West News Wire: Wrexham, a soccer phenomenon, will visit America. not only on televisions, but also on the field.
The fifth-tier Welsh team will face Manchester United in a friendly on July 25 at San Diego State’s 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium. The team has gained popularity among fans after Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased it and started a documentary series, “Welcome to Wrexham.”
At a news conference on Monday, Landon Donovan, a former star of the United States national team, and Andrew Cole, a former Manchester United player who is now an ambassador for the wildly popular team, shared the dais. Landon Donovan is also a co-owner and executive vice president of soccer operations for the San Diego Loyal.
Wrexham will compete in a $1 million, winner-take-all, seven-on-seven tournament in June in Cary, North Carolina. But the match against Manchester United in the United States will be much bigger for many reasons.
“Not bad, not bad,” McElhenney said. “We’ve been very clear from the very beginning that our ultimate goal is to get to the Premier League, which a lot of people laughed at, but I don’t think they’re laughing at us much now. The truth is, the system is in place for that very thing to happen.
On Saturday night, a crowd of 30,854 at Snapdragon Stadium a record for a National Women’s Soccer League opener watched star Alex Morgan score on a penalty kick in the 88th minute of the San Diego Wave’s 3-2 win against the Chicago Red Stars.
San Diego reportedly is in line for an MLS expansion team by December.
