Winter Issue: January 2013

NOTES FROM THE CHAIRWOMAN

Beth Wild
Happy New Year!
!
What a year! We had some very exciting
times, some not so exciting times,
players have come in, some have left,
we have won trophies, and not quite
pulled it off, we had amazingly great
scores and not so great scores . . . BUT
THAT IS CHELSEA! You know there is a
part of me that says, if it were easy, it
just wouldnt be as fun. But what we do
know is that if you bleed blue, if you
love Chelsea, it is something you just
do.
!
The new year is here and we did so
much last year! We had the largest
membership drive in our history by a
long shot and now have more than 1700
paid-up members. We pulled off the best
summer tour ever, with more members
getting to matches than ever before. We
have seen the growth of our Facebook
and Twitter presences, and it has found
many members and welcomed them to
the group. We have continued on with
the CIA Podcast, do you listen? It is a
growing and ever changing part of who
we are. We struggled with the bulletin
board but through all those growing
pains we still have a loyal following
there and there is still no better place
to chat, discuss and get involved.
We now have 28 chapters, with many of
them growing from seedlings into vital
and active chapters. We have sent more
people to watch Chelsea in London than
ever before, and the True Blue program
still delivers value for those of us that
need our ChelseaTV fix. We are on the
brink of finalizing our paperwork to
become a fully federally approved
501(c)7. We have brought in and
delivered some of the coolest
merchandise around. And our presence,
passion and growth are noticed not just
here in America but also right in SW6. In
some ways we are one big family only
separated by a huge continent and a
very large ocean. But there have been so
many instances of interchanges between
those that are there and us here, and in
going over I now here so many wonderful
comments about Chelsea in America
from the supporters that carry our voice
to the games each and every week. They
know who we are and we are part of
them.
!
But we are still growing and there are
still things to come.
!
First of all, membership for this season
is now closed. We follow Chelseas
Supporters Club calendar and in doing so
have closed membership from now until
the end of April/first part of May (for
next season). But that doesnt mean we
stop recruiting: when you meet a new
face, or if you are a new face, remind
everyone the price of membership is
minimal for all you get, but you have to
take advantage of it. So as you chat to
folks, remind them to be sure not to
miss membership next season and be
sure to renew. But also we need your
help. Chelsea quantifies our club based
on a couple of things: it is important
that we have chapter/club members,
but what they really count is True Blue
and Affiliate members. True Blue is
becoming a member of Chelsea, and it
comes at a cost, but has its benefits
(which is also closed for us until next
season), access to tickets and also
access to 24/7 ChelseaTV. Miss a match
it streams on ChelseaTV at midnight
GMT on the day of the match. If you
want to find out more about our U21
team, our Academy teams, our Womens
Team, catch interviews with current and
past players, see a classic match, and
just follow the happenings of Chelsea via
Blues News, ChelseaTV is your resource.
So take some time now and think about
if for next season, CIA and Chelsea True
Blue memberships will be open sooner
than you think, April/May is only 4-5
months away.
!
There is one thing you can definitely do
that will help us. If you have not been a
True Blue member while you were a
member of CIA, or gone online and
registered with Chelsea (become an
affiliate) WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! It is
very easy, it is something you can do for
every family member, and it really does
help CIA, as Chelsea also quantifies
those for each club.
Here is what to do: just go to http://
theblues.chelseafc.com/
affiliatedmember!and fill out the form.
It takes less than 5 minutes. Once you
have done that, let your chapter head
know that you have affiliated or just
send a quick email to
member!profile@chelseainamerica.com.
It really wont take any time at all. And
we would really appreciate it, and it
helps all of us.
!
And behind the scenes we are working
hard on quite a few things:
New member benefits
New member merchandise have
you noticed the new stuff????
Improving our website
Have you been to the website lately?
Thanks to volunteers we are changing
the home page and putting interesting
news, links and photos up all the time,
nearly every day!!!! We are going to be
adding a blog section as well, with some
of the best Chelsea bloggers around, so
be it match reports, stats in insight into
players and teams, or just plain fun we
Notes from the
Chairwoman
Fernando Torres Editorial
Regional Club Updates
What Does It Mean to be
a San Diego Blue?
