Manchester City were our opposition, as they brought their Stateside tour to a close. The centre of Columbus had been a boisterous place ahead of kick-off, Chelsea and City fans filling the streets in bars and restaurants, Ohio’s state capital showing huge signs of life as two Premier League teams came to town.

The feeling was that this is an occasion, an event, a shared expression of energy. Noah, from Columbus and attending the game alone, spoke to us from the fan zone.

‘This is so cool, man. I just got to meet Chelsea legend Gary Cahill and he signed my jersey,’ Noah says. ‘I’ve spoken to loads of fans around here and yeah, this feels great personally.

‘I never get to see Chelsea perform. I watched them train yesterday, that was amazing too. I got a selfie with Raheem Sterling. Look!’ he beams, as he shows us the picture.

Ryann, holding her daughter in her arms as she queued up for a photo with Cahill - who took part in a meet and greet with fans before leading the march to the stadium - was wearing Chelsea’s new away kit, which was worn by the players for the first time in Ohio.

‘This is gorgeous,’ she says. ‘I can’t wait to see the boys in it. I just bought it from over there,’ as she points to one of the pop-up stores that was dotted around the fan zone.

Hundreds of Chelsea fans were queuing up to buy the latest club merchandise: our two new shirts and our New Era caps, tote bags, scarves and flags.

The Chelsea mural, being painted by Secret Walls, a live art experience company, was being worked on endlessly as fans gathered to take a look.

There was also some local influence, with tastes of the familiar sights surrounding more regular sports played in the US, thanks to the contribution of the marching band from nearby Ohio State University and a large area set aside for the American pre-game tradition of 'tailgating'.

‘It’s amazing isn’t it,’ one child said to his dad. ‘Yeah it’s awesome kid,’ the father replied.

They were off to their first-ever Chelsea match, and while they were not kitted out in Chelsea shirts, they were still keen to support the Blues, having recently started following football.

‘We got into our football a few years ago and we just have a soft spot for Chelsea to be honest. We can’t wait to see Reece James,’ Dan told us.

Supporters then took the short stroll to the stadium, a humongous NFL-style arena, many of them doing so as part of the fan march led by by Cahill and the marching band. Ohio Stadium, located on the campus of Ohio State University, is the home venue for the Ohio State Buckeyes American football team.

From pitch-side the eye is immediately drawn to the west and east stands which climb and climb, reaching their peak miles up into the Columbus skyline.

After a brief thunderstorm, and as the blue flags twirled and the evening light dipped, the game commenced: the players a set of maroon and 'guava ice’ blocks shifting from one side to the other.

The official attendance came in at 71,280 — our highest attendance of US Tour 2024 so far. Despite the result not going in Chelsea’s favour, it was incredible to see two Premier League sides show why it is the most loved league in the world.

We will meet Manchester City on the first day of the season, and hopefully our fans in Ohio again, very soon.

Don't miss out on the Blues in America

Tickets are still available to watch Chelsea take on Real Madrid at the Bank of America Stadium in our last game in the USA in 2024, as well as Club Chelsea packages on sale now.