When Chelsea were based in Philadelphia four weeks ago, Robert Sanchez arranged a day trip for his fellow goalkeepers to visit Manhattan.
It was close enough – an hour and a half on the train from William H Gray III 30th Street Station to New York Penn Station – and Sanchez did not know whether they would otherwise get to the Big Apple, as would be guaranteed if Chelsea reached the semi-finals. He figured why not, though it transpired the 27-year-old Spaniard could have waited.
Chelsea reached the semi-finals here, then the final, then became world champions with a stunning performance against Paris Saint-Germain, the consensus best team in the world - until Chelsea claimed that title in more official terms.