Azpilicueta and Moses
Pro!les
A Visit to the Bridge
First Team Word Search
continued on Page 2
bluesletter team
A huge thanks to everyone who
helps make the Bluesletter
possible!
Co-editor: Lauri Berkenkamp
Co-editor: Noah Kahan
Layout: Jamie Edwards
Graphics: Raciel Diaz
Chairwoman: Beth Wild
PAGE 2
are adding content all the time. Please
bookmark your website,
chelseainamerica.com!and go there
often.
!
We are also very much planning a HUGE
summer meet up! Last summer the most
frequently asked question I got on tour
was... Do we have to wait for the team
to come to America to get together? -
the answer was NO! So thanks to a few
volunteers we are lining that up now. We
know the team will be in Asia but what a
great event we could plan, just us (and a
couple of legends), mixing, laughing,
singing and celebrating the joy that is
being a Chelsea Supporter! We are
planning for the second to the last or
the last weekend in Las Vegas,
someplace fairly cheap for everyone,
and over a long week so that people
dont have to use up all their vacation
time. We should have details soon and
we will have them on our website,
facebook, twitter and the board. So its
up to you to keep in touch and as details
emerge we will have all the news
available--you only have to look. We are
looking for someplace that will not only
be fun for adults but also for kids, with a
lot of events crammed into those 3-4
days. And WE WANT EVERYONE TO TRY
AND BE THERE! So if you have ideas for
things to do, want to help in the
planning, or anything like that, when
you see the messages let us know you
want to help, and if you cant wait you
can always email me
at!beth.wild@chelseainamerica.com
!
OK guys, you know me, I could go on for
ages, and I am sure there is a lot more
info I could give you, but I will cut this
short. Just keep checking the website,
check the bulletin board, ask your
chapter head, check our Facebook,
follow us on Twitter, listen to the
Podcast, and remember this club is
what YOU make it. I do hope you have
a chance to meet up with local
supporters and make friends, have a
laugh, enjoy yourself and SUPPORT
THE BLUES. I know many chapters are
planning on joint meet ups, and other
events, so get involved.
!
But last and certainly not least, from
the bottom of my heart. I wish each
one of you, joy, health, success, love
and many great Chelsea moments to
savor in this brand new year.
!
CAREFREE!
Lightning quick, intelligent, and still
scoring, Fernando Torres is slowly
regaining his form. He is under watch
from nail biting fans and pundits, hoping
the term he is back only encourages
him, instead of returning him to the dry
spell we all wish to forget. He has had
an off and on relationship with the back
of the net since his January 2011
deadline day move to Chelsea from
Liverpool, where in 2007 he scored 33
goals. Although only time will tell when
our number 9 will be be back in that
place, one thing is certain: When
confident, Torres is still one of the most
dangerous in the world.
Soccer is based on three things: 22
players, momentum, and confidence.
When all three of these aspects are put
into play, the moniker Beautiful Game
is well portrayed. 22 players are two full
teams participating at each of their
individual capacities. Momentum is the
build-up of belief that pushes so many
teams along. A string of good results, or
a signing of a new player, can bring
momentum--and therefore wins--to a
team. Confidence is the most important
of these three. Confidence can be the
difference between winning a trophy
and sitting in third place. Confidence is
what brings teams, and players, back
from the depths of their careers.
Confidence is what Fernando Torres
feeds off of.
When diffident, our number 9 runs up
the pitch, hoping the ball finds its way
to his feet, and when it does, he either
over dribbles or shoots too early.
Although he is working hard, it is easy to
tell Torres might not believe in himself.
He throws his arms up at the referee,
goes down too easily, and his touch is
just too heavy.
!
When confident, Fernando Torres races
up and down the field, showing to his
teammates with the ball, gesturing for
them to pass it to him, so he can make
something happen. He combines
intelligence with pure skill in dancing
around the opponents, and instigating
tic-tac passes and one twos with the
likes of Mata and Hazard. His header is
powerful, his shot unstoppable. When
Torres is confident, you can expect
goals.
WITH TORRES, IT'S ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE
Noah Kahan
continued from Page 1
PAGE 3
Boston Blues
We will have a banner hanging up soon
at The Banshee, our home pub, and we
updated our website
(bostonbluesCFC.com) to include photos
of games, including the Champions
League final. Well have photos of the
banner soon!
