John Terry hailed the "unbelievable turnout" from supporters in the United States after playing in front of the biggest ever crowd to watch a Chelsea match.
Terry captained Chelsea in their 3-2 International Champions Cup defeat to Real Madrid in front of a record crowd of 105,826 fans at the University of Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.
The 35-year-old, who played the full 90 minutes alongside Gary Cahill, hopes his side can use the experience as motivation as they attempt to challenge for major honours during Antonio Conte's first season at the club.
"It was an unbelievable turnout and it was great for me to be a part of it and to be Chelsea captain on the day and lead the team out in such an atmosphere," he told the club's website.
"I hope they got their money's worth as well. I think we come away in pre-season to primarily get fit and get games under our belts so by the time we go home we are ready for the season to start, but by the same token people in America are coming out and paying money to come and watch us.
"We took the atmosphere in when we arrived at the stadium, and there are times in the game where the ball goes out of play and you can have a look around, for example at the Mexican wave or with the Icelandic chant that's going around at the moment as well.
"It goes to show the hard work the club has done over the past few years, winning big competitions and getting people's attention.
"That's why the American fans love us, why we're loved across the world and we want to get back to winning those trophies and fighting for the big competitions."