Club América met Chelsea at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Atlanta as they wait for the Round of 32 to commence of the Leagues Cup. Following their triumph in the 2024 Clausura, it meant that they would be handed a pass from the currently ongoing group stages.
The Mexico City side started their efforts to retain the Liga MX title with two wins and two defeats but will be looking for a good display at the Leagues Cup to kickstart their season.
Chelsea, their opponents, are currently undergoing pre-season preparations for the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. The Blues ended the previous season in 6th place, 28 points behind the champions, Manchester City. Following a disappointing season, then-manager Mauricio Pochettino stepped down. Enzo Maresca has now taken over, starting his tenure with the West London club this summer.
Prior to the Wednesday evening meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, Chelsea failed to win either of their first two friendlies. Searching for his first win, Maresca's men drew to League One Wrexham before a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Scottish champions Celtic.
The game started in the worst possible way for the reigning Liga MX winners as Cristian Calderón brought down Romeo Lavia within the first minute to gift Chelsea a chance from the penalty spot. Up stepped Christopher Nkunku who smashed the resulting spot kick down the middle to beat the diving Luis Malagón, giving the London side an early lead.
América soon forced Chelsea shot-stopper Robert Sanchez into a great save as Dutch winger Javairo Dilrosun curled his effort from outside of the box towards the top corner, but was only denied by a world-class save from the Spanish 'keeper.
Chelsea's second came in the 20th minute as new signings Kiernan Drewsbury-Hall found Marc Guiu with a loft ball into the box. Unmarked in the box, the former Barcelona youngster beat Malagón to the ball, directing his header towards the back of the net.
A wave of Chelsea chances followed but it was Las Águilas who came closest to the third goal of the game. Once again, Dilrosun caused problems for the Premier League defence but this time was only denied by the bar, with Sanchez rooted to his spot.
The second half came, with both sides making an array of substitutes but it was Nkunku showcasing his quick feet, dancing beyond the América defence, before bringing brought down by Rodolfo Cota to earn Chelsea a second penalty of the game. Unselfishly, the French international gave the opportunity to Noni Madueke to score his first goal of pre-season, managing to slot his effort over the diving goalkeeper.
Maresca and his men earned a first win in pre-season, beating América 3-0. Chances came and went for the Mexican side, but it was the quality of the Premier League side which managed to get the result on this ocassion.
Before André Jardine's side turn their attention to the Leagues Cup, they will face one more Premier League outfit, in the form of Aston Villa. Managed by four-time Europa League winner, Unai Emery, they will cause another great challenge to the 15 time Liga MX champions when the two sides meet on Saturday in Chicago.
Will América head into the knockout rounds of the Leagues Cup with a win, let us know your thoughts!