!
Beltway Blues
It's been a busy fall for our chapter. Six
of our members have made the trip to
London to catch a match at the Bridge in
recent months. Several of our members
enjoyed local football action together,
as DC United made it to the MLS playoffs
for the first time in several years. And,
most exciting of all, we welcomed
member John Bott back to DC after a
tour in Afghanistan. As always, if anyone
is traveling to the DC area, join us for a
match at Ireland's Four Courts in
Arlington, VA."
A new Chapter: NorthEast TriState
Blues
The start of the 2012 / 2013 season saw
the genesis of yet another new CIA
Chapter. Due to the expansion of the
member base in the Northeast of the
country, the NorthEast TriState Blues
was formed. This move presented the
opportunity to split the Northeast Region
of CIA into two chapters, the Boston
Blues (with a membership base in the
New England States) and the NorthEast
Tri-State Blues (NETSB), with members
in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New
York State.
The NETSB Chapter head is Chris Bowley
(aka Wobbley to many of our readers).
Chris is fortunate to have help from his
son, Nate, who has taken on the role of
Secretary (pictured below with Paul
Canoville).
As a founding member of the CIA Ive
always tried to stay involved in the
supporters club, but have also felt like a
member with no home due to the
distance between Nate and I and the
other club chapters says Bowley who
lives in NW New Jersey. Now my focus
will be to grow the club membership
closer to home and Im really looking
forward to the fun involved with that
task.
The NETSB currently has 174 active
members and 17 True Blue members. I
have two primary goals for the Chapter
states Bowley, The first is to grow the
membership to 300 members by the end
of the 2013/2014 season and the second
is to raise True Blue membership from
the current 10% to 25%.
Bowley has been a life-long Chelsea
supporter his first live match was in
1963 at Upton Park (The Anne Boleyn
Ground) home of West Ham Utd. My
uncle Colin was a Hammers supporter
and took me along for my first match
when we were walking into the
ground, he stopped to buy me a claret
and blue rosette (Google it,
youngsters, if you dont know what a
football rosette is!) and I told him I
wanted a blue one instead and thats
how my Blue love affair started. !
The biggest challenge faced by the
new chapter is the size of the
geography is covers. According to
Bowley, There is a lot of ground to
cover between the 3 NorthEast states
and its going to be tough to get a
large group together at one spot. In
my experience (including the CFC US
Tours in recent years), you need to get
the supporters to meet each other
face to face in order to build a sense
of camaraderie and True Blue Spirit.
Im hoping to arrange some get
togethers in 2013 so that we can start
to build a good atmosphere within the
NETSB. It would certainly help if the
Blues got back to their winning ways,
but were not looking to build
membership on the backs of plastic
fans, we want people with a Chelsea
til I die attitude.
Bowley encourages all CIA members to
visit and like the NETSB Facebook
page, https://www.facebook.com/
NorthEastTriStateBlues . And if you
know anyone in NJ, PA or NY who is
looking for a place to join fellow Blues
supporters, please send them our
way.
REGIONAL CLUB NEWS AND UPDATES
Lauri Berkenkamp
INTERESTING TIMES AT THE BRIDGE
Allison Kasic
On the day before Thanksgiving, I took a
break from packing for London to check
email and look up the weather across
the pond. Thats when I saw the
unfortunate news: DiMatteo out, Rafa
in. My initial reaction was Im sure
similar to many in the CIA network a
mix of shock, anger, and sadness. !Then
the timing set in. Oh dear, my trip to
London just got a lot more interesting! I
couldnt wait to sing One DiMatteo at
the Bridge at the weekend.
When I got to London, I met up with the
CIA members and locals returning from
Turin. Everyone was still in a state of
shock about Robbie getting sacked.
Some fans were even planning a pre-
match march to express their
displeasure at the boards decision. The
match against City was shaping up to be
a spectacle. Im normally optimistic
about our chances, but I couldnt help
but feel that we were going to get
slaughtered.
Before the match, we popped around to
a bunch of pubs to say hi to a slew of
locals who have always been friends of
CIA. It was fun to see everyone, but the
general mood was a bit depressing.
