Blues make a splash but still take second place

Chelsea's much-vaunted aim of becoming the world's biggest football club may take some time to achieve, but the club have made at least one breakthrough in the American market.

The Blues are big news in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, no less, possibly the best-named newspaper since Clark Kent's Daily Planet.

The P-I devote the front page of their sports supplement to Chelsea's Champions World Series clash with Celtic tomorrow, though die-hard fans may bristle at their warts and all approach to the club's history.

"Despite a brief splash in the 1960s and early 1970s, Chelsea was overshadowed by north London's Tottenham Hotspur, unfavourably compared to east London's West Ham and even suffered when Crystal Palace or Queen's Park Rangers would throw in a grand season," writes Jamie Trecker, who would be well-advised to stay away from Stamford Bridge on a match day.

Inside there is a profile of Roman Abramovich, curiously compared with American entrepreneur Horatio Alger.

If only Ken Bates had written a guest column the P-I would have had the perfect pre-match package.

What Chelsea have done to get such exposure is unclear as elsewhere they have made as little impact as one-goal Chris Sutton managed at the club, though the Celtic striker is at least pictured on the promotional posters with Frank Lampard.

The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal fail to give the Champions World Series a mention, though the New York Times are carrying an interview with Tim Howard. It's the Seattle Times that really let the side down, though, as Chelsea's visit is not given a single paragraph.

The Times's focus on the Seattle Mariners' last-gasp victory over Oakland Athletics is understandable, but Chelsea's PR department is likely to carp at the whole page the newspaper has devoted to the sport of fishing.