The next stop on Chelsea FC’s summer preseason tour of the United States, is Chicago, Illinois, and it will mark the club’s first visit to this geographic area since 2006. Back then, Jose Mourinho led a side coming off a Premier League title campaign to suburban Bridgeview, where they lost to the MLS All-Stars, 1-0.
Like the MLS All-Star Game of 17 years ago, this match will also be a friendly, but this time it is a much better opponent in a much bigger venue.
Club Friendly FYIs
Chelsea FC vs Borussia Dortmund
Kickoff: 7:30pm CST Wed. Aug. 2, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, USA
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Team News: Chelsea FC Borussia Dortmund
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea FC Borussia Dortmund
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Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
They’ll take on Borussia Dortmund at the 60,000 capacity home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, in the downtown lakefront.
“We are delighted to visit Chicago as part of our U.S. tour in July and play in an iconic venue at Soldier Field.
“We are proud of our strong fanbase in the U.S. and we look forward to meeting our fans in Chicago this summer,” reads a statement attributed to Tom Glick, President of Business at Chelsea FC, when the exhibition was first announced back in the spring.
Chelsea Team News
The Blues have a fresh injury concern in Trevoh Chalobah, who picked up a knock in the Fulham Rd. Derby exhibition staged in D.C. over the weekend.
Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk continue to be on managed minutes (in baseball, we would call this being “on a pitch count”), due to their participation at the U21 Euros. Surplus to requirement players Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi will all miss out as their respective agents work on sealing their transfers to clubs where they would better fit in.
Meanwhile Armando Broja, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile remain out as long term injury absentees.
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.”
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