
Enzo Fernandez's partner leads Chelsea WAGs in flocking to the US to cheer on their partners in Club World Cup final as they take in the New York sights before kick off
The Blues jetted off to the USA last month to take part in the inaugural edition of FIFA's premier club tournament since it was revamped to include 32 teams.
Since then, Enzo Maresca 's side have progressed through the group stages and subsequently defeated the likes of Benfica, Palmeiras and Fluminense to book their place in the final.
Their opponents at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday are a PSG side awash with confidence after entering the tournament just one month after being crowned Champions League winners for the first time in their history.
Luis Enrique's side have been utterly dominant throughout the Club World Cup, and have conceded just once in their run to the final.
Ahead of the landmark clash, a number of Chelsea stars have been joined by their partners as they have taken in the sights and enjoyed some precious downtime between games in the United States.
It is understood that many of the group flew out once Chelsea reached the knockout stages as the club held a team bonding BBQ at their Miami base.
Since then, a number of the WAGs, including Enzo Fernandez's girlfriend Valentina Cervantes have remained with the group as they moved on to New York to prepare for Sunday's final.
On Saturday Cervantes shared a snap of herself watching a Blues training session as Maresca put his finishing touches on the game plan for the clash with Les Parisiens.
Meanwhile, the partners of Pedro Neto, Marc Cucurella and Filip Jorgensen took to the streets of the Big Apple to do some sightseeing.
Neto's girlfriend, Carolina Cunha e Silva, even donned a baseball jersey adorned with the Portuguese foward's name as the Blues defeated Fluminense.
Cole Palmer also took in some of the famous sights, with the England international pictured in full Blues kit atop the famous Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.
Reports suggest that Maresca has offered his players a high degree of freedom throughout the competition.
Maintaining professionalism has remained an imperative, but the players have been entrusted to enjoy some downtime following an arduous campaign.
In addition, the club are said to have brought in FA staff to organise the team's camp including accommodation and activities for the players' families.
Meanwhile Cole Palmer ascended the city's iconic Rockefeller Center for a photoshoot
Speaking ahead of the clash with PSG, Maresca revealed he intends on treating the upcoming fixture 'like a chess match' and called Luis Enrique's side, 'the best team in the world'.
'I love to play chess and watch chess,' Maresca explained. 'I feel football is like a game of chess and when the rival makes a move, you have to counteract it and I think this will be like a chess game.
'They [PSG] are a top team in Europe and the world, maybe the best in the world, but every game is different and we will try to do a good game.
'For sure it will be difficult, but all games are difficult. Fluminense beat Inter and they reached the Champions League final; Al Hilal beat Manchester City.
'Botafogo beat PSG in this competition and did a very good job, but our style is different to Botafogo.
'PSG is best team in world and they have showed that in this tournament, showed it in France and in the Champions League. Of course it'll be a difficult game for us, but we are preparing ourselves in best way possible.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Major US airports ground all flights
An impending tropical storm in the Gulf has set off a chain reaction of ground stops and lengthy delays at major airports along the entire East Coast. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended multiple ground stops at airports in New York, Florida, and Washington DC. More than a dozen major airports are currently stuck in ground delays which are snarling airport traffic and delaying flights by up to three hours in some cities. AccuWeather is forecasting widespread tropical downpours in Florida this week, which have already delayed or grounded flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Orlando International Airport, and Miami International Airport. The rainfall forecasted along the entire East Coast has led to flight delays at Philadelphia International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and New Jersey's Teterboro Airport as well. 'Flight to Vegas got delayed by three hours, I hate airports,' one frustrated passenger posted on X Monday afternoon. 'My flight is delayed by like five hours and I'm already feeling so sick... I just want today to [be] over,' another exhausted traveler added. Countless fellow travelers have been posting their horror stories on social media Monday as Flight Aware said that at least 7,300 flights in to and out of the US have been delayed as of 5:20pm ET. Federal travel officials have warned that ground delays at these East Coast airports will stay in effect until at least 10pm, with several stretching overnight, including in New York and Philadelphia. AccuWeather warned that Americans along the East Coast should expect more stormy weather for the rest of the week as a tropical rainstorm sweeps across the Florida Peninsula. The storm is projected to make landfall Tuesday before barreling into the Gulf and bringing several inches of rain to Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana on Wednesday. Flights out of Miami have been delayed by more than 190 minutes (three hours and 10 minutes) Monday evening. Departing flights in Fort Lauderdale are delayed for more than two hours. 'A cold front slowly approaching the East Coast will spark showers and storms across the East on Monday. Ample moisture in place will also ramp up the risks for flooding and locally severe thunderstorms,' the AccuWeather team added in a statement Monday morning. The approaching storm has only led to early afternoon delays on Monday getting extended into the evening as the thunderstorms and rain move in throughout the country. Airports like Philadelphia International Airport, which started with only a ground delay, were forced to ground all flights around 5pm, with ground stop orders until at least 5:45pm. As of 5:30pm, more than 1,700 flights throughout the US have been cancelled. Many of them were a result of the tropical storm moving in. The founder of flight alert service Dollar Flight Club, Jesse Neugarten, recently advised travelers to start planning their cancellation backup plans before airlines even make that frustrating announcement. 'If the plane that's supposed to become your flight is delayed in another city, you'll often see the writing on the wall before the airline officially tells you,' Neugarten told Travel + Leisure in June. He added that flyers should start checking their airline's app for rebooking options before they even get out of line to board the plane or return to the gate because of poor weather. Additionally, trying to call the airline's customer service team which handles flights in other countries, like Canada or the UK, may help you cut the hold time dramatically. Despite handling bookings for other nations, these customer service reps may still be able to help existing customers rebook a cancelled flight.


