Chelsea to face AC Milan in the United States, opening Minnesota's new stadium

The 2015/16 season is not yet complete (though most of us certainly wish that it was), but already, we're beginning to hear rumors about the upcoming preseason plans. According to Northern Pitch, who are an extremely reliable source for American soccer news, the rumors that the Blues will be heading to the United States again are true, and we now know our first destination and opponent.

Northern Pitch is reporting that the Blues will play the first ever sporting event in US Bank Stadium, the new home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. The facility is a 66,200 seat venue that will likely sell out very quickly. While the stadium will have an artificial surface when the NFL season kicks off, it's very likely that a grass surface will be installed for the Chelsea/Milan friendly, as is often the case when Europe's elite play on America's plastic fields.

With 2016 being a European Championship summer, it's unlikely that Chelsea will bring all of their first team, though the rumored early August date means that we might see a few stars that are knocked out of the competition in the group stage, as well as the bulk of the Blues' South American crew. It will be interesting to see how likely new manager Antonio Conte feels about the cross=Atlantic travel, as this was reportedly one reason for the fallout between the Italy manager and Juventus before Conte's surprise departure.