Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
Scoring Summary:
RM -- Beckham 22
RM -- Ronaldo 39
RM -- Ronaldo 73
RM -- Guti 80
RM -- Raúl 90
REAL MADRID: Diego López; Michel Salgado (Carlos Diogo 85), Iván Helguera (Jonathan Woodgate 86) , Francisco Pavón (Álvaro Mejía 87), Roberto Carlos (Raúl Bravo 87); Thomas Gravesen (Pablo García 68), Zinedine Zidane (Guti 63), David Beckham, Baptista (Michael Owen 80); Raúl, Ronaldo (Javier Portillo 87).
MLS SELECT: Matt Reis (Nick Rimando 88); Frankie Hejduk, Pablo Mastroeni (Douglas Sequeira 74), Jimmy Conrad, Jose Burciaga (Ricardo Clark 86); Shalrie Joseph, Ronnie O'Brien, Justin Mapp (Jeff Cunningham 45), Clint Dempsey (Jason Kreis 69); Landon Donovan (Youri Djorkaeff 61), Jaime Moreno (Amado Guevara 24).
REFEREE: Iturralde González.
PLAYING CHELSEA: This is the third year running Chelsea have chosen to come to the USA as part of their preseason preparation. A year ago, their tour included a match against D.C. United - when six of this year MLS All-Stars saw action - which ended in a 2-1 Chelsea victory.
United took the lead after 31 minutes when Bobby Boswell headed Brian Carroll's inswinging corner just inside the far post. It took Chelsea five minutes to equalise and Damien Duff was the scorer, as he volleyed a cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips back across the keeper and just inside the far post. The game was won in the 57th minute, Hernan Crespo haring away on to Arjen Robben's pass and easing it past the advancing 'keeper.
Chelsea FC vs. D.C. United
July 28, 2005 -- FedEx Field
Scoring Summary:
DC -- Bobby Boswell 1 (Christian Gomez 1) 31
CFC -- Damien Duff 1 (Shaun Wright Phillips 1, Joe Cole 1) 35
CFC -- Hernan Crespo 1 (Arjen Robben 1, Tiago 1) 56
Chelsea FC -- Petr Cech (Carlo Cudicini 46), Glen Johnson (Paulo Ferreira 46), William Gallas (Robert Huth 46), John Terry (Ricardo Carvalho 46), Wayne Bridge (Geremi 46), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Carlton Cole 46), Tiago (Eidur Gudjohnsen 57), Jiri Jarosik (Frank Lampard 46), Joe Cole (Lassana Diarra 46), Didier Drogba (Hernan Crespo 46), Damien Duff (Arjen Robben 46). [Substitutes Not Used: Geremi, Lenny Pidgeley]
TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Frank Lampard 2, Hernan Crespo 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1); FOULS: 16 (Lassana Diarra 5); OFFSIDES: 2 (Hernan Crespo 1, Damien Duff 1); CORNER KICKS: 1 (Arjen Robben 1); SAVES: 1 (Petr Cech 1)
D.C. United -- Nick Rimando (Troy Perkins 46), Brandon Prideaux, Bobby Boswell, John Wilson (Bryan Namoff 61), Dema Kovalenko, Brian Carroll, Christian Gomez (Freddy Adu 46), Ben Olsen (Clyde Simms 62), Joshua Gros, Jaime Moreno, Santino Quaranta (Jamil Walker 76) [Substitutes Not Used: Kenny Arena, Nana Kuffour, Tim Merritt, Matt Nickell, David Stokes, Andrew Weber, Jason Thompson, Nick Van Sicklen]
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Jaime Moreno 1, Bobby Boswell 1); FOULS: 13 (Jaime Moreno 3); OFFSIDES: 1 (Joshua Gros 1); CORNER KICKS: 4 (Christian Gomez 2); SAVES: 2 (Troy Perkins 1, Nick Rimando 1)
Misconduct Summary:
DC -- Bobby Boswell (caution; Pushing, Holding) 40
CFC -- Lassana Diarra (caution; Dissent) 68
CFC -- Robert Huth (caution; Pushing, Holding) 92+
Referee: Kevin Stott
Referee's Assistants: George Vergara; Alex Prus
4th Official: Nathan Clement
Attendance: 31,473
Weather: Cloudy-and-77-degrees
DEBUTANTS: Eight players have been selected to their first MLS All-Star Game as part of the 18-man gameday roster. Two - goalkeeper Troy Perkins and midfielder Dwayne De Rosario - were selected to the First XI as part of the four-part voting process of fans, media, players and coaches/general managers. Three more - defenders Josh Gros, Bobby Boswell and forward Nate Jaqua - were selected to the All-Star Game for the first time as part of Peter Nowak's selection. Eddie Robinson and Ricardo Clark of Houston Dynamo and Facundo Erpen were named to the team to replace the injured Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope and as a result will make their All-Star bows.
