Rob McElhenney’s bar, Mac’s Tavern, located in Philadelphia, has become a Wrexham shrine in recent months and the go-to place on matchdays.
Wrexham have just wrapped up their pre-season tour of the USA and are back in Wales ahead of the new League Two season getting underway.
The Red Dragons faced Chelsea, LA Galaxy II, Manchester United and Philadelphia Union on their trip stateside, playing in front of packed-out stadiums as they further enhanced their international reputation. The club’s global standing has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and being featured on the Disney+ documentary, Welcome to Wrexham.
Rob McElhenney-owned bar in Philadelphia becomes Wrexham ‘shrine’
McElhenney is a proud native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city where Wrexham ended their summer tour of America. McElhenney is also the star of the hit TV series, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, a sitcom about a gang of five raging alcoholic narcissists who run a failing dive bar in South Philadelphia.
Through McElhenney’s involvement with Wrexham, Philly has become a hotbed for new fans of the club, with the actor even owning a pub there – Mac’s Tavern – which has become a shrine to all things Wrexham.
Mac’s is located in the heart of Philadelphia’s Old City, and has become a thriving bar filled with odes to the Welsh club and culture. There are Welsh flags and Wrexham shirts hung all over, and on matchdays it is filled with devout Wrexham fans cheering on the team from the other side of the pond.
Bar manager Erica Demitraszek said she fielded around 7 to 8 calls a day about Wrexham’s penultimate game of last season against Boreham Wood.
The pub is rammed on matchdays
The pub was rammed as fans celebrated Wrexham’s promotion to the football league after a fifteen year absence. The concept of promotion and relegation appears to have captured the interest of American audiences, who until recently will have seen it as a very foreign concept.
However, the Cinderella nature of Wrexham’s story, combined with the ability to climb from the depths of the football pyramid to the very top, has gripped an entirely new audience who can’t get enough of the North Wales club.
And now, McElhenney’s boozer-slash-bar in the heart of his hometown has provided a meeting point for Wrexham fans over in the US.
Mac’s recently hosted a number of fans on the pre-season tour as they enjoyed the local cuisine – mainly Philly cheesesteaks – while watching the team play against the likes Manchester United and the city’s own team, the Union.
“Being in this bar with positive fans … Best thing, best thing,” said Will Sudworth, a Wrexham season-ticket holder visiting the US for work.
Wrexham kick off their new season on Saturday 5 August against MK Dons, and you can bet your bottom dollar Mac’s will be packed out as they cheer the lads on.