Chelsea began its preseason tour of the United States with a bang last weekend. The Blues were triumphant in their first preseason contest with a 2-1 victory over Club America under the sweltering sun of Las Vegas. Sin City was merciful on Thomas Tuchel’s men during their initial tune-up. Aside from a Reece James/Marcus Bettinelli blunder that resulted in an own goal, it was a nearly flawless night. 22 men within the club’s ranks were able to build up match fitness and Mason Mount was even able to muster up some magic for the American crowd.
Now, Chelsea travels to the opposite coast for two matches before wrapping up its tour of the United States. Before Saturday’s London Derby against Arsenal in Orlando, Tuchel’s team will square off against new MLS expansion side, Charlotte FC. Bank of America Stadium will play host to the Blues’ second preseason clash, one in which they’re expected to win comfortably.
Here is how The Pride of London team sees the contest playing out:
Joseph Joe: 0-3 Chelsea
Raheem Sterling debuts and maybe scores a goal or two. There is also the possibility of a debut for Kalidou Koulibaly too—what better way to crown off this occasion than with a victory. This contest will definitely be a walkover for the Blues.
Caden Charpentier: 0-4 Chelsea
An MLS expansion side against the Champions of the World. Tough one for Charlotte FC, but it’s another preseason contest for Chelsea, so it doesn’t mean much obviously. Hopefully Levi Colwill will get some minutes so the club can see his talent before it makes a mistake.
Mike Malley: 0-4 Chelsea
Call me a hater, but I’ve never been impressed by the MLS or any of its teams. The skill of a top European side is simply a class above that of its American counterpart, so I would expect a blowout in this match. I’m hoping that ‘Raz’ will have a solid debut because I won’t want to be on Twitter for a week if he performs poorly.
I was impressed by Conor Gallagher in the first friendly and I am hoping to see more from the young Englishman if he features against Charlotte. He looks like a solid option to play alongside Jorginho, N’Golo Kante or Mateo Kovacic in midfield during the season. Side bar—the new uniforms look way better in person than they did online.
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea players were so obviously rusty against Club America that it was almost hard to watch. The Blues should be more ready this time, though this game is likely to feature players who have had no minutes yet. This means that we should expect to see more of the same here.
Nate Hofmann: 1-3 Chelsea
With all due respect to MLS, let’s be real here. Sterling’s debut may muddy Chelsea’s attacking play in these early days, but the overall firepower in the squad should be enough to dominate the preseason affair.
Gabe Henderson: 0-3 Chelsea
The Blues should comfortably defeat Charlotte after the way they played over in Las Vegas. Chelsea dominated Club America other than a silly mistake. Ethan Ampadu, Gallagher, Jorginho and Mount looked phenomenal, so their encores mixed in with Sterling’s debut will give the Blues the spark they need to cruise past Charlotte.
Tan Yi Hao: 0-2 Chelsea
Sterling to start and Sterling to score.
Barrett Rouen: 0-3 Chelsea
Ampadu hits a screamer that they hear back in his home town. Reece “The Unit” James makes up for the own goal by dicing and slicing someone.
What is your score prediction? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!