Champions League winner, Chelsea FC takes over Yankee Stadium

 

We like to talk about Chelsea FC which is sponsored by Samsung and share some episodes in New York. Samsung global reporter, GyuNa Lee, went to Yankee Stadium in New York to cover the match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint Germain (PSG).

 

European Champions playing in the home of the baseball champions!

 

 

Hi! This is Gyuna Lee. I went to the Yankee Stadium in New York.  There was a festive, playoff atmosphere on Sunday, July 22^nd at Yankee Stadium. Even though it was an offseason soccer match between European champions Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain., there were a lot of soccer fans.

 

 

 

Yankee Stadium is a stadium located in The South Bronx in New York City, New York. It is the home ballpark of the New York Yankees, one of the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. It opened during the 2009 MLB season as a replacement for the team's previous home, the original Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923 and closed in 2008.  

 

 

 

Soccer made its first appearance in the current incarnation of Yankee Stadium, as Chelsea and PSG played in front of thirty eight thousand people. Then why did they choose to play at Yankee Stadium? There are not enough stadiums for soccer, since baseball, basketball, ice hockey and other sports are more popular in the U.S. However, who said soccer is not popular in the US?

 

Fans dressed in the Chelsea strip created a sea of blue all along the route of the parade. Also lots of journalists and reporters came to the game to cover the match!

 

 

 

 

I visited Samsung’s fan zone near the stadium about an hour before the match. I also played some games. I played a game using soccer balls and Samsung washing machines. The participants played in pairs to throw soccer balls at the washing machine. A team with more scores wins Samsung t-shirt.

 

 

 

 

I interviewed a Chelsea fan, Jeff Sutton who played the game.

 

Q: What do you think the score will be between Chelsea and PSG?

Jeff: I just won the ‘throwing soccer balls into the washing machine’ game 23:3! I hope Chelsea will beat PSG 4:0!

 

I also had a chance to interview other fans. I interviewed Jason Schorr who came Yankee Stadium with his son.

 

Q: Are you thrilled about today’s game?

Jason: Of course! I’m a huge fan of Chelsea FC! I still can’t believe that Chelsea came all the way to the U.S to play a game! I’m excited!

 

Soon, Samsung commercial was played on a big screen then players came out to the stadium. Then, the soccer match began!

 

 

Playing in front of 38,202 soccer fans, the current UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea FC rallied to tie French League 1 powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 1-1 on Sunday night. After NENE gave PSG a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute of the first half, it appeared the league 1 squad was going to walk away with a win.

 

Wait a moment! Let me explain the whole ‘celery’ thing here. One of English soccer’s weirdest traditions is the Chelsea fans’ ritual of throwing celery on to the field of play. Fans threw celery at the players, as a mark of respect – a tradition that began in the late 1980s, when supporters started throwing sticks in the air, accompanied by a song.

 

 

 

 

Right after the first half, I met Ryan and Owen Steege.

 

Q:  How long have you been a Chelsea fan?

Ryan: It’s been really long. My son and I have cheered for Chelsea from long time ago.

 

Q: What do you think about Chelsea and Samsung?

Ryan: They both use ‘blue’ color so it is perfect match! I’m happy that Chelsea chose Samsung as their official sponsor. The best soccer team sponsored by the best IT Company will win the Championship again next year.

 

Second half now started!

 

Despite of losing scores, Chelsea being Chelsea! They never threw in the towel. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the match, Chelsea’s Lucas Piazon leveled the match and brought life to Yankee Stadium as the pro-Chelsea crowd erupted in jubilation. Despite numerous attempts, neither club was able to take the lead. It was impressive to see all the fans cheering for Chelsea FC.  

 

 

Kids in New York fall in love with soccer!

 

The English Premier League's Chelsea Football Club, sponsored by Samsung Electronics is traveling around the United States. This is the first time they are running a youth football camp in the United States and it is designed to encourage kids ages 9-13 to pursue their dreams and nurture athletic talent. The Chelsea Football Club conducted Chelsea FC Youth Football Camp at Long Island University in Brooklyn on July 21.

 

 

 

I was able to visit the training session. The kids in Brooklyn and Harlem had the chance to train with coaches from the English Premier League, Chelsea FC.

 

The kids with blue t-shirts on seemed pretty excited and nervous. Before the training session, the kids were introduced to the coaches. Chris Woodward, head coach of Chelsea Youth soccer team, thanked Samsung for its support.

 

 

 

The kids were divided into 4 groups and thesession started. They learned "The Chelsea way" through a series of skill drills designed to help refine their control, shooting, dribbling, and passing during a half-day youth football camp

 

 

 

 

At the break time, I interviewed the head coach, Chris Woodward!

 

Q:  What do you think of the training session today?

Chris: The kids from Harlem and Brooklyn had not many opportunities to get proper soccer training sessions. Therefore, it meant more to us. I felt sad that there are many kids who couldn’t have a chance to learn how to play sports.

 

The kids seemed to really enjoy learning and playing soccer. The event was free and participants received jerseys and giveaways including certificates, water bottles, pins, USB drives with their training photos, and key rings. The kids were busy checking all the gifts from Samsung right after the session.

 

 

 

 

I interviewed Zach and his father Stew Otley about the soccer training session.

 

Q: How was it?

Stew: My son loves soccer and it was a really special opportunity to learn soccer from Chelsea coaches. Actually, I’m a fan of Manchester United but I changed my mind. I’m a Chelsea fan now!

 

Q: What did you learn today?

Owen: I learned basic dribbling skill at first. Controlling a ball is harder than I thought. I think I need to practice more. Also I learned shooting, passing balls and other skills. It was really fun and I enjoyed it!

 

 

 

They shared their experiences today and threw a birthday party for the head coach, Chris. Chris was impressed by the party! At the end, they had a dance party for everyone. The kids, their parents and coaches had a lot of fun!

 

From July 20^th to 22^nd, Chelsea and Samsung had great time with soccer fans in New York. Let’s move to Philadelphia to meet more fans!