Jonny Richardson/ESD
Wrexham, Manchester United meet at Snapdragon Stadium for international friendly
Abraham Zepeda and Jonny Richardson - July 24, 2023
Wrexham, Manchester United meet at Snapdragon Stadium for international friendly - Everything San Diego

The summer of soccer at Snapdragon Stadium continues Tuesday, July 25 when Wrexham A.F.C. and Manchester United F.C. meet for a friendly at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

The two European clubs are on a U.S. Tour and will meet head-to-head for the second time ever and the first time since 2005 when Manchester United came away with a 3-1 victory in an international club friendly.

​​Man United is on its second match of a four-city tour in the U.S. They defeated Arsenal, 2-1, at MetLife on July 22.

Wrexham is on its third leg of a four-city tour. They opened the tour with a 5-0 loss to Chelsea in North Carolina on July 19 before beating up on Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy’s MLS Next team, 4-0, in Los Angeles on July 22.

“Football is ahead of everything else… We are a global brand, we have to sell the club,” Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag said. “We want also to come (for) our fans to watch. Our fans are all over the world so we want to show ourselves there, and I think also for ourselves it’s a fantastic experience.”

The roster for both clubs in the friendly will focus on their youth. Manchester United will be fielding their under-21 squad for the match as the main team plays Real Madrid on Wednesday, July 26, in Houston, Texas.

“They’re academy players. It’s a great experience for them,” ten Hag said. “It will help them, it will support them to flow into the first team, so in that respect it’s a huge game against really good opposition.

“It’s very good for their education, something they have to deal with … the pressure, the stadium is sold out and fantastic ambience, so it’s a fantastic experience.”

Wrexham hadn’t finalized their rosters yet but it’ll feature more regular players than Manchester’s.

Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster formerly played for Manchester United from 2005-10 where he made 12 appearances. He says that he is excited to face them but that it’ll be just like any other game.

The match was sold out quickly and expect to be the most exciting soccer match San Diego has seen yet between two highly skilled European clubs.

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