There are a few benefits when a club has so many first team caliber players that they just can't manage to get them all on the pitch, and Chelsea fans in the United States can vouch for that today. Steven Goff has news that the Blues will be playing yet another American friendly this year, taking on AS Roma in the nation's capital.
Roma vs. Chelsea at RFK Stadium Aug. 10 is "going to happen," I'm told by 2 sources.
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) July 17, 2013
Chelsea v Roma at RFK kickoff at 8 pm Aug 10. Tickets start at $38. Presale for #dcu STH tomorrow. General sale Sat.
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) July 17, 2013
The tinfoil hat crowd will almost certainly point to a potential Daniele De Rossi deal and conclude that this is one of the agreements in place, and that may eventually turn out to be true. The late nature of this news breaking is a bit out of the ordinary, although it's been an odd year for preseason announcements to say the least.
More likely, the club saw an easy opportunity to make some extra cash without putting an excessive burden on their very large squad. Every penny will count during the FFP era, and extra games played abroad can only help the brand.
If you're going to try to get a ticket for this one, I'd recommend doing so quickly. With a game between two huge clubs in a major metropolitan area, this one is almost certain to sell out in minutes. This will likely be the one and only time I ever say this, but today I wish I was a DC United season ticket holder.