It’s matchday three of our pre-season tour of the United States, and Chelsea are set to face Club America just two years after we last faced them across the pond.

It is humid and hot, the state of Georgia subject to challenging conditions to prepare for a football match, the air stuffy and steamy on a daily basis as the rain pours.

As you walk to the top of the designated Chelsea stand behind one of the goals, views of Atlanta’s skyline come into shot as the concourse catches the evening Atlantan light.

The fine steel and glass case is beginning to fill with Blues supporters, as escalators take Chelsea fans from the middle tier to the top. One couple stands arm in arm as we go up.

N’Golo Kante’s name and number is on the woman’s shirt, Thiago Silva etched across the other. They watch as the players emerge out of the tunnel to warm up, shouting and screaming with joy.

Philip, a taxi driver in Atlanta, says he has watched Chelsea since the turn of the millennium. ‘Players like Roberto Di Matteo, Didier Deschamps and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were who I remember watching growing up,' he says. 'Now I love Christo Nkunku and Cole Palmer.’

‘It’s amazing to see the club I wake up in the middle of the night to watch during the Premier League season in my city in the States. I love Atlanta but I also love Chelsea. It’s the best day ever for me.’

Julian, with his partner and two children, was beaming with a smile as we approached him. His kids, both kitted out in full Chelsea blue, looked ecstatic to be at their first-ever Chelsea game. Their smiles were infectious, their reactions of the pitch as they walked to their seats priceless.

‘It’s my kids’ first Chelsea game and they are so excited,’ Julian says. ‘I’ve followed the Blues for decades now and I was keen to get them into soccer. They’re buzzing to be here.’

His partner nods in agreement. ‘We don’t often get to see high-level football here and we’re always supporting from afar. Now, we can have a day out supporting Chelsea - it’s great to be here with my little family. Come on Chelsea!’

Kick-off is now fast approaching, the boisterous knot of Club America fans, head-to-toe in bright yellow, now starting to amplify their volume, only adding to the already stunning spectacle, football being used as a shared expression of passion.

And as the referee blows his whistle, the Blues keep possession well. Romeo Lavia starts the game as he means to go on - winning a penalty following some hard work down the right flank inside just two minutes.

Nkunku nets his third goal of our summer tour from the spot - dispatching his penalty with all the conviction of a bow and arrow. Philip would have been delighted to witness a Christo goal live in the flesh.

The Frenchman is a fantastic footballer, an intelligent dribbler of the ball with soft feet, but the physical prowess to match and a clever imagination.

Chelsea continue to thrive, passing the ball with serious confidence, attacking players with instinctive movement enjoying themselves out there.

Of course, it is early days and just the first win of the Enzo Maresca era, but the clear signs of improvement under our new head coach, game-by-game, suggests exciting times are ahead.