Our new head coach’s first match in charge sees the reigning Women’s Super League champions take on the reigning NWSL champions at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

After two weeks of working with Bompastor at Cobham and one session since travelling Stateside, the skipper believes the foundations have been put in place to showcase a new-look Blues.

‘Everyone has been knuckling down,’ Bright said. ‘Our first training session here [in America] was really energetic, upbeat and focused.

‘Everyone’s really driven to be better – to become a better player. With the changes we’ve made in the environment: with Sonia coming in, the new staff and new players, it has really freshened things up.

‘I think we’re ready to go to that next level as a team. You can see from all the players that there is really good energy.

‘I would say all pre-season I’ve felt that good energy and there has been really good intensity. It’s very exciting as a player to see where we’re at and the potential of where we can go.’

Bright has welcomed all of the change. The result of which, Bright believes, will be the signs of a Chelsea team who have all the makings of stepping up a gear.

‘We’ve it felt immediately from training sessions,’ Bright says when talking about wanting to implement her new head coach’s style from Bompastor's very first match in charge.

‘We’re hoping the fans can see that because as players we’ve definitely felt the change in training – the intensity, for me, and the quality on the ball have been the biggest change. We just want to be better all around.

‘We’ve always had that winning mentality, but I think we’ve gained more to it.

‘We’re even more eager now to go to the next level. It’s all the other factors that we needed to catch up a little bit, so we hope the fans can see we’re trying to implement that.’

During this period of transition, Bright has continued to lead the squad admirably. Her approach to being captain has not changed, but she is now one who has fully embraced what lies ahead with an ambitious Bompastor at the helm.

‘I’m grateful to be in the position that I’m in and to be part of the new journey,’ Bright added. ‘It feels like the start of a new era, but nothing has changed in the respect that we want to win everything and we want to be champions again.

‘That has been made extremely clear by Sonia in what we are trying to achieve. We’re all aligned and the process begins now with the first match under her.’