Enzo Maresca..It's strange' to play in front of nearly 50,000 empty seats,

Chelsea's Italian coach Enzo Maresca described the atmosphere in the Blues' opening match of the Club World Cup on Monday as "strange" after their victory over Los Angeles FC in front of nearly 50,000 empty seats. The Europa League champions began their American adventure with a 2-0 win at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with only 22,000 fans in attendance compared to the 71,000 capacity. "The atmosphere was a bit strange," Maresca said. "The stadium was almost empty, not full." He added, "We are professionals and we have to adapt to the situation and the atmosphere..." He continued, "The players' behavior and attitude are important, and they showed once again how professional they are." The 45-year-old coach confirmed that his team had expected a large crowd. He added, "We also prepared for this game thinking the atmosphere would be a little different, but there is no doubt that the next game will be great because we know that Brazilian teams always attract a lot of fans." More than 60,000 fans watched the opening match between Inter Miami, led by Argentine star Lionel Messi, and Al-Ahly of Egypt on Saturday, which ended in a goalless draw, while 80,000 came to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday to watch European champions Paris Saint-Germain play Atletico Madrid 4-0. A large number of Boca Juniors fans created a noisy atmosphere later Monday during the 2-2 draw with Benfica of Portugal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Chelsea played its match at 3 p.m. local time on Monday on a workday, while Mercedes-Benz Stadium was one-third full. Atlanta United, the most popular team in the United States, averages about 45,000 fans per game. Los Angeles coach Steve Cherundolo said, "The Paris Saint-Germain game is going to be a tough one." “Germany vs. Atletico, in front of a big crowd at the Rose Bowl… So I don’t know if there are more fans in Los Angeles who follow this tournament than here, or if it’s just my game tonight.” However, the 46-year-old American coach said it was too early to judge the new expanded FIFA tournament based on just one game. “Regarding the attendance, I think it varies from game to game, so I don’t think we should talk about that now,” he added. “I think we should wait until the end of the tournament… (to get) an idea of ​​it overall rather than one game.”