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Sports Illustrated had a story today about Abby Wambach and artificial turf, and they managed to plug an interesting tidbit for Chelsea fans in at the end. While they don't list a source and this has not been confirmed by the club, the relevant information is as follows:
"We already knew Manchester City and Chelsea are playing a friendly in St. Louis on May 23, but what has yet to be announced is the two Premier League giants will play a second game as well at Yankee Stadium in New York City on May 25. It's on the same day as the Champions League final, and the plan is for the Champions League final to be shown on video screens in Yankee Stadium before the friendly. If all goes well with Man City-Chelsea, the idea is to continue holding two such friendlies every year at the end of the club season in the U.S. between teams that know each other well."
Chelsea played in Yankee Stadium last season as well, drawing Carlo Ancelotti's PSG side while the classy Roberto Di Matteo was preparing his young squad for the season. Most of Chelsea's best players were still away at the Euros for that game, and it's unclear what players they'd be bringing along this year*.
*It's also unclear who will be managing the team, but my fingers are crossed that it isn't Benitez
From a scheduling standpoint, this would appear to be very possible. The Yankees will be in the middle of a eight-game roadtrip, so there will be plenty of time to turn the baseball diamond into a football pitch and then back again before the Bronx team host their vastly superior rivals from Queens. It would also make sense from both Chelsea and City's perspective, as flying all the way to the US for a single game would be silly.
Holding a pair of friendlies with City every season would certainly be an interesting way to earn a few extra pounds in the FFP era, as the games in the US tend to draw an awful lot of fans. I'm not sure I love the idea of adding even more games to a crowded fixture list, but if the rosters are managed correctly (as in, if Rafa has been sacked), this could be a lot of fun. Here's hoping it's true, I guess, as NY is within reasonable driving distance for me and the club is already flying to St. Louis anyway.