Chelsea show how much the Club World Cup means to them in 3-0 win over Esperance De Tunisie on Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA -- The temperature hit 100 degrees in Philadelphia but that didn't stop Chelsea from accomplishing their goals and defeating Esperance De Tunisie 3-0 on Tuesday night. The Blues needed a point to secure passage to the round of 16, and despite Enzo Maresca changing most of the squad following their disappointing loss to Flamengo, they got the job done. In competitions like the Club World Cup, sometimes a team just needs to survive and advance, and while that can be tough to do at the end of a grueling season, when a trophy is on the line, it's easy to regain focus.

Some may see the Club World Cup as glorified friendlies, but that's not how the players are viewing it, especially now as the knockout stage approaches. Chelsea wanted to make sure that they advanced to the knockout stages even after some players played 50-plus matches for the club during the season en route to winning the Europa Conference League and qualifying for the Champions League.

This expanded tournament has a place in the summer schedule, and while concerns for how many matches are being put on players' legs are still there, that's not something that they're thinking about during the games as the potential for glory grows with each victory.

"We're not treating this as a preseason, this is just another competition at the back end of a regular season, and it's a big competition that we want to push in," Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo said after the match.

From new players like Liam Delap getting integrated into the squad to young players getting to show that they're ready for the next step in their careers and everyone looking to show Enzo Maresca that they deserve to be in Chelsea's Champions League rotation next season, there's plenty to play for during this tournament that a friendly wouldn't bring to the table. Last season was unique, where Chelsea could have almost two separate squads, one reserved for Conference League and the starters for Premier League action, but this coming season, they'll need to have a more standard squad.

This could lead to some players who are with the club in the United States being moved on, while more new players may join. It's the nature of playing soccer, but right now, focus isn't on that; it's on winning another trophy as the 2024-25 season comes to a close. Holidays will await when it's over, but they'll be much more fun after more silverware.

Or, as Chelsea's Benoit Badiashile put it, "When you have the chance to play in the Club World Cup, you have to give 100%."

If the Blues weren't giving 100%, they likely would've lost to Esperance, who were backed by strong fan support during the match. Playing opposition where everyone wants to win and players aren't shooting penalties regardless of the result at the end of the match, is important. While actual preseason tournaments do try to recreate that aspect, at their core, they can't shake the fact that it's preseason.

The Club World Cup isn't that. While expansion has raised questions about if certain clubs belong in the tournament, with Inter Miami advancing to the round of 16, Botafogo toppling Paris Saint-Germian, and even semipro side Auckland City FC picking up a point while Athletico Madrid and Porto crashed out in the group stage, it should be seen that this is a tournament where teams will lose if they aren't giving it their all.

Add in the special transfer window that allowed teams to make moves for this tournament, such as Chelsea signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, and it's a dream scenario for a new player to come into. Delap has been able to step in for the suspended Nicolas Jackson, score his first Chelsea goal, and with each passing day, he moves closer to being the starting nine when the new Premier League season kicks off. That may not have been able to happen this quickly without this tournament.

"This tournament has really helped me settle in because you know if we're back at the training ground, everyone would be disappearing at three o'clock," Delap said. "And here we're together all the time, so it's a great way to get settled in, and everyone's been really helpful."

Spending so much time around the club and for some teams to beat the heat, subs have been hanging out in the locker rooms during the match, creating further bonding opportunities to help hasten the adjustment period that new players can have coming to a club. And a very real trophy at the end provides plenty of motivation of its own.

"That's why I came to this club," Delap said. "That's why I started playing football, to play on big stages like this, so I'm really excited."

Not all players are going to have the view of a 22-year-old who is looking to make their mark on a squad, but this has been the prevailing view of teams in the tournament so far. No one wants to lose these games, and even if it's playing for the prize money, that's still a factor. Fans of non-European teams have been travelling in droves to ensure that their squads are backed, but that only creates more growth opportunities for European sides playing in hostile environments against teams that they don't usually face.

Only time will tell if that comes as a boost to these clubs compared to ones that will go through a more standard offseason but at this stage, they all want to be here and fight for the CWC trophy.