The day is cloudy and cool, the commercial hub of North Carolina, Charlotte, set to host two huge international football clubs.

Gareth, English by nationality but born two streets down from the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, was bringing his young boy, Christopher, to his first-ever Chelsea match.

Chelsea versus Real Madrid, in the USA. ‘Some game to start, huh kid?’ he says to his child.

‘I love Chelsea. I have been supporting them all my life because of my dad. I have seen them live the last three summers here, firstly here in Charlotte and then last year I travelled to Chapel Hill to watch us beat Wrexham,’ he says.

‘Obviously this year is a little different on the pitch but the vibes are here man, in this fan area. So many happy faces, people congregating. I love the culture man.’

Former defender Gary Cahill has just finished a question-and-answer session to Chelsea fans in the Fan Zone, and is making his way to the designated signing area, where fans had been queuing to meet the Chelsea legend.

As he walks, Gareth tells us the most random of Chelsea confessions: Gary Cahill was the inspiration behind the majority of his personal passwords.

‘For some weird reason I just picked him one time as a password and I ran with it,’ he says.

And now, as he has the chance to meet him alongside his son, just a decade on from when he was continually performing at the highest level of English football, the biggest grin etches across his face.

‘My best years watching Chelsea were then: between 2012 and 2017 times. Meeting him now is insane and a bit of a coincidence to be honest.’

The Real Madrid fans are now marching up the streets, the iconic white of the Los Blancos’ shirts funnelling into the concourses.

The Bank of America Stadium is filling up nicely, the dark grey clouds shifting over the lip of the south stand. Despite a storm rumoured to be brewing in these parts, the weather stays cool and breezy as the players walk out.

In the opening 45 minutes, the Blues had gone two goals behind due to goals from Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz, before Noni Madueke halved the deficit before the interval.

It was not the way we wanted to end our USA Tour. But the amount of passionate fans we have met, the atmosphere at the games, the sheer love and support for Chelsea players is not unnoticed. Our fan base across the pond is growing, naturally, and we cannot wait to be back.

Thank you, USA! See you soon!