The 5th Stand app and the official Chelsea website have been granted exclusive access in Los Angeles as Thomas Tuchel and his players step up preparations for the new campaign.

Here’s a look at what happened on day three in California…

Double sessions continue

There’s not letting up in regards to the hard work, as the preparations for the new season continued on day three of our summer training camp in Los Angeles.

Training got underway at around 10.30am in LA, with the temperature already well into the high twenties when the players took to the pitch.

Tuchel and his staff worked the boys hard, with a number of running drills being interspersed by some small-sided games.

Meanwhile, Hilario and James Russell were putting the goalkeepers to the test with a number of drills designed to test their agility and reflexes.


Ziyech at the wheel


After training finished, it was time for the players to recover by jumping in the ice bath and stretching off before boarding the team bus to take them back to the hotel.

For some players, including Callum Hudson-Odoi, there were some post-match media duties to attend to which took place at the side of the pitch.

All was fine, until Hakim Ziyech decided to jump into one of the facilities golf buggies, used to escort the equipment from dressing room to pitch, and offer some of his team-mates a lift – to the exact spot where Callum was being interviewed!

It was all designed to try and put Hudson-Odoi off as they drove slowly beside him but, ever the professional, Callum kept his cool and finished his media duties – before promptly jumping in the cart with Ziyech and Co for a lift back to the dressing room!

Delight at open training

For the evening session, the Blues were joined by a number of visiting spectators as we opened up the doors to our commercial partners and their invited guests.

Around 40 guests were ready and waiting for Thomas Tuchel and the players to arrive at our training base, with the lads stopping to chat, sign autographs and pose for photos with those in attendance.

After the quick meet and greet, it was time for the players to lace up their boots before taking to the pitch while the guests moved to the small stand on the other side of the training facility to watch the session get underway.

They were treated to some great action on the pitch, with plenty of goals and saves to entertain our partners and guests!

Soho House Q&A with Joe Cole

While training was reaching its end, a few miles east across town at West Hollywood’s Soho House, Chelsea had organised an industry panel discussion with how football influences culture as its theme.

Joe Cole was our representative and there was more Blues past there with Eni Aluko alongside him. The former Chelsea Women star striker is now the sporting director of Angel City FC which she revealed is the largest female-founded, female-participation club in the world.

A Los Angeles viewpoint was provided by executive and fans of LAFC, fresh from their unveiling of Gareth Bale earlier in the day, and the debate was lively and varied to say the least, with topics ranging from how you can spot a soccer fan in LA by clothes cut, cap design, music mixing with football which Cole insisted has long been the case, vintage shirts and memories of Gazza’s tears.

The deep-seated tribal rivalries of the game in England compared with America was dug down into, but there was plenty of common ground in the love for the sport.