Ancelotti showers praise on John Terry

Carlo Ancelotti described captain John Terry as the "symbol" of his team after seeing Chelsea win their first outing under his charge 2-0 over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.

Chelsea started their tour of the US against Major League Soccer's newest team in front of 65,289 fans at Qwest Field. Terry wore the captain's armband as he did under Ancelotti's predecessor Guus Hiddink.

First-half goals from teenage debutant Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard were enough to see off a Seattle side led by Freddie Ljungberg in their inaugural MLS season.

Continuing the London club's bid to persuade Terry to reject Manchester City's advances, Ancelotti said: "John Terry is a great man, a quiet man and he is a symbol of this team. There is no pressure on him to play. He is a very, very good man."

Having used 21 of the 27 players that made the trip across the Atlantic, the former Milan coach declared himself satisfied with his squad's efforts.

"I learned that on one hand we have a very good team that works very well," Ancelotti said. "Sometimes we can make a mistake but not all the time. The players were concentrated.

"I like this because normally in the first game we can't make a mistake. We want to improve and we will improve for the next game. For the first game I am happy."