With another new manager at the helm, and no major signings, Chelsea, who finished third in the Premier League last season, will be expecting or should that be hoping to regain the league title and win the Champions League.
The squad heading stateside includes such Chelsea successes as Andryi Shevchenko and Claudio Pizzaro - two strikers returning from their loan deals abroad.
Unfortunately Joe Cole won't be flying out - he has undergone a small operation and won't be available for another month or so.
The 27-man squad includes new squad players Ross Turnbull and Daniel Sturridge. Yuri Zhirkov will meet up with the squad later.
One man on the trip and not on his way up the M6 is John Terry.
Manchester City players may be picking up £168k watches from their new boss, but JT won't be among them.
Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon is reported to have said that JT is not for sale.
The comment came apparently at the club's announcement of an increase in their sponsorship contract with Samsung.
It's worth noting that this categorical denial has not appeared on the club's official web website.
There is mention of the Samsung deal but nothing else.
With Frank Arnesen moving out of his former academy office to one next door to Carlo Ancelotti as football director, and taking over much of Kenyon's new-player dealings to boot, speculation is rife that Kenyon might soon be the subject of a transfer.
Ironically Man City heads a list which also includes Liverpool.
Chelsea sources have denied that Kenyon is on his way - this is a wait and see situation, of course.
So, not for the first time in recent years, there is much to look for off the field as well as on it.
Will JT go? Will Chelsea (Kenyon or Arnesen) sign Pato, Pirlo or any top-class player?
Will Kenyon go?
So many questions, so few answers - but that's Chelsea all over, eh?