When asked how much he knew about Club América, the Liga MX team that the Blues defeated in the opening game of their US trip, Chelsea’s manager was forthright.
The 2022 Soccer Champions Tour is being conducted in the United States for the first time in two years, with the first game taking place on Saturday between Chelsea and Club América.
The Premier League team won the friendly encounter 2-1, with Timo Werner and Mason Mount scoring for the Blues either side of an own goal by Reece James.
Prior to the game, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel was asked about his understanding of Liga MX, and he responded truthfully:
“I don’t know much about Liga MX, to be honest. My interest in Mexican soccer comes from individual players. There are several in the Champions League, many of them have a great career there and we are aware of the great quality, the enthusiasm and the importance of the Mexican national team and how strong it is in each World Cup.”
“America is already playing the league. They are in a very different moment than ours. They are very physical and aggressive and we will see what happens. We expect a very intense match,” Tuchel added.
Chelsea are to play a total of three friendlies in the United States, before flying to Italy to end their preseason with a clash against Udinese. After beating Club América in Las Vegas, the West Londoners visit Charlotte on 20 July and face Arsenal in Orlando on 23 July.
MLS above Liga MX in most valuable leagues list
The 2022-23 season has begun in numerous international leagues, including the MLS and the MX League; this year will be significant since the Qatar World Cup will be held.
Several foreign teams are now preparing for the season by participating in pre-season workouts!
In the meanwhile, Transfermakt, a website that specialises in calculating the value of most leagues across the world, has declared the top ten most valuable leagues in the world, which include the MLS but not the MX League.
The five major European leagues remain at the top of the rankings, while Mexican soccer ranks twelfth in the globe in terms of league value.
The MLS finds itself on 8th, as it has raised its level this year with the addition of world stars, Gareth Bale, Giorgio Chiellini, Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, players who will seek to bring experience to this league.
