While the World Cup may have ended two weeks ago, there is still class football to be played in front of American fans. Many European clubs spend their offseason playing friendly matches in the United States, and Wednesday was no exception.
English giants Liverpool faced off against up-and-comers Wrexham in a friendly at Yankee Stadium. The match, for all purposes, didn’t matter whatsoever. The 1-0 win for Liverpool didn’t matter. It’s not going to give them an edge in the Premier or Champions League tables.
But it gave both sides a chance to reset before their club seasons begin next month, while giving the fans some excitement in the process.
The home that’s usually residence to the Bronx Bombers was decked out in Liverpool red as 42,204 people packed into Yankee Stadium for the game. The crowd broke out in the team’s song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as they walked out of the tunnel for the game and were involved with the game for nearly shot until one broke through.
“It was good. It was different,” Trey Nyoni said. “We’re playing in a baseball stadium, so it’s something I’m [not] really used to.”
Wrexham had the same amount of support at the game as Liverpool. The team has gained exposure from its owners, Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney. The pair made a documentary about the team titled “Welcome to Wrexham,” which has been running for four years and has chronicled the club’s meteoric rise from the depths of England’s football pyramid to the Championship — just one tier below the top-flight Premier League.
Many of the players noticed fans wearing the club’s jerseys while strolling about the city before the game. Many supporters recognized the players and would bring up having seen them on the show, letting them know they had their full support.
“It’s amazing,” Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward said. “Even just been around the city. I went for a walk around Central Park today, and there’s people in Wrexham tops and people who come up to watch the documentary and how they follow us. Part of it’s been amazing. It’s my first time over here with the club, but to see it firsthand has been pretty great. I think they’re a bit more polite, to be honest, rather than the British crowd, which is nice.”
Ward was one of the players that Wrexham fans were cheering for the most. He swatted away three Liverpool chances on the night, which helped keep the game level through 75 minutes. The game felt like it was nearing its way to a draw until Liverpool forward Rio Ngumoha struck a ball that was deflected by a Wrexham defender and found its way into the back of the net.
The goal sent Liverpool supporters across the stadium into a frenzy. Fans who had been waiting patiently for a score had been able to see one after multiple chances before that.
“A little bit unlucky with a deflected goal,” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said. “It was a moment where we played a straight pass, [the] straight pass got cut out, and then the deflections looped over Callum [Burton]. So we still had some good opportunities to get back in the game and to score on the night.
The game also gave the team the experience of playing on a soccer pitch on a baseball diamond. It was different but the players on both sides said they had to make the proper adjustments.
“We’ve all played good pitches and bad pitches and others,” Ward said. “It’s just like a footballer that you get on with it. It is what it is. There’s no point running about it, otherwise, you’re already 1-0 down in there. So yeah, everyone equipped themselves well, and there might be mistakes on that sort of surface.”
Both teams still have one game left in their United States tours, but both sides say the experience at Yankee Stadium was a positive one.
“The experience of being at the stadium tonight was one that we’ll always remember,” Parkinson said. “It was a great atmosphere, a great arena, and very special.”