Chelsea Women: What you need to know about the Blues' stateside preseason

As of Saturday, 28 players and the entire coaching staff of Chelsea FC Women are on their way to the land of the free. You can feel it. The beginning of the Sonia Bompastor era in West London is right around the corner. In their second USA preseason tour in three years, the Blues are set to face off against two formidable opponents: NJ/NY Gotham FC from the National Women's Soccer League and London rival Arsenal Football Club.

The last time the club jetted off to the States, it competed with 23 players in the Women's International Champions Cup, the same tournament Lyon and Bompastor were in. Emma Hayes' Blues fell to the French giants on penalties in the semifinals before coming back a few days later to beat one of the NWSL's top clubs, Portland Thorns FC, thanks to a Guro Reiten second half goal.

Just 10 of those 23 in that 2022 preseason team are among Bompastor's 28 in 2024. Three of the four new summer signings — Lucy Bronze, Oriane Jean-Francois and Sandy Baltimore — were included while Julia Bartel missed out after she was named to Spain's U-20 World Cup team.

The midfield contingent is intriguing, with five of the seven players aged 23 or younger, including three who didn't suit up for Chelsea last season. Notably absent is Jelena Cankovic, the versatile Serbian, whose omission casts doubt on her future with the club. While speculation is premature, this development disappoints those of us who had hoped to see her play a role this season.

Youngsters Emily Orman, Brooke Aspin, Aimee Claypole and Cerys Brown were also not named, with some of them bound to be sent on loan in the coming weeks.

Due to ongoing rehabilitation from ACL injuries, neither Aniek Nouwen nor Sam Kerr were included in the 18 players who were listed as either a defender or a forward.

This tour offers Bompastor and her coaching staff a valuable opportunity to strengthen player relationships and fine-tune tactics. Beyond on-field improvements, it provides a chance for team bonding, aiming to boost morale before the competitive season begins.

"I think it’s really important to spend time with the players and the tour is the perfect opportunity to do that," Bompastor said. "We will be together for almost 10 days; practicing, the games and living together — it’s then when you learn more about people."

28-player traveling squad for the two preseason fixtures in the USA

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton
, Katie Cox
, Zecira Musovic

Defenders: Charlotte Wardlaw, Ashley Lawrence
, Millie Bright, Nathalie Bjorn, Niamh Charles, Alejandra Bernabe
, Eve Perisset
, Lucy Bronze
, Kadeisha Buchanan

Midfielders: Sophie Ingle, Wieke Kaptein, Erin Cuthbert
, Lexi Potter
, Maika Hamano
, Oriane Jean-Francois
, Sjoeke Nusken

Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones
, Catarina Macario
, Guro Reiten
, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd
, Lauren James
, Lucy Watson
, Mayra Ramirez
, Mia Fishel
, Sandy Baltimore

Chelsea Women USA Tour fixture schedule

Monday, August 19 vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC at 7 p.m. ET (Red Bull Arena)

Note: the Gotham match is set for 12 a.m. BST on July 20 over in the United Kingdom

Sunday, August 25 vs. Arsenal FC at 4 p.m. ET or 9 p.m. BST (Audi Field)

You can watch the first encounter vs. Gotham on DAZN and the official Chelsea app for those in the UK and Ireland. The Arsenal clash will be also be available on DAZN and free to view on the app only.