Wrexham’s ‘USA invasion’ has won hearts and minds this summer as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s club continue their seemingly inexorable rise.
Last July’s pre-season got under way at Nantwich Town, whereas this time more than 50,000 were in attendance in North Carolina as the EFL new boys began preparations for life in League Two against Chelsea.
A 4-0 victory against LA Galaxy II followed before taking on Manchester United’s youngsters in San Diego, where Wrexham’s impact meant that, incredibly, they felt like the home team at times.
Goalkeeper Nathan Bishop was booed mercilessly by fans for injuring star striker Paul Mullin, while fireworks and Wrexham celebrations filled the air as Phil Parkinson’s men took a two-goal lead at sold-out Snapdragon Stadium.
Elliot Lee and Aaron Hayden scored before Marc Jurado reduced the deficit for United, only for Sam Dalby to wrap up a 3-1 win after Dan Gore received a harsh-looking red.
McElhenney looked in dreamland as his team soared in San Diego – a night when fellow owner Reynolds was absent due to filming Deadpool 3 in London.
This summer’s US tour is the latest chapter in a remarkable story that has seen Wrexham go from the National League quagmire to become one of the world’s most talked about teams in 30 months.
Reynolds and McElhenney put the club on the map with the critically acclaimed FX docuseries ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and have overseen a rapid improvement in fortunes.
The second series starts in September and documents last season’s dramatic National League triumph, when they pipped Notts County to the title and ended their 15 years in non-league.
Viewers across the world have been hooked and Wrexham players have become stars, with thousands of the club’s new fans making journeys from across the US to catch a glimpse of their heroes over the past fortnight.
Keri Eaton, who took the 90-minute flight from Salt Lake City, Utah with husband Todd to be in San Diego, said: “As soon as I heard Rob and Ryan bought the team I did a deep dive.
“I was really excited and kind of just spiralled from there. I watched as many games as I could.
“I like the fact that they were kind of at the top and then have been the underdogs for so long.
“Then to turn around and have owners that come in that are passionate, and not only care about the club but the town. That’s what I fell in love with.”
The American fans’ passion was palpable and their interest visible, with queues for merchandise snaking around the ground. The impressive engagement with fans also came with reminders of their home 3,800 miles away.
Every sign was in Welsh as well as English, with a food truck outside the stadium serving free Welsh rarebit and Welsh cake. Supplies ran out long before kick-off.
Wrexham’s fan fest offered a chance to see if supporters could take a throw-in like captain Ben Tozer and visit a giant mock-up of The Turf – the much-loved pub next door to the Racecourse Ground.
Landlord Wayne Jones features regularly on ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and still struggles to get his head around the whole experience.
“I’m proud, I guess, but it’s just surreal, isn’t it? You know, it’s crazy, it’s bonkers,” he told the PA news agency. “This is the third one now – obviously we had one in Chapel Hill, one in LA and now we’ve got one in beautiful San Diego.
“Bonkers, just insane. Everybody’s enjoying themselves and the weather is a lot nicer here than it is in Wrexham, right? Having a whale of a time.
“People ask me all the time if life has changed. You know, I’m just the same person. I’ll be cleaning the toilets this time next week, for example.
“But I’m in San Diego, with a mock-up Turf with thousands of fans all cheering on Wrexham, so of course life has changed but it’s all for the better.
“All I really cared about was that the football team continues to grow and becomes better, and the town is thriving, and that continues.”
To underline that how surreal Jones’ life has become, Californian brothers David and Chris Hudson were quick to get a photo with the landlord inside the giant mock-up of his pub.
“It’s the real underdog thing,” Chris, from Fresno said of his passion for Wrexham. “I really got into soccer during the pandemic so it just kind of all came along all at the right time for me.
“Then all of a sudden there was this show on TV and then I’m hooked. What can I say?”
David, who lives in Los Angeles, added: “Total underdog story, promotion and relegation.