Before heading in to the stadium, I
picked up a signed copy of Rick Glanvills
new book The Chelsea FC Miscellany and
continued on Page 6
PAGE 4
I get asked a lot what is CIA, what is a
chapter all about, and other things like
that, I was checking my email today and
this came through from Steve in San
Diego... an answer to a question of what
makes a member. I couldnt have said it
better myself. CIA is whatever you want
to make of it, what your time and
schedule will allow. If you are one for
the pub, we do that, if you like
Facebook, we do that, the bulletin
board, we do that, Twitter, we do that
to, or maybe you are just busy/shy/too
far away/or whatever we have so many
different things to offer our members
that you can pick what works best for
you. But at the core, the best thing, WE
ARE THERE! We are there through the
good and the bad, through the big
games and the small. We are the
community you can run to when you
want to celebrate or cry, or just to see a
friendly face and feel welcome. Thanks
Steve for putting it such eloquent
words.
A great dialogue has started on this
board in the last day.
A question has arisen about what it
means to belong to a group - to belong
to our group.
I have two points I'd like to make on the
matter.
I think my prism for understanding such
a question must come from my own
perspective. Please indulge me for a few
minutes:
When Mackin Sexton, a high school
buddy of mine, introduced me to
Chelsea FC in his living room many years
ago I wasn't instantly hooked. I had been
raised by American culture to think
'soccer' was for pansies. I only became a
Chelsea fan in Sydney Australia while
watching John Terry throw that half-
man-half-giraffe Peter Crouch around
like a rag doll in a Chelsea-Liverpool
match. You see, I was in a pub
surrounded by Liverpool supporters who
were moaning and groaning about John
Terry the bully.
It was that pub culture which gave me a
window into the soul of football. Sharing
a beer with a buddy in his living room
fails to capture the spirit, the
camaraderie or the energy of it; loving
Chelsea FC and being a San Diego Blue is
about a more than a game - it is a
connection. If you are even reading this,
it is in all likelihood because you signed
an email list at a pub. You know what
the pub family is, you know what its all
about. Its about pinning our hopes and
aspirations (and all too-often our
psychological well-being and pulmonary
resilience) on something outside of our
control.
If you are reading this post, then you too
have loved Chelsea football club in the
way that I do - and you have just as
little power in the matter. We share
that. We revel in victory together, we
commiserate together and no matter
what, we booze and sing together.
We cannot control who is going to start
in Chelsea's Starting XI. We cannot
control the direction of a Lampard
penalty, the bend on a Juan Mata free-
kick, the violence of an Ivanovic slide-
tackle, or the grace of a Torres first
touch any more than we can control the
weather outside. We share in that
powerlessness together.
You see, it is together that we bleed in
blue and together that we cheer. Victory
and defeat are equally beyond our
influence, but win or lose we came
together and escaped something deeply
individual and personal.
Being a sports fan, in a way, is a quest
for deliverance.
We all come to Chelsea for 90 minutes at
a time to seek an escape from whatever
plagues or ails us. You may have an
illness, a villainous tyrant of a boss or
professor, an unhappy marriage, loud/
obnoxious kids, an unfulfilling job, or
you may just have so many great things
going on in your life that your schedule
is onerous and cumbersome and
stressful. Regardless, rooting for Chelsea
is putting your hopes in something you
have no control over. It is an act of faith
and the reward is deliverance from your
own life, if only for 90 minutes at a
time.
Thanks for indulging me thus far, but this
brings me to my point about what it
means to be a San Diego Blue.
Point #1) Deliverance itself should not
be limited to those of us with the time
and means to frequent the pub or post
frequently on Facebook.
Point #2) Chelsea really shouldn't be
anybody's top priority. Family, Faith,
Work, School, Friends or any number of
priorities should come before
frequenting the pub; and I say this as
our chapter head. Those of us with
families (especially young families) will
simply not have the time to post
frequently on facebook, let alone make
it regularly to the pub.
Should these members be somehow
diminished or penalized?
Or should we instead, as a group, be
there FOR them and be their 90 minutes
of deliverance whenever their busy lives
afford them the opportunity?
