The highest attended match in Chelsea FC history was not staged at Stamford Bridge. It wasn’t even in London, or anywhere else in the United Kingdom for that matter. It was actually in Ann Arbor, Michigan- a college town just outside of Detroit. Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid (yes, it was the same match-up as we’ll see in the UCL tomorrow night) to a 3-2 win over Antonio Conte and Chelsea before a crowd of 105,826.
The Michigan Stadium affair (photos from that event are embedded within this post) was the second highest attended soccer game in American history. (Here’s a link to more news, nuggets, facts and fun from the match). So Chelsea have a great history here in the United States, and today we learned that they are coming back this summer.
LONDON CALLING! Chelsea are coming to the USA! ??
The Blues kick-off their 2023 pre-season tour with 3 games across the @PremierLeague Summer Series!
Further fixtures and locations to be announced. ?
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 11, 2023
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Kick: Wednesday, April 12, 2023 8 PM Local Time, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Chelsea are headlining a new event branded as the “Premier League Summer Series.” Five more clubs will join them in this “tournament” (it’s being referred to as a tournament, but it’s actually not a tourney, but more a round robin), and they are: Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton, Fulham and Newcastle United.
Here are the three matches that the Blues will be a part of.
Saturday July 22
Chelsea vs Brighton – 7pm ET at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Wednesday July 26
Chelsea vs Newcastle – 8:15pm ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Sunday July 30
Chelsea vs Fulham – 2:45pm ET at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
A statement from Premier League chief executive Richard Masters reads:
“We are delighted to be bringing six clubs to the USA in July for the first-ever Premier League Summer Series,” Masters said. “Our clubs have incredible supporters in the US, who passionately follow their teams throughout the season. We have seen this dedication first-hand from the tens of thousands who have attended our Mornings Live fan events and are excited to be building on this by bringing live Premier League action to five cities this summer.
“We are currently enjoying one of the most competitive Premier League seasons of all time at both ends of the table and I am sure we will see some thrilling matches during the tournament.”
And Chelsea isn’t done when it comes to playing preseason matches in the United States this summer. According to a club press release: “additional matches stateside will be confirmed by the club in the coming weeks.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.