Why even play an exhibition game if there’s not a gigantic trophy on the line?
The biggest goal for any player in their career, besides, you know, fame and fortune, is winning trophies.
Lifting silverware is the easiest way to write your name into the history books, to forever endear yourself to your side’s supporters, to make yourself immortal.
But every preseason, that old axiom is put to the test.
As teams go through the paces and prepare for their regular seasons, many find, somewhat surprisingly, that they are awarded a gigantic trophy after scoring more goals than the other team in a rather meaningless friendly match.
The scenes that ensue are memorably awkward. All the signs and sounds of a major trophy win – confetti, banners, smoke machines, and the hardware itself – are present, but the presentation is more procedural than career-defining milestone.
Here, then, we present some of the mostly memorably meaningless trophy wins of the 2022 preseason.
Sure it was only preseason, but there were some worrying signs for the Blues
ORLANDO — The first London derby of 2022-23 ended with a promising, decisive victory for Arsenal.
Sure, it likely doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme. Don’t expect the Gunners to display the Florida Cup in their trophy case any time soon, but Mikel Arteta’s side — aided by its splendid, early summer signings — played Chelsea off the park in a 4-0 result at Camping World Stadium.
The attacking foursome of Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka relentlessly troubled Chelsea’s shorthanded defense, ravaged by the free-agent exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Two weeks remain until the opening fixtures of the Premier League season, and both clubs return to England on Sunday following the conclusion of their American tours. Arsenal fans can — and most certainly will — rekindle top-four dreams, while Chelsea displayed plenty of cause for concern in defeat.
Here are five takeaways from the exhibition, played in front the largest soccer crowd (63,811) in Camping World Stadium history — surpassing Orlando City’s 2015 MLS opener against New York City FC.
Zinchenko starts for Arsenal
A day after officially joining the club, Oleksandr Zinchenko made his debut in an Arsenal shirt.
Zinchenko, who completed a £30 million transfer from reigning Premier League champion Manchester City, drew the start on the left side of Mikel Arteta’s back four. Gabriel, William Saliba and Ben White rounded out the Gunners defense.
“We set a maximum of 45 minutes … He understands everything that I want because he understands the process. I think he had a really good game,” Arteta said.
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Arteta, of course, worked extensively with Zinchenko during his time as an assistant coach on Pep Guardiola’s staff. Though he was mostly deployed at left back for Man City, Zinchenko can also operate in central midfield — as he does routinely for Ukraine’s national team.
“I’ve seen him play a lot, and I really like his quality,” Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard said Friday. “He can play both positions … I think he can even play at winger. I think he will be a great addition to the squad.”
Chelsea starts four at the back
Thomas Tuchel admitted earlier in the week that late decisions will be made not only over adding potential reinforcements to his side’s defense, but also upon the system he wants to use.
He experimented with a 4-4-2 formation Saturday, with a center-back pairing of Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah, Emerson at left back and Reece James at right back.
The results were woeful.
Gabriel Martinelli ripped through the Blues’ defense with his searing pace, and Gabriel Jesus put on a show with silky touches and a deft, chipped finish in the 15th minute.
Both first-half Arsenal goals were aided by misguided passes from the back. Chalobah gave the ball away to Granit Xhaka, who immediately sent Gabriel Jesus in alone for the opening goal.
Edouard Mendy was guilty of the second mistake, punished by a perfectly weighted pass by Martinelli and a composed strike by Odegaard into the bottom right corner.
“I think we deserved to lose, which is fair enough. We were simply not good enough. We were not competitive,” Tuchel said. “I think the worrying part is the level of commitment, physically and mentally for this match was not the same. It was far higher for Arsenal than for us.”
Malang Sarr replaced Chalobah late in the first half following a knock. He, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta comprised the last line of defense as Chelsea switched to a 3-4-3.
Pulisic, Turner play the second half
American soccer fans waited until the second half to cheer on the stars of their national team.
Christian Pulisic entered in the 46th minute, one of Tuchel’s four halftime substitutions. Matt Turner replaced Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks for Arsenal in the 72nd minute.
Pulisic was not afforded many opportunities in his time on the pitch, but he drew a yellow card from Odegaard on a 78th-minute counterattack, the Norwegian’s last action of the evening.
Pulisic’s last appearance in Orlando effectively cemented the USMNT’s spot at the 2022 World Cup. He scored a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Panama in March at neighboring Exploria Stadium.
Turner finalized his $7 million transfer from New England Revolution last month and will compete with Zack Steffen, who joined Middlesbrough on loan from Manchester City, for the No. 1 shirt in Qatar. He did not face a shot on target from Chelsea but had a handful of touches.
Folarin Balogun, an England youth international eligible to represent the U.S., did not make an appearance and is expected to spend the season on loan.
Tuchel praises Koulibaly on debut
If there was one silver lining for Chelsea on the night, Kalidou Koulibaly debuted late and drew praise from his new manager in a 20-minute cameo.
“He was the best player on the pitch,” Tuchel said. “On an evening where nothing felt good, this felt very good.”
Koulibaly, signed last week from Napoli for €40 million, captained Senegal to victory at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament and to a World Cup berth this year. He produced a pair of excellent defensive actions in his limited stint.
The 31-year-old comes rated as one of Serie A’s elite defenders, making 316 appearances in all competitions for Napoli. Tuchel could use him in either a back four or on the left or center of a back three.
Saliba states his case
Chelsea continues to face an inquisition over its defense, but Arsenal has its own concerns with Kieran Tierney (knee) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (hamstring) still on the mend.
That opens the door for, among others, Saliba to finally make an impact in the first team.
Saliba enjoyed a hugely successful loan spell at Marseille in 2021-22, helping the French side qualify for the Champions League. Jorge Sampaoli reportedly wanted to make Saliba’s loan move permanent, and resigned as manager amid failures in the transfer market.
AP Photo/John Raoux
Now, the 21-year-old center back has the look of a regular. He played the full 90 minutes alongside Gabriel, and shined in the opening minutes by deflecting a great chance for Timo Werner.
“I’m really pleased to see the way he’s playing, the way he’s adapted to the team, the maturity that he’s shown,” Arteta said. “He’s got huge potential. He’s already a top player; we have to make him better.”
