Below is an official press release from the club regarding the Summer 2007 tour in America (available for download in PDF format here.) Be sure to check with the US Blues and Chelsea In America (CIA) for updated information. You are strongly encouraged to search for travel and lodging arrangements now, although there will be a chance that hotels in the Los Angeles area will offer CFC member discounts. Questions? There's a dedicated forum at the CIA messageboard for such queries and discussions.
Chelsea announce US plans; José wishes Beckham success
Chelsea Football Club’s commitment to soccer in the United States was reaffirmed today (Friday, March 9) with the news that the club will tour there this summer for the fourth consecutive pre-season.
The highlight of the tour will be a match against Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy on July 21 as part of a four-team tournament, the World Series of Football, which could be David Beckham’s first game for his new club.
That would see Beckham pitted against his former international team-mates from Chelsea FC, current England and Chelsea skipper John Terry, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The World Series of Football tournament is the first venture in the strategic alliance between Chelsea and Anschutz Entertainment Group Inc (AEG) revealed in March 2006.
The announcement of the tournament was made at a press conference in Los Angeles by AEG’s president and CEO Tim Leiweke, Chelsea’s Business Affairs Director Paul Smith, Los Angeles Galaxy President and General Manager Alexi Lalas and Galaxy Head Coach Frank Yallop.
The matches will take place at The Home Depot Center, which is located 16 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in Carson, California. Other teams taking part will be the Suwon Bluewings, owned by Chelsea’s official shirt sponsor Samsung, and leading Mexican side Tigres.
The tournament format will be two doubleheader days featuring Chelsea vs Bluewings and Galaxy vs Tigres on July 17 and Chelsea vs Galaxy and Bluewings vs Tigres on July 21. Chelsea will also be playing a warm-up game for the World Series at another venue in California on July 14.
Chelsea first team coach and manager José Mourinho, via a video message, told the press conference: “We are very happy that we are going back to the US for pre-season and we have done it every year since my arrival. The facilities are very good and the people very well organised giving us the best conditions to prepare for this important work. In previous seasons we have always won a trophy and although I am not a superstitious person this has something to do with the good preparation.
“This season will be a little bit more special because we have a tournament with teams that we have a special relationship with, the Samsung Bluewings from Korea for obvious reasons and also the LA Galaxy and the fact that David Beckham is there brings something extra to the tournament and to the game. “This gives me the chance to wish him big success in the US. He will be very important for US soccer and for the relationship between US soccer and European soccer.
“So we look forward to coming for the tournament and I know already that my players will enjoy again pre-season in the US and they are happy with our decision to go back.” The video message can be viewed at http://chelsea1.chelseafc.com/downloads
Further World Series pre-season tournaments involving Chelsea will take place in the US in 2009 and 2011 confirming the club’s long standing pledge to this market.
Smith said: “The World Series of Football is an important component of our alliance with AEG who are the leading force in US soccer. The tournament is a biennial showpiece with leading teams, giving Chelsea’s pre-season a more competitive element than exhibition matches, which is good for our preparation, and giving US soccer fans higher quality matches involving top global and US teams on a regular basis.
“Chelsea will bring a full strength squad this summer, as we always have done. This demonstrates our desire to assist in the development of US soccer as our involvement will also involve grass roots and community activity, while at the same time pushing forward our aim to be the leading European club in what is a key business market.”
Leiweke said: “We are extremely pleased to continue our strategic partnership with Chelsea, one of the most ambitious, forward thinking and recognizable clubs in world football. The World Series of Football is a tremendous platform to showcase the incredible skills of Chelsea, Suwon, Tigres and the Galaxy.
“Matches like this are the next step to providing MLS clubs, in particular the Galaxy, credibility throughout the world and proof that US soccer can compete against the best clubs. We are also delighted to host another of the world’s most popular and respected clubs at The Home Depot Center for our knowledgeable fans, who continue to request additional competitions featuring the best clubs in international soccer today.”
As part of the AEG alliance Chelsea has also established a club to club relationship with the Galaxy.
That is expected to cover programmes and exchanges on young players, medical and coaching. But there will also be extensive involvement from Chelsea in activity at US grass roots level, as well as the professional game.
Chelsea’s Football in the Community team will be hosting “The Chelsea Experience” coaching sessions at the team’s training camp at UCLA and The Home Depot Center with the Galaxy’s community team.
All games will be played over 90 minutes with teams receiving three points for a win and one point for a draw in the competition. After all four games have been played, the team with the most points will be crowned the World Series of Football champion.
If teams are tied for the most points, a series of tiebreakers will be used to determine a champion. The first tiebreaker will be goal difference, followed by goals scored and goals conceded with a coin toss being the final deciding factor if teams remain tied.
