RECAP: Liverpool Beats Wrexham in Front of 40K at Yankee Stadium, 1-0
New York was red on Wednesday night. Not because of a Red Bull New York win over New York City FC in the Hudson River Derby, though.
Instead, Yankee Stadium welcomed Liverpool F.C. of the English Premier League and Wrexham AFC of the EFL Championship for a preseason friendly.
In front of a crowd of 40,000 fans, a slow match was slightly elevated by a Liverpool goal midway through the second half.
The English side won, 1-0, sending the majority of fans home happy as both teams prepare for their respective seasons during this United States tour.
Andoni Iraola’s first pre-season tour as Liverpool head coach has him with two wins in two games. Not a bad start.
It came after a hectic prep saw Liverpool arrive in NYC late, missing players and with a quick turnaround looming. Six of Liverpool’s starting line-up had zero Premier League experience. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch weren’t part of Iraola’s matchday squad either. They stayed behind at the club’s training camp in Chicago, having only reported back for pre-season last weekend.
In front of a great crowd, ushering both teams onto the pitch with a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, the game started slowly, possibly due to the Yankee Stadium pitch.
Liverpool started strong, with two chances off the back of Joshua Abe, a 16-year-old making one of those first starts, and Lewis Koumas. However, Wrexham ended the first half ahead on shots, 5-2.
For what it’s worth, Wrexham support at the match was high. Actor and team owner Ryan Reynolds was in attendance as his team, made famous by the documentary series and bolstered by three consecutive promotions ahead of last year. That squad, which came into the match with preseason wins over Manchester United and Leeds United, is still building for the second division of English Football.
They were still able to take advantage of a young, inexperienced Liverpool backline in the first half.
In the second half, as more substitutions were made, the game fell into a rhythm. Instead, Liverpool broke through in the 75th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai found 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha near the box. He dribbled into the box, hitting a shot that deflected off a Wrexham defender, going into the air and chipping the Wrexham keeper. The off-the-bench appearance continued to build aura for the young star, who scored twice for Liverpool last season.
Wrexham found late offensive chances as they tried to equalize, but failed to do so.
Summer of Soccer Nears End
Officially, 42,204 were in attendance for Wednesday’s match in the Bronx. A sizable jump from the 23,007 that New York City has welcomed on average so far this season. The friendly fell just short of breaking NYCFC’s biggest attendance in 2026 so far, when the blue team welcomed Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF. That match in March drew 45,845 fans.
There’s a question on the mind of many after the World Cup. Is soccer going to benefit from the tournament? Can Major League Soccer or other leagues see a positive bump post-World Cup after hosting?
As July nears its end, the answer might be yes.
Over 20,000 at the last Red Bull New York game in Harrison. An international friendly in the Bronx, with ticket prices still expensive around $70 but cheaper than the World Cup, is selling strong.
It’s hard to tell if this is a flash in the pan or possibly a sign of growth. But a turnout of 40k for a meaningless friendly proves that there is an appetite for soccer.
Conversion of that into something more sustainable will take work.
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