GERMAN VACATION: Seven players among the 32-man All-Star squad played for the U.S. national team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Three - defenders Chris Albright and Jimmy Conrad and forward Brian Ching - are part of the 18-man gameday roster. Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni and Clint Dempsey were originally selected as part of the First XI, but will not play due to injury and league conflict. Ben Olsen is currently on the inactive roster.
Twelve players in the Chelsea FC travel party represented their countries in the World Cup: Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, John Terry (England), Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal), Michael Ballack (Germany), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Ghana), Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine), Arjen Robben (Netherlands). Additionally, first team players Hernan Crespo (Argentina), Claude Makelele and William Gallas (both France) also played in the World Cup, but will not be with the club on their U.S. tour.
GOMEZ DELIVERS: Christian Gomez has 22 goals and 17 assists since making his MLS debut in August 2004. Since his first game he ranks tied for third in MLS in goals, along with D.C. United teammate Jaime Moreno (22) behind Taylor Twellman (30), Jeff Cunningham (25). He's tied for third in assists in that time, with Landon Donovan and Dwayne De Rosario (17), behind Ronnie O'Brien and Moreno (both 19).
IN THE BACK: Jimmy Conrad, Chris Albright and Eddie Pope, all of whom were on the USA's World Cup roster, were named as part of the All-Star First XI. Conrad has played 17 games for the national team, Albright has played 20 and Pope has played 82 -- but they have never been on the field at the same time for the USA.
JUST DON'T LOSE: Troy Perkins was named as the goalkeeper. Perkins went undefeated between the posts in 14 games for D.C. United (10-0-4), the third-longest undefeated streak for a goalkeeper in MLS history. Jon Busch had an 18-game streak for Columbus over 2004-2005 and Pat Onstad had a 15-game streak for San Jose/Houston over 2005-2006.
DOUBLE THE FUN: When Jaime Moreno scored against Real Salt Lake on July 29, the second-leading scorer all-time in MLS history reached double digits in goals for the sixth season. Only one other player in MLS history has done that - Chivas USA striker Ante Razov, who has 12 goals this season for his sixth campaign with double figures. Razov could have been Moreno's strike partner against Chelsea, but he not available to play in the All-Star Game with the Chivas-New England league match on Sun. Aug. 6.
POPE'S SELECTION: With his 10th All-Star game selection, Real Salt Lake's Eddie Pope set the record for most career nominations, breaking the tie he held with retired defender Jeff Agoos. Pope has played in seven All-Star Games, as he missed the 2001 game along with last year's. The only players to appear in eight All-Star Games are former Kansas City Wizards midfielder Preki, who appeared in each of the first eight midsummer classics, and Agoos, who played every year from 1996-2002, then 2004.
AROUND CHELSEA
CRESPO, MAKELELE NOT WITH CLUB: Argentinean striker Hernán Crespo and French midfielder Claude Makelele will not rejoin the first team until after the club returns from the USA. Manager José Mourinho gave the players an extended summer break after their efforts in the World Cup. "I decided the older guys, the ones over 30, needed more rest after the World Cup. It is not a problem for me. I have a lot of midfielders out here so Maka doesn't need to be here. And I have enough forwards as well for what I need to do so Hernán also stays behind. That is why he is not here. If the club receives the right offer for him, then they will consider it but if not, he will meet us for training when we get back."