“I mean, how can you not root for someone in the National League trying to come up? It’s just a great story.”
The pair would wait with bated breath for the next episode to drop on Disney+ and are excited for League Two action after streaming National League games at awkward times.
As for the possibility of Wrexham securing back-to-back promotions, David said: “A lot of the soccer pundits say we have got a chance… Wrexham, I can’t say we.”
Chris – wearing a red Wrexham t-shirt featuring a dragon – interjected, saying as he put a hand on his brother’s shoulder: “Oh no, we’re part of it now.” Ends
Dewsbury-Hall: Maresca will surprise people at Chelsea
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.
The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.
Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.
The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.
"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.
"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.
"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.
"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."
Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.
Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.
The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.
"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.
"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.
"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.
"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."
Ederson slams reports of rift with Man City backup Ortega
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.
"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote.
"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.
"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title.
"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."
Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
Slot's Liverpool success will be measured by trophies, says McAllister
Gary McAllister says Arne Slot must be prepared to aim high by targeting trophies if he is to be successful with Liverpool.
The Dutchman is set to begin his first season in charge of the Reds after being appointed as Jurgen Klopp's successor in May.
Liverpool enjoyed a trophy-laden spell under the German, winning their first-ever Premier League title, as well as a Champions League, a Club World Cup, a Super Cup, an FA Cup and two EFL Cups.
However, Slot was no stranger to success while at Feyenoord, leading the team to the Eredivisie title in 2022-23 before lifting the KNVB Cup in April during his final season with the club.
McAllister, who won five trophies in the two years he spent at Liverpool, says Slot's success will be determined by the silverware he collects.
"Liverpool is a club that's synonymous with winning, and when you don't win you fail," McAllister told Stats Perform.
"When there's a new management team, you're given a little bit more time, but the facts are Liverpool's target, I felt, and as a player that played against them for most of his career, the targets that Liverpool set, you go into every tournament looking to win it.
"You try to win every game and that's the expectation of the club and that's what makes it a very special club."
Klopp spent nine years at Liverpool, breaking club records as his team pushed for trophies on a regular basis.
The Reds enjoyed a club-record 68-match unbeaten run at Anfield over nearly four years in the Premier League between April 2017 and January 2021.
Klopp also oversaw three of the four most prolific seasons in Liverpool's history, including the club-record total of 147 goals scored in 2021-22.
Slot has admitted he has "big shoes to fill", but McAllister believes the 45-year-old will be able to live up to the high expectations left behind by Klopp.
"Arne arriving at the club, following Klopp, realising that it's such a difficult job anyway, but to follow somebody who's done particularly well at the club over an eight, nine-year period is going to be tough, and I don't think the new manager is under any illusions," he added.
"What I would say is he's a man that seems to be a very strong character, good personality, and he's just got to come in and be his own man and trust what he does.
"He's done very well in his previous managerial career and coming to Liverpool I feel is a natural progression in the levels of the game that he's worked at.
"So, everybody at the club will be deeply backing him and be right behind him, he'll have amazing support."
Liverpool's first pre-season game under Slot ended in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End last week before the players flew out to the United States for a three-game tour.
They are also only one of two Premier League clubs yet to conduct any business in the transfer window so far, but McAllister urged fans to be patient with Slot while he gets settled in his new role.
"Whenever there's a change at a club, I think the fans have got to realise that it does take time for a new manager, a new coaching group to come in and get their ideas over to the players," he said.
"There's got to be a modicum of patience, but at Liverpool, expectation levels are very, very high and sometimes, in professional soccer, in elite soccer, patience is something that most managers don't get.
"As much as the fans have got to be aware that everything is new and there are new ideas, Arne and the players will want to get off to a quick start.
"I feel that this pre-season tour is going to help them start the season against Ipswich Town very strongly. I feel the games that they've got here in the US, here in Pittsburgh against Betis, and then we go to play Arsenal and Manchester United, the build-up is pretty good."
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