AP SEATTLE, Wash. – European champions Chelsea returned to the United States on Wednesday, getting goals from Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, and Romelu Lukaku to down the Seattle Sounders, 4-2.
Players of Note:
- Eden Hazard – Made his Chelsea debut and scored the match’s second goal, taking advantage of Zach Scott in the process. He provided a focal point for the Blues, but although he was able to periodically flash his skill, it was a relatively muted night.
- Marko Marin – Energetic on the left while doing good work in defense, Marin’s first half goal and assist were a strong start to his CFC career.
- Romelu Lukaku – Looked out of shape, but that’s understandable. Training just started. The Belgian still scored twice in the first half, including the opener in the third minute.
- Mauro Rosales – As is typically the case, Rosales rarely put a ball in the wrong place. His crossing was superb.
- Fredy Montero – The criticized, the defended - scored twice in the first half: one assisted by Rosales; one assisted by McEachran. Even if it’s only a friendly, two goals against Chelsea are something he’ll always remember.
Packaged for takeaway:
- Roberto Di Matteo’s 4-4-2 may have been a symptom of a team still at the onset of its preseason. It’s hard to imagine a fully stocked CFC playing that formation. Tonight, it was Hazard in support of Lukaku up top.
- Seattle played their now customary 4-4-2, but of note: Álvaro Fernández got the start. He’s still a Sounder.
- While Seattle started their first team, Chelsea’s was mixed, with Ramires and Frank Lampard on the bench. None of their Euro 2012 participants were with the team.
- The grass field brought in for the game seemed to give the Sounders trouble. Jeff Parke slipped on the first goal. Zach Scott had trouble on the second. Leo Gonzalez lost his footing once.
- Josh McEachran against flashed his unique vision from midfield, providing a nice ball on the opening goal and earning an assist on Marin’s score. Unfortunately, he also had a horrible giveaway on Seattle’s first goal, playing the ball across goal to Montero, standing just inside the top of the area.
- It was part of a six-goal first half that saw Chelsea threaten a blowout (two goals in 11 minutes), Montero pull Seattle back even, and the Blues score the last match’s last two goals by the 40th minute.
- There was a sense of relief, after Montero’s goals. The memories of last year’s 7-0 loss to Manchester United were on everybody’s minds in the days leading up to the match. After a scoreless second half, the Sounders could hold their heads high. It may only be their preseason, but a 4-2 result against the European champions is acceptable, for a friendly.
- The match ended on a high note because of Roger Levesque, who was playing his last match as a Sounder. The veteran attacker is going back to school, leaving a team he’d played with his its USL days. On the occasion, King County declared it Roger Levesque day, with 31-year-old set to pursue a masters in business at the University of Washington.
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- d214tx - Jul 19, 2012 at 2:08 AM
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Damn forgot the preseason games started. Do you happen to know the rest of the schedule as well for Liverpool and the rest of the teams playing in the north American tour
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- Richard Farley - Jul 19, 2012 at 2:31 AM
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I don’t know all the dates, but I know Liverpool plays Toronto on Saturday (mostly b/c I’ll be there). Quick internet search on the Fenway game, and they’re playing Roma on Wednesday (next Wednesday) in Boston.
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- themajorleagueblog - Jul 19, 2012 at 3:57 AM
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Roger Levesque is a class act and this was an anti-climatic end to an otherwise good career. I thought the Sounders played well, especially in that position. They didn’t have Gspurning and that really showed in some of Chelsea’s goals. I also thought Chelsea FC played well, I was impressed by Hazard’s performance. Otherwise, steller performances by both squads except the men in net, mostly the Sounders’ Brian Meredith and Chelsea’s Henrique Hilário. I, however, Seattle’s Josh Ford and Chelsea’s Jamal Blackman were okay in net.
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- tylerbetts - Jul 19, 2012 at 1:19 PM
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Just commenting to give kudos for “Explaratory Drilling”. Love it! Outside of the money they make for MLS clubs, I have no concern over these friendlies.
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- Richard Farley - Jul 19, 2012 at 1:31 PM
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Tyler: Thank you. It was a game time decision on that one … I’d spent the worst part of a day with nothing.
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- sabanissatan - Jul 20, 2012 at 10:19 AM
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Baltimore, MD
July 28 – Liverpool v. Tottenham Hotspur, 1 PM EDT, M&T Bank Stadium
Boston, MA
July 25 – AS Roma v. Liverpool, 6:30 PM EDT, Fenway Park
Chicago, IL
July 21 – Chicago Fire v. Aston Villa, 7:30 PM CT, Toyota Park
July 22 – AS Roma v. Zaglebie Lubin (Poland), Wrigley Field
Columbus, OH
July 24 – Columbus Crew v. Stoke City, 7:30 PM EDT, Crew Stadium
Denver, CO
July 24 – Colorado Rapids v. Swansea City, 7 PM MT, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Kansas City, MO
July 24 – Sporting Kansas City v. Montpellier, Livestrong Park
August 1 – Sporting Kansas City v. Stoke City, 7:30 PM CT, Livestrong Park
Las Vegas, NV
August 5 – Real Madrid v. Santos Laguna, Sam Boyd Stadium
Los Angeles, CA
July 24 – Los Angeles Galaxy v. Tottenham Hotspur, 7:30 PM PDT, The Home Depot Center
August 2 – Los Angeles Galaxy v. Real Madrid, 7:30 PM, Home Depot Center
Miami
July 28 – Chelsea v. AC Milan, 6 PM EDT, Sun Life Stadium
Montreal
July 24 – Montreal Impact v. Lyon, Stade Saputo
July 31 – Juventus v. Paris Saint-Germain, 10:30 PM EDT, Stade Olympique
New York, NY Area
July 22 – Chelsea v. Paris Saint-Germain, 7 PM EDT, Yankee Stadium
July 27 – AS Roma v. El Salvador national team, Red Bull Arena
July 28 – Montpellier v. Lyon, Trophee de Championes, Red Bull Arena
July 31 – New York Red Bulls v. Tottenham Hotspur, 7 PM EDT, Red Bull Arena
August 8 – Real Madrid v. AC Milan, 8 PM EDT, Yankee Stadium
Orlando, FL
July 21 – Orlando City v. Nottingham Forest, 7:30 PM EDT, Florida Citrus Bowl
July 28 – Orlando City v. Stoke City, 7:30 PM EDT, Florida Citrus Bowl
Philadelphia, PA Area
July 25 – Chelsea v. MLS All Stars, 8:30 PM EDT, PPL Park
August 11 – Real Madrid v. Celtic FC, 1:30 PM EDT, PPL Park
Portland, OR
July 24 – Portland Timbers v. Aston Villa, 7:30 PM PT, JELD-WEN Field
San Jose, CA
July 31 – San Jose Earthquakes v. Swansea City, 7:30 PM PT, Buck Shaw Stadium
Seattle, WA
July 18 – Chelsea v. Seattle Sounders, 12 PM PT, Qwest Field
Toronto, Ontario
July 21 – Toronto FC v. Liverpool, 4 PM EDT, Rogers Center
Washington, DC Area
July 28 – DC United v. Paris Saint-Germain, 7:30 PM EDT, RFK Stadium
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