I would certainly not deny the notion
that that those of us who do have the
time and money to be at the pub
regularly do form a 'core group' which is
pivotal to our 'togetherness'.
Just as pivotal, to me, are the 'original
core' group. Folks like Rob Kaechele,
Belle Loblaw, Erika L. Sol, Erika
Thompson, Richard Lampard Luna, Eric
Matthew Monroe, Sean Ballesteros-
Perez, Dustin Horvat, Christopher
Kauffman, James Carden, Chris Mumby,
Mackin Sexton and so many others (big
shout-out to our moved-out-of town
bretheren Michael Willard and Josh
Winter.)
Of course, we simply wouldn't exist
without Ed Millan (long live the
founder)!
All of you preceded me in this endeavor
of San Diego Blues at Fogg's and/or
Shakespeare's. However, Education,
Work, Family, Faith and other more
important things have arisen through the
years and have occupied more of your
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SAN DIEGO BLUE?
Steve Theriault
continued on Page 5
time than they had before.
My heart is always overjoyed when I see
these people come back into Shakes for
the bigtime matches, or even the odd
random ones. That we have a 'core
group' of 20 or so of us who come often
means that when our less-frequent
visitors do show up, they have a family
awaiting them with bellies full of joy,
songs in our hearts, and open arms.
As a group, we serve more than those
who can come to the pub regularly.
We, collectively, ARE more than those
who can come to the pub regularly. I am
proud of each and every one of you. I
am proud to stand beside you and
answer the cat-calls of other clubs, and I
am proud to lock arm in arm with you on
the days we win silverware.
Someday I too will have kids at home,
young ones. I certainly will not be able
to make it to Shakes everytime or spend
significant amounts of precious home
time on the internet indulging my
Chelsea obsession. I may someday be
lucky enough to have a job that needs
me enough to occupy my weekends. I
may re-discover my faith and decide
that matches on the sabbath are better
left to the DVR.
Someday I won't be able to invest the
time I do now to this endeavor. But I will
be incredibly grateful to whomever picks
up the reins. They will be there for me
on the days I can steal away to
Shakespeares. Their time invested in
writing up awesome match reports,
prognosticating on Starting XI's, debating
tactics and running the transfer rumor
mill will mean the world to me, as I will
steal 10 minutes after putting kids to
bed to find time to check-in, read
Markus Manstroma's brilliant match
analysis and feel like I belong to
something.
If you contribute frequently on these
facebook boards, please continue.
Someday I will be among those of us
many not have the time to respond, but
connecting your thoughts to a face that I
know will give me just 30 seconds of
feeling like I belong to something.
Your thoughts and ramblings will have
afforded me 30 seconds of deliverance.
For that, I am sure, I will be grateful. If
you're still reading at this point I thank
you too.
My life is a charmed one, and I haven't
much to escape from. I have a wonderful
wife, a great job, I live in paradise and I
don't have much to complain about.
All the same, You all have given me a
profound sense of belonging in these last
two years and I find my weekly
deliverance in the time I spend with
you. I cherish the role I get to play in
being among us who can give that
deliverance to others.
If you come to every match, you are a
San Diego Blue.
If you come to one match a year, you are
a San Diego Blue.
If you moved out of town to Minnesota
(we miss you Josh) then you will always
be a San Diego Blue.
If you came once, signed an email list
and occasionally look at this message
board, you are still every bit a San Diego
Blue.
Thank you, all. Win or lose, up the
Blues.
Csar Azpilicueta, affectionately called
Dave by Spanish-challenged supporters
everywhere, joined the club on August
21, 2012.
Born in Pamplona, Spain, he enjoyed
success early in his career playing right
back for the Spanish U-19 National
Team, who won the European U-19
Championship in 2007. He then became
a regular for La Liga side Osasuna,
before moving to Marseille in 2010. Soon
after he suffered a knee injury that
would see him out for most of the
season. However, he recovered in time
to join the Spanish U-21 National Team
for their 2011 UEFA European U-21
Championship win.
Azpilicueta made his Chelsea debut on
September 25, 2012, starting in the 6-0
win against Wolves in the Capital One
Cup. He played in his first Premier
League match a week later, subbing for
Ivanovic in our win against Norwich City.
