Rob Mac, Ryan Reynolds on Wrexham: Liverpool Friendly, Transfers, ‘Critical’ Next Step

Wrexham’s co-owners sat down with Sports Illustrated before facing Liverpool in Yankee Stadium on Wednesday as part of their latest U.S. tour.

Rob Mac (left) and Ryan Reynolds have bold ambitions for Wrexham. | Frank Micelotta/FX Networks/Getty Images

Ten years ago this week, Wrexham played Hyde United in a preseason friendly watched by just 372 supporters. On Wednesday night, the Red Dragons will face Liverpool at Yankee Stadium in front of tens of thousands.

There will be a healthy following of Welsh supporters filtering into the Bronx in midweek, but most of the crowd will be U.S. fans who have fallen in love with Phil Parkinson’s side and the incredible journey they have been on during the whirlwind five years since Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds took over.

This will be Wrexham’s third U.S. tour since 2024, but this one feels different. The previous visits came while the club was still climbing through the English soccer pyramid. Now, the Red Dragons arrive having narrowly missed the Championship playoffs and will spend the trip facing nothing but Premier League opposition.

---

Liverpool Friendly Represents a ‘Pretty Incredible Reflection’

Wrexham will play Liverpool at Yankee Stadium this week. | Robbie Jay Barratt/Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“Each time Wrexham has come to the U.S., we’ve been blown away by the reception,” Mac and Reynolds tell Sports Illustrated. “The support has continued to grow, and it felt important to come back and connect with those fans in person.

“The timing also couldn’t be better. With the World Cup bringing even more excitement and attention to football across North America, it feels like a great opportunity to celebrate the game’s continued growth while giving supporters the chance to experience Wrexham up close.

“It’s also an important part of our preseason. We get meaningful matches against top-quality opposition while spending time with supporters who have followed this journey from the very beginning—or discovered us somewhere along the way.”

While a handful of those at Yankee Stadium were also there against Hyde a decade ago, everyone will come together as part of the wider Wrexham family that has taken the soccer world by storm. The rise has not only been dramatic on the pitch but also monumental off it, with the Welsh club, its local community, and its lovable locals striking a chord with hundreds of thousands of new fans across the United States.

Mac adds: “When we first started bringing Wrexham to the U.S., it was surreal just to share the pitch with clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United while we were four divisions below them. Now, we’re preparing to face Premier League opposition while knocking on the door ourselves. That’s a pretty incredible reflection of how far this club has come in just a few years.

“More importantly, these matches are exactly the kind of challenge you want heading into a Championship season. They give the players a chance to test themselves against elite competition while giving supporters some truly special occasions.”

---

Wrexham’s Transfer Window: ‘Like a Home Renovation Show’

Wrexham could complete their first summer signing this week. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Wrexham’s men’s first team agonizingly missed out on the Championship playoffs and promotion to the Premier League last season. However, the seventh-place finish was still the best in the club’s 162-year history and a remarkable achievement for a team that was playing in the National League just four years ago.

That is both a source of immense pride and huge motivation as the team faces Premier League opposition this summer, knowing it could be battling those same clubs for precious points next season.

Reaching the Premier League will require further investment in the squad. It will not be the same remarkable overhaul that saw 13 senior players arrive last summer ahead of the club’s first Championship season in 43 years. Instead, there will be a handful of important additions designed to take the team to another level, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.

Reynolds says: “Last year, we arrived in the Championship and had a few months to build an entire Championship roster. Phil, Michael [Williamson] and Shaun [Harvey] did a great job, and we came up just short of the playoffs. This is a different brief this season. Like a home renovation show... this episode is about making the kitchen work better rather than doing a whole-house renovation.”

---

Hiring A Sporting Director

Steve Nickson has spent 15 years at Newcastle United. | Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Wrexham remain the only Championship club yet to make a signing this summer, although that is expected to change very soon. It hardly hindered the team in recent victories over Manchester United and Leeds United anyway.

The Red Dragons have agreed to a deal that will see Steve Nickson become the club’s inaugural sporting director, a huge coup given his current role as Newcastle United’s Head of Recruitment. Nickson is expected to oversee the development of a worldwide scouting network as Wrexham look to expand their recruitment operation into new markets.

“We are in this for the long haul, and building out the entire player infrastructure is a big part of that,” Mac continues. “By adding a sporting director, we’re bolstering our player scouting and recruitment around the world, which gives Phil more options to choose from for the squad. There are so many talented players in the area around Wrexham and, as the whole world just saw during the World Cup, so many great players around the globe. Our ability to operate across that whole spectrum will be critical in the years ahead.”

---

New Home Kit and Kop Stand

The 5,500-capacity new Kop Stand includes the provision for safe standing, hospitality and accessible seating. | Populous

Wrexham know the midweek match against Liverpool will likely be the toughest test of the summer, with the Merseyside club having started strongly under new manager Andoni Iraola. It will not only be the first time the club has visited New York but also the first time it will debut its new home kit, which will be launched in the Big Apple this week and features a design inspired by the club’s famous Kop Stand barriers.

“We offer up ideas,” Reynolds says of the new home kit. “Thankfully, they’re rarely taken. The team on the ground at Wrexham is so passionate about representing the story of the club, the supporters, and the greater community. That passion shows up in the inspiration behind each season’s kit. This year, the team wanted to shine a light on the old Kop End as the new stand is being built. Fortunately, the incredibly talented team at Macron knows exactly how to bring that to life.”

On the subject of the Kop Stand, work is progressing rapidly on the $95 million structure, which is expected to be fully open in time for the 2027–28 season—and, hopefully, the club’s first campaign in the Premier League. Reynolds made headlines when he joined supporters in the home end at the Racecourse Ground back in March, and he already has plans to join the Wrexham faithful in the Kop when it is finally ready.

“Oh, we’ll absolutely be there,” he insists. “It’s going to be a special day for the club, the town and the supporters, and we’re looking forward to sharing that moment with everyone.”

Of all the achievements since Mac and Reynolds became custodians of the club, the renovation of the derelict Kop Stand may well be the most significant. After sitting abandoned for years, the new stand has become the clearest symbol of Wrexham’s transformation. More than simply increasing capacity, it represents the club’s long-term ambition and renewed belief in its future.

---

What Next For Wrexham?

Wrexham have serious ambitions to make it to the Premier League. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Those core pillars will not only be represented by the men’s first team against Liverpool this week but were also evident as the women’s side made their Champions League debut last week after winning their first Welsh league title earlier this year.

“We couldn’t be prouder of what the women’s team has accomplished,” Mac and Reynolds say. “They’ve continued to raise the bar and represent the club brilliantly.

“Ultimately, we want every part of Wrexham AFC to succeed. The ambition has always been to build one club that competes at the highest level, supports both the men’s and women’s teams, and continues creating opportunities for players, supporters, and the wider community.

“Every success, whether it’s the women’s team making history in Europe or the men’s team continuing to climb the football pyramid, is another step forward for the club as a whole.”

Wednesday’s meeting with Liverpool is another milestone in a remarkable journey that shows no signs of slowing down. A decade after playing in front of fewer than 400 supporters, Wrexham will once again step onto one of world soccer’s biggest stages—this time knowing it truly belongs there.

• You can still buy tickets to watch Wrexham take on Liverpool at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

---