Chelsea Women open preseason with triumph over Gotham FC: Rytting Kaneryd shines, Cuthbert injury dampens victory

Sonia Bompastor's tenure with Chelsea FC Women started with a bang. To some, you could not have scripted a better on-pitch start. From the get-go, the West Londoners made it quite clear who the better side was, even with one being in the middle of its league season.

In their first preseason match last night, the Blues downed the reigning NWSL champions NJ/NY Gotham FC thanks to three goals within the first 25 minutes — two from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and one from England's stargirl Aggie Beever-Jones. Last season's CFCW Players' Player of the Year, Jess Carter, netted the lone goal for Gotham FC, but it wasn't enough as the West Londoners secured a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey outfit.

Despite the win, most of our focus turns to the question marks surrounding Erin Cuthbert's health status. It frankly casts a bit of a shadow over the opening victory. In the 19th minute, the Scottish midfielder began to be helped off the pitch after landing quite awkwardly on her knee in a battle for possession with full-back Mandy Freeman.

Cuthbert was seen on crutches following the match, signaling just how significant this injury may be. We're still holding out hope because you can't simply replace the kind of impact No. 8 in blue has between the white lines.

Chelsea came out of the gate strong to kick off the Sonia Bompastor era, but Erin Cuthbert's first half injury is a cause for concern

Every player on the bench, except goalkeeper Katie Cox, saw action in the match. Beever-Jones spearheaded the attack for the Blues, with Lauren James operating in the pocket behind her. The back four consisted of Millie Bright, Nathalie Björn, summer signing Lucy Bronze, and Niamh Charles. Kaneryd and Guro Reiten provided width on the right and left flanks respectively, while Cuthbert and Kaptein anchored the midfield.

Kaneryd and Beever-Jones were without question Chelsea's biggest standouts. The two were active, adventurous and disruptive, consistently challenging Gotham's defense, one that just hasn't experienced much adversity in the NWSL in 2024. We know it's early, but they look destined to take another step forward after the two pieced together standout campaigns in yet another title-winning season.

Just look at the Swede's through ball that set up ABJ for the third. Exquisite stuff from the right winger with a finish to match it from the English forward. She even left Carter in the dust. That's something you love to see. Fast forward to the second half — Beever-Jones nutmegged her former teammate after some fancy footwork.

Last year, these two combined for 23 goal involvements in the WSL. It's not unrealistic to say that the number of combined contributions for 2024/25 could reach 30-plus.

We can't forget about the Japanese youngster Maika Hamano. Her work rate up front after coming on in the second half was exceptional. You could tell just how much confidence she was playing with, building off an encouraging summer on the international stage. Her decision-making in the final third is something you simply don't see from a 20-year-old. If not far-fetched to say that her role may be more substantial than we think even with Sam Kerr and Mayra Ramirez up front.

Even with the absence of goals in the second half, its value shouldn't go unnoticed. It marked Sandy Baltimore's debut in blue, showcased Alejandra Bernabé at left-back, and introduced youngsters Lucy Watson, Lexi Potter and Charlotte Wardlaw to the proceedings.

Next up, Chelsea travels down the Washington D.C. for a clash with rival Arsenal Football Club at Audi Field on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET. You can watch the match live on DAZN.