Chelsea began its Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC, but the match is unlikely to be remembered fondly. Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernández secured a comfortable win for Enzo Maresca’s squad, although LAFC managed several chances to score but fell short in execution. The game itself, however, was overshadowed by a lackluster atmosphere, with only 22,137 fans present in Atlanta’s 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The weekday afternoon kickoff, combined with LAFC’s nearly 1,900-mile travel from Los Angeles, contributed to the sparse crowd. Even the news of reduced ticket prices on game day could not attract more spectators.
“I think the environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” Maresca remarked during the post-match press conference. “We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full, but it doesn’t matter.”
Looking ahead, Chelsea will face Brazilian team Flamengo in Philadelphia this Friday, and Maresca anticipates a more vibrant atmosphere as Brazilian fans are known for their loyalty and turnout.
LAFC’s manager, Steve Cherundolo, minimized concerns over attendance, suggesting it was premature to judge the tournament based on this match’s crowd. “It’s kind of different each game you look at and I don’t think we should be talking about this right now,” he explained. “I think we should wait until the end of the tournament to make a more complete summary of what was going on.”
In a contrasting match, Boca Juniors and Benfica delivered a thrilling 2-2 draw, with Boca fans creating a lively environment at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Boca took an early two-goal lead, but Benfica rallied back with a penalty right before half-time, followed by dramatic red cards for both teams during a heated encounter. In the day’s final match, Brazilian club Flamengo claimed a 2-0 victory over Tunisia’s ES Tunis, attracting 25,797 fans at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Stadium.