Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory over Wrexham in a pre-season friendly held at Yankee Stadium, New York, on July 29, 2026, in front of 42,204 fans [1, 2]. The only goal came in the 75th minute when teenage forward Rio Ngumoha’s shot deflected off a Wrexham defender and went in [1, 3, 2].
The match marked Liverpool’s second consecutive win under new head coach Andoni Iraola, following a 4-2 victory over Sunderland on July 26 [1, 3, 2]. Liverpool fielded a youthful and experimental squad, with six players in the starting lineup who had never appeared in the Premier League before [1]. Among the starters was highly rated young winger Joshua Abe, who made his first senior start after signing both a scholarship and a future professional contract [1].
Several key Liverpool players were absent. Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Ryan Gravenberch stayed behind due to post-World Cup breaks, while Joe Gomez was sidelined with an injury and Federico Chiesa missed the game with illness [1, 3, 2]. Iraola noted that Wirtz, Gravenberch, and Isak could return for Liverpool’s next US tour game against Leeds on August 3 in Chicago [2].
Wrexham, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney who attended the match, had been in strong pre-season form after recent wins over Premier League sides Manchester United and Leeds [1, 3, 2].
Liverpool’s US pre-season tour faced challenges with a delayed flight and poor weather, causing the team to arrive in New York on the day of the match [1]. The club is scheduled to finish its US tour with a friendly against Leeds at Soldier Field, Chicago, on August 3, aiming to continue the positive start under Iraola [3, 2].
