Chelsea FC today announced the list of players heading to the United States for their tour as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge, which will include the first-ever soccer match at the current Yankee Stadium on July 22 at 7:00pm vs. Paris-Saint Germain. To purchase tickets for the match at Yankee Stadium, fans can visit www.yankees.com/soccer.
Chelsea’s roster features experienced players that have won trophies for both club and country. Englishman Frank Lampard captained Chelsea in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, and is Chelsea’s top scoring midfielder ever, while Czech goalkeeper Peter Cech holds the records for most shutouts and fewest goals conceded in an English top-flight season.
Five players who made it beyond the group stage of EURO 2012 – Ashley Cole, John Terry, Florent Malouda, Raul Meireles and Fernando Torres – will join up during the course of the tour.
Chelsea’s newest signings, 21-year-old Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard and 23-year-old German winger Marko Marin, will take part in the tour. Hazard was instrumental in achieving the French League and Cup double with Lille in the 2010-2011 season, and was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. In his final season at Lille, he was the second-highest scorer in Ligue 1 with 20 goals. Marin comes from Germany’s Werder Bremen, having made 87 Bundesliga appearances with the club and scoring 12 goals. He has 16 caps with the German national side, including two appearances at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
CHELSEA FC ROSTER:
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, Henrique Hilario, Ross Turnbull, Jamal Blackman
Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, John Terry, David Luiz, Paulo Ferreira, Gary Cahill, Sam Hutchinson, Todd Kane, Nathaniel Chalobah
Midfielders: Michael Essien, Ramires, Flourent Malouda, Raul Meireles, Frank Lampard, John Mikel Obi, Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Yossi Benayoun, Josh McEachran, George Saville
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Fernando Torres, Gael Kakuta, Kevin De Bruyne, Patrick Bamford, Lucas Piazon