LONDON (AFP) – English football giants Manchester United will play a non-league Wrexham team owned by two Hollywood stars in a San Diego friendly on July 25, it was announced on Monday.
This is the first match of United’s tour of the United States, designed to help the club prepare for the 2023/24 English season.
Welsh club Wrexham, who play in the National League – the fifth tier of English football’s pyramid – have been owned since 2020 by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
This season Wrexham defied the odds to make it to the fourth round of the knockout FA Cup before losing to second-tier Sheffield United in a replay.
Monday’s statement said a “youth-focussed team drawn from United’s travelling tour squad supplemented by Academy prospects will take on Wrexham AFC on 25th July, as part of a week-long training camp in San Diego”.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson added: “We’re looking forward to being able to play in the United States for the first time in the club’s history. The match against Manchester United is sure to be a memorable occasion at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego.”
