United v Wrexham: 11 trending topics

Marc Jurado scored the Reds' only goal, with one of the last kicks of the first half, but Wrexham strikes from Elliot Lee, Aaron Hayden and Sam Dalby ensured the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor - and his co-stars - went home happy with the Snapdragon Cup.

Daniel Gore was perhaps unfairly sent off early in the second half and United fared well with 10 men. Here's what we noticed from the impressive new venue, and the second game of Tour 2023...

AMERICAN RAZZMATAZZ

They don’t do things by half measures in the United States, and the glamour was really upped a notch for United’s visit. Workers at the stadium unfurled a gigantic American flag prior to kick-off, with the stars and stripes almost completely obscuring the superbly manicured green turf. The national anthem also received its customary airing but the most impressive of all visually was the flyover by a fighter jet just before the teams took to the field. Quite the show of pageantry!

HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY

Ryan Reynolds couldn't make it on the night, but his Wrexham co-owner was out pitchside as the ground started to fill, conducting an interview with MUTV and meeting Erik ten Hag and Bryan Robson, among others. The Always Sunny in Philadelphia star is a huge sports fan – he is an avid follower of the Eagles in his home city – and will have been over the moon to have his side face United out here in the States. Co-star Glenn Howerton, who plays Dennis in the show, was also in attendance, as was wife Kaitlin Olson – and they celebrated wildly when Lee tapped home from close range to give Wrexham the lead.

A START FOR EVANS

The last time Jonny Evans was named in a Manchester United starting line-up was 4 March 2015, for a 1-0 win at Newcastle United. Over eight years on, the Northern Irishman and diehard Red had another chance to walk out with the team, as he joined a host of youngsters in the XI. Evans is of course vastly experienced at the highest levels of the game and has been mentoring our Academy players as he fulfils his short-term deal at the club.

A FAMILIAR FACE

Ben Foster – formerly of this parish – was given the nod in goal for Wrexham, with the 40-year-old having signed a new contract during the summer after helping the Welsh side gain promotion from the National League. The former Red didn’t have much to do in the first half, until virtually the last kick, when Jurado ghosted in at the far post to halve the deficit, after the Wrexham goals from Lee and Hayden.

TRAVIS ON THE TOUCHLINE

Erik ten Hag was in attendance in the dugouts at Snapdragon Stadium, but it was Under-21s lead coach Travis Binnion patrolling the touchline and barking out advice to his young charges. Ten Hag said on Monday that he was at the game to support Binnion and that there is ‘no red line’ between the first team and the Academy, as he looks to instill a way of playing across the whole club.

NEW THREADS

United released our 2023/24 away kit on Sunday and this was the first opportunity we had to see it in action. The green-and-white striped effort really popped when juxtaposed with Wrexham’s red and you can view images in the match gallery below…

A NASTY BLOW

The game was subject to a significant delay around 10 minutes in, when Nathan Bishop was late coming out to stop Paul Mullin from connecting with a ball over the top. The United goalkeeper clattered into Wrexham’s goalscoring hero, earning himself a booking - it may have been a red in a competitive game - but also sparking some worrying looking scenes as physios from both sides attended to the no.9. After a while, he made his way off the pitch, with the help of an oxygen mask, and was replaced by Billy Waters. Bishop was booed loudly by fans of the opposition but soon redeemed himself with an excellent save from Lee. It was reported after the game that Mullin had punctured a lung, and we wish the Wrexham no.9 a speedy recovery.

SPANIARD TO SPANIARD

United were perhaps unlucky to be facing the prospect of going into the interval 2-0 down, but the young Reds were given hope just before the break when Jurado sidefooted into the net. It was a brilliant assist from his compatriot Alvaro Fernandez out on the other wing, too, and a rare example of one full-back teeing up the other for a goal.

A HARSH ONE FOR GORE

The referee potentially had the Bishop-Mullin incident on his mind when, with just two minutes of the second period gone, he pulled out a straight red for United captain Dan Gore. Our no.44 didn’t win the ball when he went into the challenge with Wrexham’s Andy Cannon, but he was hardly reckless or out of control either. It was the first time skippering the side for Gore and he looked devastated following the decision.

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

“We want to educate, to teach players in the United way, so it’s easier to flow into the first-team squad. This is why this trip is very useful for us”, said Ten Hag in his pre-match press conference and, despite being down to 10 men for virtually all of the second period, the lads more than held their own against a side used to winning and clearly still enjoying the good vibes of the Reynolds-McElhenney takeover.

RECORD ATTENDANCE

The lure of United and Wrexham helped attract a final crowd of 34,248 – a stadium record for the Snapdragon Stadium since it opened in August last year. San Diego will have an MLS team in 2025 and there certainly looks to be an insatiable appetite for the game we call football in this city.