Reuters
35 minutes ago
- Reuters
Flag football to make primetime Olympic debut at LA28
LOS ANGELES, July 14 (Reuters) - Flag football will take center stage during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after organizers confirmed the sport's medal matches will be held in primetime slots in its first-ever Olympic appearance. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF), in partnership with the National Football League (NFL), announced on Monday that the men's and women's medal games are scheduled for Friday evening, July 21, and Saturday afternoon, July 22, at BMO Stadium near downtown Los Angeles. The announcement comes as senior IFAF and NFL delegations visit Los Angeles for the first official meetings with Games organizers, marking exactly three years to the day before the LA28 Opening Ceremony. "Flag football will definitely be a hot ticket at the Games," IFAF President Pierre Trochet told Reuters on Monday. "We're going to be at a great stadium right in the heart of the city and we're going to have fantastic players on the field with NFL players available." Flag football is a non-contact variation of American football in which players wear flags attached to their waists. Instead of tackling, defensive players must remove a flag from the ball carrier to end a play. The sport is played on a smaller field with fewer players per side. The inclusion of flag football in LA28 follows a vote by NFL owners allowing NFL players to participate in the Olympic competition. Trochet said the primetime scheduling was a clear statement of a shared ambition to ensure flag football contributes a "defining element" of LA28's success. Organizers hope to capture the excitement of "Friday Night Lights," a cherished American tradition, and generate iconic moments for the sport's Olympic launch. "We could not dream of a better setup to start our debut in the Olympic movement and Olympic journey," he said. The IFAF delegation, including managing director Andy Fuller and senior NFL executives, is set to tour Exposition Park and other venues over a three-day visit. The group will also meet with key LA28 organizing committee members and attend the launch of a new NFL flag football brand campaign, which features Olympic gymnastics champion Jordan Chiles and flag football athletes from Australia and the U.S.


The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US men to host friendlies against Australia and Ecuador in October international window
The US men's national team will play friendlies against Ecuador and Australia in the October Fifa international window, the federation announced on Monday. The games will pit the US against two teams that have already sealed their spots in the 2026 World Cup in one of the team's last gatherings before the start of the tournament next summer. The US will host Ecuador first on 10 October at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, with kickoff set for 8.30pm ET. This will be the US men's 16th all-time meeting against Ecuador, with the last meeting coming in 2019. In that match, Gyasi Zardes scored a late winner in a 1-0 victory for the US. Ecuador has been one of the best teams in South America this World Cup cycle, now sitting second in Conmebol qualifying. La Tricolor has not lost a match since 1-0 loss to Brazil in September 2024, winning four and drawing five in that time. Each of Ecuador's last three games have been 0-0 draws (against Chile, Brazil, and Peru). Australia will be the United States' opponent in the second match of the window, due to take place in Commerce City, Colorado at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on 14 October at 9pm ET. The meeting will be the United States' fourth all-time meeting against the Socceroos, with the previous one coming back in 2010 before that year's World Cup in South Africa. The US won that game 3-1, with Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez scoring for the Americans, and Tim Cahill scoring for Australia. The World Cup qualifying campaign has been a tricky one for Australia, but it was rewarded with an automatic bid to the World Cup last month since the appointment of Tony Popovic as head coach. The Socceroos have reeled off five wins and three draws since he was appointed, culminating in last month's 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. The United States will aim use the window to further solidify their squad under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine brought a mostly second-choice roster to this summer's Gold Cup, where the Americans beat weaker opposition all the way to the final, where they were outclassed in a 2-1 loss to regional rivals Mexico. It is thought that Pochettino will use the next two international windows to try to combine the team's bright spots from the summer like Diego Luna and Malik Tillman with some of the first-choice players who sat out the Gold Cup and pre-tournament friendlies – namely Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Tim Weah and others.