GALLAS ALSO ABSENT: French international defender William Gallas did not join the team in the USA, after he was given extra time off along with Chelsea's other internationals who played in the World Cup. At the end of the 2005/06 Gallas made it known he wished a new challenge overseas, but he still has one year left on his contract. "William requested extra time off following the World Cup but was informed he should still report to Los Angeles on the date previously agreed with him. He did not report and further action will now be considered by the club as a consequence," ChelseaFC said in a statement. "Preseason training and the tour is about building team spirit among our squad and extra leave is only granted for valid football-related reasons. Discussions between Chelsea and William about a new contract are already well documented and ongoing. He has one year left on his current contract."
FILLING OUT THE TEAM: To fill out the squad for the U.S. trip, two names from the youth squad list were drawn from a hat. Ryan Bertrand and Michael Woods were selected. Also flying to California were reserve team squad members Jimmy Smith and Michael Mancienne. They were given places on merit having been included in the first team squad for the final games of last season. They were joined by backup goalkeeper Yves Ma Kalambay.
LOOKING FOR FOUR?: Chelsea are looking to join an elite group of teams to have won three titles on the trot - Arsenal in the 1930s, Huddersfield in the 1920s, Liverpool in the 1980s and Manchester United in the 1990s. But, says midfielder Joe Cole, winning a third would only be the start of something bigger. "Has anyone done it four times?" he smiled. "It shows you we could be in some great company and underlines how tough the English league is. If you look in other countries I'm sure there's team who have won it maybe six, seven or eight times in a row. That's another incentive, something else to drive us on."
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SUCCESS: While winning a third Premiership is perhaps highest on the priority list for Chelsea, there is also a burning desire for success in the UEFA Champions League. After losing in the semifinals in both 2004 (to AS Monaco) and 2005 (to Liverpool), they were dumped out by Barcelona in the round-of-16 last year. "In my career I would think it would be a failure if I never won the Champions League. It is very important to win the Champions League. It is something that we will be remembered for, for many years to come. We're doing very well and we want to improve on that year after year," said Chelsea captain John Terry. "Every player in the squad is desperate for that and the chairman and manager's ambition, with the players they have brought in, say it all. We all have that hunger and desire to win the competition. These players we have brought in have the experience in that competition so hopefully that will give us the edge."
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS: One thing Terry points to is the added firepower in attack Chelsea now possess - that talent proven on the European stage. Last year Chelsea found the net nine times in eight European fixtures. "Last year we didn't really score a lot in the Champions League," said Terry. "With these two players coming in, hopefully that is going to change. When you look at the experience they have got over the years, and the goals, if we can add their goals to the 18 or 20 that [Frank Lampard has] banged in over the last couple of years then we have a chance. We want a striker up there banging in 25 to 30 goals, Ballack hopefully scoring similar to Lampsy and everyone chipping in with their fair share. We have got the backbone of the side and there aren't many weaknesses. We have confidence throughout the team. Everyone here is desperate for the Champions League. We are aware of that and the fans are aware of that. We have to retain the Premiership again and build upon that and that is our target. But with the players we have brought in, we are really pushing for the Champions League. We are desperate for it."
SUMMER TRANSFERS: There have been two major departures from the Chelsea squad since the opening of the international transfer window. Spanish fullback Asier del Horno was the first to leave, agreeing a deal with Valencia on July 21. Then the next day, Irish international winger Damien Duff moved to Newcastle United.
SQUAD NEWS: Even with the addition of Shevchenko and Ballack, the moves of Asier and Duff left Chelsea with a first-team squad of closer to 20 players - which Mourinho says is ideal. It is a change from previous policy at the club, where the rough rule of thumb was two players for every position plus three goalkeepers. "We will have top quality and short numbers, so everybody knows they will have a lot of chances. In this manner I can keep high quality, everybody happy in the group and very good young players are not afraid to come to Chelsea," Mourinho said.
