Wrexham were beaten 5-0 by Chelsea in the opening game of their pre-season tour in the USA, but were given a very warm welcome at the Kenan Memorial Stadium.
The Red Dragons are touring Philadelphia as part of their pre-season preparations, and their newfound popularity in the area as a result of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership is finally visible, as their friendly match against Chelsea attracted over 50,000 spectators.
This was a far cry from anything they have experienced in the National League, and whilst a lot of these fans were supporters of Chelsea, there was a noticeable Wrexham support within the ground.
Speaking after the game, goalkeeper Ben Foster praised the support of those in the ground, and commended the efforts of his teammates despite the heavy defeat.
“We thought there would be a few red shirts and there’d be a few chants and this and that, but that many red shirts was phenomenal,” he stated.
“They kept us going to be fair, because I can say that we knew it was on ESPN, the lads knew, you’ve got to think about the levels, we were playing National League last year and 51,000 tonight, but I thought the lads did really well.
“They worked hard and the result didn’t go our way, but we’ve got a lot of positives to take.”
What are Wrexham’s pre-season plans?
Wrexham will face more televised, high-profile friendlies during their tour, with games against LA Galaxy’s reserve side, Manchester United and Philadelphia Union to follow in the next eight days.
The game against Man United in particular, is set to attract plenty of viewers, both in the ground and on TV, and it will be a huge opportunity for Wrexham to play on a massive stage.
Phil Parkinson’s side will also hope for some solid performances, with the League Two campaign starting soon, and back to back heavy losses in pre-season may not be the best way to build confidence.