Dusk was fast approaching when Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea players walked onto the Drake Stadium pitch at UCLA for the first training session of their summer tour of the USA. Yet as was famously highlighted in La La Land, there's always another day of sun to come in Los Angeles.
The clear blue skies are just part of the reason Chelsea opted to travel stateside this summer. The chance to finally market Christian Pulisic in his homeland was a key factor, as was the desire to continue to build the club's brand in the U.S, something even more pertinent following the takeover by Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium.
But arguably the most important benefit of the trip – which will take Chelsea to LA, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Orlando – is it gives Tuchel and Chelsea's players a prolonged opportunity to bond away from the stresses and demands of the regular season. And that is not something they've had since the German took charge in January 2021.
