Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have been showered with praise for the immense job they’ve done at Wrexham, including from a Chelsea icon.
Wrexham are preparing for the second match of their Wrex Coast tour, as they take on Premier League side Chelsea in Santa Clara, California.
The Reds are on a high following their impressive 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, with manager Andoni Iraola praising the work Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have done.
The Hollywood duo have completely transformed the fortunes of the Welsh side in recent years, inspiring the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, which has led to thousands of new supporters from the United States.
Defender Tom O’Connor was left blown away by the support of Wrexham from the US last year, while former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini has also had a lot of nice things to say about Reynolds and McElhenney.
Carlo Cudicini hails Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds as ‘amazing’
It’s during times like these when supporters pinch themselves looking at how far they’ve come. Once trapped in the National League for 15 years to now dreaming of the Premier League, Wrexham’s story is inspirational for so many.
Of course, they’ve been helped by the riches of their Hollywood owners however, so much work has gone into climbing towards League One, and that is an achievement recognised by Cudicini.
The Chelsea club director and former shot-stopper believes the job they’ve done is ‘amazing’, citing how ‘difficult’ it is to pass through the lower leagues of England and Europe in general.
Speaking to The Mercury News, the Italian said: “It’s a great story. The owners are doing a fantastic job. We all know how difficult it is to progress through the different tiers in England and in Europe in general.
“So what they’re doing is an amazing job. They definitely have done great work in putting the right people in the right position to make sure that the team is performing. Great recruitment, and the results are just amazing. Even here, we are following the Wrexham story with great interest and passion.”
Wrexhan’s rapid rise towards the third tier is a project that has taken the world by storm, and that is their aim for when they play against Chelsea on Thursday morning (3 am UK time).
Wrexham’s main aim against Chelsea
When Wrexham played against Chelsea in the US last year, they were fresh from a title-winning promotion back to the Football League and their squad was completely different.
The Reds indeed encountered the harsh realities of playing a multi-billion pound side as they were thumped 5-0.
This time around, Phil Parkinson is readying his players for a campaign in League One, and although they’ll be without Paul Mullin for their clash against the Blues, they’ll want to make amends for last year’s display.
Wrexham showed against Bournemouth that they can compete, albeit against a weakened team, but it was still an impressive display and their aim will now be to continue that momentum.
In front of their thousands of fans in California, they won’t want to be hammered by a similar scoreline and instead, will be eager to prove they can compete against a much stronger side.
Further, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for some of their new signings and fringe players to impress as the League One campaign edges ever closer.