- London is Blue Dispatch
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- London is Blue Dispatch #001
Remembering Grant Wahl
Greetings, fellow Blues. We planned to surprise you with a fun, friendly introduction to our newsletter this past weekend, the London is Blue Dispatch, but our plans changed late Friday evening. We joined the rest of the footballing world in a state of shock and sadness as we learned of Grant Wahl’s death in Doha, Qatar while covering the World Cup.
If you had only a cursory knowledge of Grant and his stature within the sport, look to those sharing their heartbreak with us all. From a brilliant video from football writer Henry Winter to LA Lakers star LeBron’s post-game comments and Ted Lasso actor, producer, and writer Brendan Hunt’s thoughts, Grant’s impact will continue to reach far into the future. Our thoughts are with him, his wife, his family and friends, and those we know who worked with him daily.
Here is a line from one of Grant’s last written pieces, discussing Morocco’s chances against Portugal.
Morocco is no fluke, and despite Portugal's big 6-1 win over Switzerland, I think Morocco has a real shot at taking down Portugal to become the first African team ever to reach the World Cup semifinals.
You nailed it, Grant. We’ll miss you.
Chelsea, ICYMI
It was no “Good Evening” for Graham Potter’s side as they lost 1-0 to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa during our friendly in Abu Dhabi.
Beyond the result, Chelsea’s Albanian Diego Costa regen Armando Broja the biggest blow. He went down in “screams of pain” with a serious knee injury. We broke down the impact of his injury, and match with Nizaar Kinsella in our latest episode.
Winter winds didn’t stop the Chelsea Women from ending 2022 on top of the FA WSL table. On her first start for Emma Hayes’ side, Jelena Čanković netted a brace. Alongside Fran Kirby’s opening goal, the Blues did enough to beat Reading 3-2.
Reading? Snow problem for Chelsea.
The Chelsea Women were drawn against Liverpool for their FA Cup fourth round match. Chelsea will host the Reds at Kingsmeadow twice in seven days across the cup and domestic campaigns. It’ll be a busy week for the Blue Royalty crew!
Amber Group, the parent company of Chelsea’s “first digital asset partner” WhaleFin, announced the termination of their sleeve sponsorship as part of a larger corporate restructuring. On the bright side… at least they weren’t our primary kit sponsor.
Back to London
The pod crew is back in London in 81 days. We’ll see Chelsea Men take on Dirty Leeds and Dortmund, while also seeing the Women take on Brighton, and you could join us too! You’ll get to take in the match day experience, including pre- and post-match pints, live pods, and more.
Nick, David, and Dan finding British craft beers with those on the trip? Guaranteed.
There are still spots left in London is Blue’s first group trip with XL Tours since 2019! You can still save $150 off the trip price ($2199) until December 14 with the promo code LONDONISBLUE150. Click here to save your spot and join us in London.
Coming Soon
Thanks for making it to the end of our inaugural newsletter! Love it? Let us know. Hate it? Definitely let us know. We’ll continue to tweak the format of this weekly newsletter in the coming weeks. Sections such as “Chelsea, ICYMI” keep you updated on news you may have missed, along with rotating topics covering the Blues too.
And who knows, since Brandon and Nick let me write the first one, I can also make pop culture recommendations too.
Watch: “The Fablemans” (In Theatres), “The White Lotus” Season 2. (HBO)Listen: Jade Bird’s cover of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” (Apple Music, Spotify)
Keep the Blue Flag Flying High,
Dan