Juan Mata has said hes a very strong
right back who has pace as well, so I
think he is already a complete player.
Judging by his impressive performances
so far this season, Mata might be on to
something!
Victor Moses joined Chelsea on August
24, 2012 from Wigan Athletic. He can
play in a variety of positions, but mostly
plays as a left winger.
Born in Nigeria, he represented England
at the U-16, U-17, U-19 and U-21
levels, but ultimately chose to be fully
capped by the Nigerian National
Football Team. In 2007 he won the
Golden Boot in the UEFA U-17
European Championships.
Moses has already made quite an
impact since his debut against QPR in
August. He scored his first Chelsea
goal against Wolves in the League Cup
and was named Man of the Match in
our 5-4 League Cup win over
Manchester United. His first Premier
League goal came soon after against
Swansea. And, of course, we cant
forget the unbelievable last-second
header in our 3-2 Champions League
win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
It hasnt taken long for Moses to
endear himself to supporters and team
members alike, and heres to a long
and illustriousand trophy-filled
career with the Blues!
continued from Page 4
INTRODUCING THE NEW BOYS: CESAR AZPILICUETA & VICTOR MOSES
Josh Hampton
PAGE 5
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!
checked out the group of protestors with
RAFA OUT banners gathering outside
of the Fulham Broadway station. Cheers
of We dont care about Rafa. He dont
care about us. All we care about is
Chelsea FC! filled the streets.
As Neil Barnett introduced the teams,
the booing started for Rafa. As an
American sports fan, Ive heard my fair
share of booing over the years. This was
pretty intense. And I gladly joined in. It
took Spy seemingly forever to calm the
crowd down so we could have a tribute
to former manager Dave Sexton, who
had just died.
The game itself was woeful. We never
looked close to scoring, but thankfully
City were just as bad. I felt lucky to
walk away with a draw given the
circumstances. After the initial booing,
the cheers from the shed end were
mainly in support of DiMatteo. It must
have been record for the most times
Theres only one DiMatteo! was sung
during a match.
The next day was a much happier
occasion. After a day at my favorite
museum (the Tate Modern), I met up
with Beth to head over to Cobham to see
the U21 team take on Fulham. !Being in
such a private location, the atmosphere
was a bit bizarre. There wasnt any
cheering (the small crowd seemed to be
a mix of scouts from other teams and
family members of the players) just
some polite golf claps after each of
Chelseas three goals. But the facility
was top notch and it was really cool to
get a glimpse at the inner world of the
club.
It was freezing outside so
at halftime we rushed
inside to grab a hot
beverage. As Beth and I
were chatting with Gill
from the Kent Blues,
John Terry walked into
the room. He walked
over to us to say hi to
Beth and Gill and we
chatted for several
minutes about his injury
and the youth team. Or, I
should more accurately
say, Beth and Gill talked
about these things while I
stood there in silence, unable to do
anything other than smile, lest I pass
out. Thanks to Beth and Gill for asking
him to take a picture with me. I was in
full-on John Terry induced shock.
After the match we met several of the
youth team players including Danny
Pappoe, Billy Clifford, and George
Saville, as well as reserve team coach
Dermot Drummy. Everyone was very nice
and the players all seemed like giants
and most of them are still growing.
A few days later I had recovered from
the excitement of the John Terry
encounter to catch another match.
Before we took on Fulham, Beth and I
swung by the club to say hello to one
of the stars of the summer tour, Frank
Sinclair, who was in town with Graham
Stuart to appear on
Chelsea TV.
As for the match, the
football wasnt any better
than the City match. Both
teams looked flat, though
Fulham looked more likely
to nick a goal than we did.
There were still plenty of
DiMatteo chants, but the
atmosphere was much
more subdued than the
City match. It was the
flattest Ive ever seen the
Bridge. Many fans couldnt
handle the disappointment
any longer and left early. The Fulham
fans rightly gave us shtick for that,
chanting Is there a fire drill?
I might not have seen the most
attractive football on my trip this
year, but it was a fascinating time to
be at the Bridge. And despite all the
drama, the combination of meeting
John Terry and taking the new tour of
the Harry Potter movie set in Watford
made for a thoroughly enjoyable
vacation.
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