A few things happened in the soccer world while yours truly spent Friday night and most of Saturday covering the high school Super Bowls at Gillette:
On Friday (right around the time I arrived in Foxborough), the Revolution announced a friendly with English Premier League side Chelsea FC, which will be played at Gillette after the European season concludes in late May. As has been previously reported by Frank Dell’apa, the match came about as Revs investor/operator Robert Kraft spoke at the World Jewish Congress in New York last month.
Kraft and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will each donate $1 million toward international community programs which combat antisemitism. In addition, the proceeds of the friendly match will go to these same programs.
In England, Chelsea has worked since January to combat antisemitism: the Blues launched the Say No To Antisemitism campaign to raise awareness of and educate the club’s players, staff, fans and the wider community about antisemitism in football.
A few thoughts:
- Obviously, anything that combats hate is a good thing. Antisemitism and racism do not belong in the global game.
- You can pretty much guarantee that Chelsea and manager Maurizio Sarri will not bring Eden Hazard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, David Luiz, or any of the big-name first-team players to Foxborough. The Blues will have just completed a rigorous Premier League slate of fixtures (Chelsea currently sits third in the table following its West London derby win over Fulham Sunday), but not only that, Chelsea is still in the middle of the Europa League campaign. The Europa League Final is May 29 in Azerbaijan, so that will be kept in mind when it comes to scheduling — especially if Chelsea makes a deep run against Europe’s second-tier clubs.
- Not only that, Chelsea is the defending FA Cup champions. Its FA Cup campaign will start later today with the Third Round draw, with the Blues’ first match in that competition starting the first weekend in January. There is a chance Chelsea will stay around throughout, and the FA Cup Final is generally around our Memorial Day weekend.
- Another reason we won’t see the big stars of Chelsea? Turf. Bet on it. We didn’t see Zlatan on July 14 because of the turf, we won’t see Hazard, et al. because of Gillette’s playing surface. Be happy if they bring the C team.
- I bet we see more Chelsea blue in the stands than Revolution blue.
- I wonder what Revs defender Michael Mancienne thought when Friday’s news broke. Chelsea is his boyhood club, after all. He’ll be pumped for this one, for sure.
- One thing to keep in mind: no one else in Major League Soccer is signed up to play a Premier League side in 2019. And this match will come just before the start of the Revs’ US Open Cup campaign. Call it a domestic cup tune-up for The Boys In Blue.
- I’d hope Berhalter builds this team around Christian Pulisic as the No. 10, with Tyler Adams — who moved from New York Red Bulls to Red Bull Leipzig on Sunday morning — feeding the attack.
- A third continental competition in UEFA? Can we get a second one in CONCACAF first?
- Eagerly awaiting the MLS Cup Final next Saturday — and Mexico naming Tata Martino as its next national team manager by next Wednesday.
- Who gets the now-vacant Columbus job? I hear Dave Sarachan is looking for one.
- Mind the gap, Spurs.