The Women's Super League giants won this battle between champions, with young England star Aggie Beever-Jones also shining in a good pre-season debut
There was plenty going on as Chelsea, champions of England, visited Gotham, champions of the United States, for a pre-season friendly on Monday. Be it the NWSL side's U.S. women's national team stars showing off their Olympic gold medals, tennis icon Billie Jean King participating in the ceremonial torch lighting before kick-off or the excitement around Gotham's Jess Carter and Ann-Katrin Berger coming up against their former side, it was all happening. Amid it all, though, the Blues got straight down to business as they recorded an impressive 3-1 win in their first outing of the summer.
Gotham were missing some big names for this match, particularly the six Olympic champions who watched from the stands, though they have also just reached the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup final without those players and thus boasted not only a deep squad, but one with much better match fitness than a Chelsea side who haven't played since May. That didn't show in the first half, though, as the Blues' first match under new head coach Sonia Bompastor began with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd breaking the deadlock after just seven minutes.
The Swedish winger quickly made it two when she combined well with Aggie Beever-Jones before the young England star got her name on the scoresheet before the half-hour mark, Rytting Kaneryd returning the favour when she released her team-mate behind the Gotham defence with a dangerous long ball.
Through an unlikely source, the NWSL champions got back into things quickly enough, with who else but Carter netting her first goal for the club when she finished a free-kick like a centre-forward, rather than a centre-back, to pull one back for the hosts against her former team. Yet, despite Hannah Hampton being forced into a strong save by Yazmeen Ryan's free-kick only a couple of minutes later, Gotham were unable to maintain real pressure on Chelsea and, as substitutions disrupted the flow of the second half, the game would peter out into a 3-1 result for the visitors thanks to that electric start.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Red Bull Arena…
USA TODAY SportsWINNER: Lauren James
It's been three months since fans last saw Lauren James in action, the electric forward having to miss all four of England's summer fixtures due to a foot injury that proved annoyingly problematic while the Lionesses were securing automatic qualification for the 2025 European Championship. Fortunately, any concerns those associated with club and country might have had were eased on Monday as she returned to action at Red Bull Arena.
It wasn't one of James' most outstanding performances – she struggled to get involved, in truth – but that's not any big worry in the first game of pre-season. Instead, the positive was that the 22-year-old moved freely and got 45 minutes under her belt after a difficult summer.
AdvertisementLOSER: Erin Cuthbert
As pre-season begins, injuries are the worst fear for any manager, player and fan and, on Monday, one was dealt to one of Chelsea's most important players as Erin Cuthbert limped off with just 20 minutes on the clock. It was bad luck that the Scotland international awkwardly tumbled to the ground while battling away in midfield, and it resulted in a player who so rarely stays down under a challenge giving Bompastor cause for concern.
The positive was that Cuthbert was able to somewhat walk off the pitch herself, with aid from the medical staff, rather than needing to be stretchered away. However, the knock to her knee was still worrying as the midfielder was in clear discomfort as she returned to the dressing room.
It'll take a few days for the full extent to be known and the club will hope for good news as to lose Cuthbert would be to lose not only a crucial player, but also a key leader in this team.
USA TODAY SportsWINNER: Aggie Beever-Jones
Last season was a breakthrough one for Beever-Jones, the versatile forward who is Chelsea through and through and has been at the club since she was nine years old. After loan spells with Bristol City, in the Championship, and then Everton, in the Women's Super League, the 21-year-old came to the fore in Emma Hayes' final year and scored at a remarkable rate, despite often being used as a substitute. She was so good, in fact, that it led to a senior England debut.
For the coming season, competition in the forward areas has only increased. Sandy Baltimore, an established France international, has arrived from Paris Saint-Germain, the young Lucy Watson has joined the pre-season tour hoping to show that she has what it takes to have her own breakthrough year and some long-term absentees will return to the fold before the end of 2024, namely Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel. There is also a new coach to impress in the bid to be in the starting XI.
However, any concerns that Beever-Jones' game time could be impacted by any of these factors were quickly squashed on Monday night as she made a blistering start to the pre-season tour, showing new boss Bompastor just why Hayes trusted her.
For the first goal, it was the winger who picked up a loose ball in midfield and restored calm by teeing up Cuthbert for her assist; the second saw Beever-Jones show clarity in her decision-making when she cut the ball back to Rytting Kaneryd after making a good run; while the third, her goal, was about her speed, awareness and finishing. The 21-year-old only looks likely to build on last year after this first glimpse of 2024-25.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Lucy Bronze
Chelsea's starting XI on Monday felt like a big indication that Lucy Bronze is going to get the role she craves with the Blues. Bompastor did not hold back with her line up, putting out what was essentially a full-strength team, and it was the England star who she chose at right-back, ahead of Eve Perisset and Ashley Lawrence.
Bronze left Barcelona this summer because she wanted more minutes than she was going to be offered by the Catalans in the upcoming season and it's fair to say that her switch to Chelsea raised eyebrows, as the club was already well-stocked in her position. Yet, the early signs are that she could well usurp her competition to get the regular starting gig for the English champions.
