Chelsea Cruise to Victory in US Tour Opener
Chelsea Women kicked off their pre-season tour of the United States with a convincing 3-1 win over NJ/NY Gotham at Red Bull Arena. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's brace inside the opening 15 minutes, followed by a goal from Aggie Beever-Jones, put the Blues in a commanding position before Jess Carter pulled one back for the hosts.
Sonia Bompastor's first game in charge saw a flurry of goals in the first half, with Rytting Kaneryd leading the charge. The Swedish winger opened the scoring in the seventh minute, expertly finishing a defence-splitting pass from Erin Cuthbert. Just eight minutes later, she doubled the lead with a cool finish from 12 yards out after a clever interchange with Beever-Jones.
The England international herself got on the scoresheet in the 26th minute, converting a through ball with another deflected shot. Gotham managed to claw a goal back just five minutes later when former Chelsea defender Carter pounced on a loose ball in the box.
Despite a quieter second half, the game provided valuable minutes for Bompastor's new-look squad. A host of substitutions allowed her to assess different combinations and give game time to a number of players. Notably, summer signing Lucy Bronze made her debut for the Blues, starting at right-back, while young midfielder Wieke Kaptein was also included in the starting XI.
Chelsea's defensive solidity was evident throughout, with Hannah Hampton making a couple of crucial saves in the first half to maintain their lead.
The second half saw the introduction of several other players, including Zecira Musovic, Maika Hamano, Eve Perisset, Ashley Lawrence, and Sandy Baltimore.
Although Gotham created a few chances in the closing stages, the Blues held firm to secure their first win of the pre-season.
The focus now shifts to Chelsea's next fixture, a London derby against Arsenal in Washington DC on Sunday. The match will provide another opportunity for Bompastor to experiment with her squad and build momentum ahead of the upcoming season.
Line-ups:
NJ/NY Gotham: Miller (Betos 46) (Berger 66), Freeman (Torres 46), Carter, Lopez (Baxter 70), Zerboni (O'Hara 85), Martin, Sheehan (Flores 46), Bruninha, Stevens (Esther 46), Ryan, Stengel.
Booked: Martin 65, Carter 71
Chelsea: Hampton (Musovic 46), Bronze (Wardlaw 72), Bright (Buchanan 66), Bjorn (Perisset 46), Charles (Bernabe 66), Cuthbert (Ingle 21), Kaptein (Potter 66), Reiten (Baltimore 46), James (Hamano 46), Kaneryd (Lawrence 46), Beever-Jones (Watson 72).
Unused substitutes: Cox.
Booked: Bright 45+3, Beever-Jones 63
