UNITED STATES NEWS

Wrexham opens US tour with 5-0 loss to Chelsea before 50,596 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Jul 19, 2023, 7:49 PM

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Sue Martin had the summer mapped out for her family from St. Augustine, Florida.

Then along came word that Chelsea and Wrexham would play a preseason friendly on U.S. soil.

“We had a whole vacation planned and they dropped this game,” Martin said before . “We needed to be here. We love soccer. We love Ryan Reynolds.”

Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney have taken Wrexham from a struggling fifth-tier side to a fan favorite, largely through the globally-streamed docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.” The Red Dragons opened a four-game preseason U.S. tour Wednesday night with a 5-0 loss to Chelsea, which got two goals from Ian Maatsen and one each from Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku and Ben Chilwell. The game drew 50,596 to Kenan Memorial Stadium.

The match was a must-see event and the first of its kind in this college town. Chelsea, coming off a miserable 13th-place finish in the Premier League, was the 2021 European champion, Wrexham, the oldest club from Wales, earned promotion to English soccer’s fourth tier.

Brian and Jenny Roper and their 11-year-old son Logan from St. Petersburg, Florida, saw Chelsea play last year in Orlando. They didn’t flinch at making a longer trek. As a bonus, this one included Wrexham.

“(Logan) plays a lot of soccer,” Brian Roper said. “I want to show him what real soccer looks like. There’s the novelty of them playing Wrexham. My wife would even enjoy this because she knows Wrexham.”

Martin’s family of four sported gear supporting both Chelsea and Wrexham. Pregame festivities on the humid night were spread around campus.

Matseen scored in the third and 42d minutes, the second goal on a shot from the top of penalty area. Gallagher added a goal in the 80th, Nkunku in the 90th and Chilwell in the third minute of stoppage time.

Wrexham, which opened the preseason last weekend with a 4-2 win over Wales’ Bala Town. plays at LA Galaxy II on Saturday against the Manchester United youth academy on July 25 at San Diego at at Philadelphia Union II on July 29. Wrexham opens the League 2 season at home against the MK Dons on Aug. 5.

Chelsea, under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, faces Brighton on Saturday at Philadelphia, Newcastle on July 26 in Atlanta, Fulham on July 30 at Landover, Maryland, and Borussia Dortmund on Aug. 2 at Chicago. The Blues open the Premier League at home against Liverpool on Aug. 13.

“It has been fantastic,” North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham said. “It’s a great event. We all get excited about unique, fun events and this is one of them.”

The locals were checking it out as well.

Nathan Gardner, a teacher from nearby Efland, brought his 16-year-old son Carson to take in the scene. The elder Gardner said he became familiar with Wrexham through the streaming show.

“When it was announced, I saw it and said, ‘They’re coming here?’” Gardner said. “I was pretty shocked, but I want to see it.”

North Carolina men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis and family walked into the stadium without much fanfare about 40 minutes prior to the scheduled start. This is the same venue where in less than two months Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye will try to bolster his Heisman Trophy candidacy.

More than 1.5 million pounds of sod was installed last week to cover the stadium’s artificial turf surface. Hedges that circled the stadium’s field were removed in 2019.

“We couldn’t do it until the hedges came out,” Cunningham said of the stadium set-up. “One thing we all talk about in college athletics is it brings community. This is one that is a community event. It’s a nice economic impact. And when I looked at the other cities that are hosting this, we’re barely a neighborhood compared to some of those cities.”

___

More AP soccer: https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

United States News

FILE - White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi attends a speech by President Joe Biden about supply c...

Associated Press

Biden rule aims to reduce methane emissions, targeting US oil and gas industry for global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, targeting the U.S. oil and natural gas industry for its role in global warming as President Joe Biden seeks to advance his climate legacy. The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rule will sharply reduce methane and other […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Trump and DeSantis will hold dueling campaign events in Iowa with the caucuses just six weeks away

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis plans on Saturday to complete his campaign promise to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties, a timeworn tactic for presidential candidates hoping to make their mark in the leadoff state over months mingling with voters at the state’s diners, cookouts and Pizza Ranches. But the Florida governor’s moment, […]

8 hours ago

FILE - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is shown before administering the oath of office t...

Associated Press

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor paved a path for women on the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — One fall day in 2010, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor slipped into the courtroom where she worked for nearly 25 years to take in an “amazing” sight. The first — and for 12 years, the only — woman on the high court saw three women in black robes among the […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

US Navy plans to raise jet plane off Hawaii coral reef using inflatable cylinders

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Navy plans to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll a jet plane off a coral reef in Hawaii before removal from the ocean waters where the aircraft crashed on Nov. 20. Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3 who is leading the salvage effort, said […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Las Vegas police search for suspect after 5 homeless people are shot, killing 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, two of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. near a freeway overpass in the northeastern part of the city, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Mark Lourenco. […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Judge rejects calls to halt winter construction work on Willow oil project in Alaska during appeal

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge in Alaska on Friday rejected requests from environmental groups to halt winter construction work for the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope while the groups’ legal fight over the drilling project wages on. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason just last month upheld the Biden administration’s […]

11 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC) wants to help Valley residents address back, neck issues through awake spine surgery

As the weather begins to change, those with back issues can no longer rely on the dry heat to aid their backs. That's where DISC comes in.

Wrexham opens US tour with 5-0 loss to Chelsea before 50,596 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina