.S. teams competing in the Olympics. Chelsea hasn’t said that Wiley will be going on loan, but it has been reported by numerous outlets that he will be going to Strasbourg in France.
“I think for loan players, it’s important to get minutes because it’s the only way sometimes to improve themselves,” Maresca said Tuesday.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill went on two different loans to Huddersfield in 2021-22 and Brighton Hove & Albion in 2022-23 as part of establishing himself as a first-team player for the Blues, six-time winners of the Premier League.
“It’s a new experience,” Colwill said when asked what advice he had for Wiley. “I think the main thing is to enjoy completely different environments, which can learn so much from as player and a person.”
Other things to know about the match:
Have they played in Atlanta before? This will be the fifth time that Club America has played in Atlanta. The first came when it played A.C. Milan at the Georgia Dome in 2009. It came back and played Manchester City in the Georgia Dome in 2010. Club America was beaten by Atlanta United in the Campeones Cup in 2019 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It played a Super Clasico against Chivas at Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2022.
This will be the second time that Chelsea will play in Atlanta. It played Newcastle here in a friendly in July last year.
Why is this match being played in Atlanta? One reason is that because Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host eight matches in the 2026 World Cup, it seems likely they will host matches in the Club World Cup. Clubs that will be competing in the Club World Cup, such as Chelsea, want to get used to the site in order to perform better should they play a match here. FIFA hasn’t announced which cities will host matches in the Club World Cup. Club America has yet to qualify for the 32-team tournament.
Any recognizable players? The Blues’ roster for its summer tour is composed of 28 players, including notables Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.
What’s next for both teams after this game? Chelsea is scheduled to play Manchester City on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, and Real Madrid on Aug. 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Club America is scheduled to play Aston Villa on Saturday in Chicago, and will continue the Apertura portion of its LIGA MX schedule against Puebla on Aug. 24.
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