"Of course two right backs, of course two left backs and of course four central defenders, but when I have William Gallas in that group of central defenders I can say I have three right backs and I have three left backs. When I have Essien, he can play defensive midfielder or on the right side of midfield or on the left side. Kalou is a second striker, Kalou is a left winger, Kalou is a right winger. If we play 4-4-2 he is a striker, if we play 4-3-3 he is a winger. So because we have five or six players who are adapted to different positions, it is a 20-player squad with more options than having two players for each position."
Another place where it will be difficult to win a place is in midfield. Joe Cole was a regular for England in the World Cup, but feels he needs to prove himself every day. "I think the squad is going to be a little trimmer this year but it is nice to buy quality players," said Cole. "You know if you go to any big club in Europe, there is always competition for places. I have never seen anything like the competitiveness here at Chelsea in training. It is so sharp. If I don't train well one session, I have the hump all day because it is really an opportunity to stake a claim every day. If you do it right it is the perfect club and I love it here. You have to take the competition.
WINNING PLACES: Even with a smaller player pool, there will still be fierce competition for starting places come matchday - perhaps none more so than in the center of midfield. Michael Ballack is expected to partner Frank Lampard in central midfield - which could leave Michael Essien on the outside. "When I came to Chelsea I knew I wouldn't be the last player to come through the door," Essien said. "This club is always going to be linked with the best, as they have proved in recent years. I expected to return to an even bigger squad of players but we are blessed with some of the best players in the world. But that holds no fears for me as I want to prove that I can more than live with those players. The manager says it is all about the squad and I have to prove that I should be starting every game."
Still, says Essien of Ballack: "It is a great signing for us and I am looking forward to playing with him next season. You could see what a good player Michael Ballack was at the World Cup. I thought he controlled the midfield very well. His passing is excellent and he scores an amazing amount of goals. He's very similar to Frank. He is great in the air as well, a threat from set-pieces and he's a top-drawer player at the peak of his career."
SHEVA IN THE TEAM: Rather than Shevchenko having to modify his game to English football, José Mourinho expects the striker's versatility to increase his team's options. "A lot of people question the system Chelsea is going to play," Mourinho said. "Is he [Shevchenko] here to be a direct competitor of Drogba or Kalou or is he going to play together with them? I think he is here for everything. The team is very comfortable playing in 4-3-3 and very comfortable playing in 4-4-2. He is a top player and Ballack is the same and I think they can adapt. In some matches you will see him for sure playing with another striker in 4-4-2 and at other times we will play in 4-3-3, because the team has achieved the maturity to cope with that."
Shevchenko said he already feels comfortable. "Certainly English football is more open than Italian football," he said. "In Italy there is a more defensive, closed structure but I believe that technically I will not have to change very much. Football is football whether it is Italy or England. My biggest challenge will be at the personal level, learning English, adapting to the team, but at this level with the big players here, and the big players they have in Milan, the adjustments I will have to make as a football player are minimal."
SHEVCHENKO UNPACKED: For Shevchenko, he is hoping his career will come to an end in west London. The Ukraine international swapped AC Milan for Stamford Bridge this summer and, having started off his career at Dynamo Kiev before heading for Italy, he is a loyal man. "I have only played for two teams and this will be my third," said Shevchenko. "I hope in my head this is where I end my career. I hope to be happy here and hopefully that will be the last one."
TERRY AN "FEC"?: With David Beckham having stepped down as captain of the English national team, John Terry has become a clear favorite to be given the armband. "I am desperate for it," he admits. "That is a boyhood dream of mine. I can't really say anymore than that. It is down to Steve McClaren, he'll make the decision. He has been with the England squad a long time and he'll know the players and what they are all about. I don't really want to say anymore but as a boy, and Stevie Gerrard's the same, every player dreams of being England captain and I am no different from them."
