Fans delight in Chelsea-Club America exhibition match — PHOTOS
The Club America fans can be heard before they can be seen. Chants and drums — which will echo throughout Allegiant Stadium for the entire match — announce their arrival as they march down West Russell Road.
Saturday’s friendly between English Premier League team Chelsea and Liga MX powerhouse Club America was part of the FC Series’ 2022 Clash of Nations to open the West London club’s preseason tour. Goals from German forward Timo Werner and English midfielder Mason Mount secured the 2-1 win for Chelsea.
“It’s like a family gathering,” Sergio Mendoza, a Las Vegas resident and Club America fan, said. “We’re all together, and we support our team wherever we go.”
As fans began to arrive, the streets around Allegiant Stadium became a sea of Chelsea blue and Club America yellow. Cowbells and chants in Spanish and English were heard all around the stadium.
The aroma of hot dogs cooking on vendor carts wafted through the air as the Club America marchers hung a left on Polaris Avenue and made their way right up to Allegiant Stadium’s southwest entrance, cloaked in the yellow smoke from their flares.
Mendoza and the rest of the Club America fans began their journey at Valley View Road, just a couple blocks away, but they estimated there were up to 1,000 people marching with them, a fraction of the 47,223 fans in attendance.
Mendoza says he’s traveled to other cities in the United States to watch Club America on tour, but the chance to watch them play in his own city has been incredible.
“Hopefully, they bring them back again,” he said.
Mendoza didn’t have to travel far to watch his team, but several fans came from across the country. Matt Om is a Chelsea fan from Philadelphia, just 90 minutes away from U.S. men’s national team and Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic’s hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
His family didn’t come to Las Vegas just to watch the game, but once they knew Chelsea was playing, Om knew they had to take advantage of the opportunity to see his favorite team.
While Om and his family came from all the way across the country, they spent less time traveling than Aditi and Apoorve Jain.
Originally from Fremont, California, their flight was delayed 17 hours and the couple slept at the airport to ensure they were able to see Chelsea. Apoorve has been a fan ever since he was young. He wakes up at 5:45 a.m. on weekends to watch the team play in England, but had never seen them play in-person.
“I think it’s a great event, especially for people like us, who cannot visit Europe very often to see them play live,” he said.
As for the game itself, the first half was a bit slow as both teams tried to figure each other out. Club America goalkeeper and Mexican national team legend Guillermo Ochoa received a rousing ovation after he was substituted off in the 33rd minute, the most notable event of the first half.
Pulisic came on at the start of the second half, and Chelsea broke through in the 55th minute as Werner tapped in his own blocked shot from a few yards out to make it 1-0. Club America got one back quickly.
Chelsea defender Reece James’s backpass caught reserve goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli unaware and rolled in for an own goal. Mount put Chelsea back in front in the 82nd minute. Alone in a pocket of space just outside the 18-yard box, he curled a shot into the bottom-right corner to put Chelsea ahead again, 2-1.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.