Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca labeled the atmosphere in the World Cup match of his team on Monday “Strange” after the blues triumphed for nearly 50,000 empty seats.
The winners of the UEFA Conference League defeated Los Angeles FC 2-0 in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with only 22,000 fans present in the 71,000 capacity Arena.
“The area was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” Maresca said reporters.
“We are professional, we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment …
“It is important the behavior of the players, the attitude, and again, they showed how professional they are.”
The Chelsea coach said that his team had expected a larger audience, but hopeful that in their second game against Flamengo from Brazil they would get that in Philadelphia.
“We also thought this game prepared that the environment was a bit different, but undoubtedly the next one will be a nice one, because we know that the Brazilian teams, they always bring a lot of fans,” he added.
More than 60,000 spectators attended the opening match between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Al Ahly on Saturday, while 80,000 were present in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday for the collision between UEFA Champions League winners Paris-Saint Germain and Atletico Madrid.
Many fans of Boca Juniors created a raw atmosphere later on Monday for their match against Benfica in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Now that Chelsea played local time on a working Monday at 3 p.m., the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was under a third.
MLS Side Atlanta United on average nearly 45,000 fans in their competitions and are the best supported American team.
Enzo Fernandez celebrates after scoring the second goal of Chelsea against Lafccaul Ellis / AFP
“PSG against Atletico, for a large audience in the Rose Bowl … So I don't know if there are just more fans in Los Angeles who are of this tournament than here, or if it is the combination tonight,” said La -Coach Steve Cherundolo.
However, the American said it was too early to assess the new extensive competition from FIFA based on just one competition.
“As far as the crowd is concerned, I think it is a bit different every game you are looking at, so I don't think we should talk about this now,” he added.
“I think we should wait until the end of the tournament … (to make an opinion about it as a whole, unlike one match.”
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