Liverpool kept their flawless start to the Andoni Iraola era alive by edging out Wrexham 1‑0 in their second friendly of the 2026/27 pre‑season campaign. The match, staged at New York's iconic Yankee Stadium, followed a win over Sunderland in Nashville and offered a stern test against a Wrexham side that had recently upset both Manchester United and Leeds United in their own preparatory fixtures. The Reds entered the game without their regular centre‑back Joe Gomez, who had suffered an injury in the Sunderland encounter. As a result, stand‑in captain Dominik Szoboszlai was drafted into the heart of the defence.
Despite the positional shift, Szoboszlai remained a creative force, delivering Liverpool's most promising chance of the first half. He found Harvey Elliott with a precise pass, and Elliott, in turn, set up Josh Abe for a low drive that was comfortably saved by former Liverpool custodian Danny Ward, now guarding Wrexham's goal.
The tactical battle intensified at halftime when Iraola introduced four changes, most notably the debut of teenage prospect Rio Ngumoha. The young forward quickly made his mark, charging into the centre of the Wrexham back line and creating chaos. His effort, after a slight deflection, looped over the goalkeeper and into the net with roughly fifteen minutes remaining, providing the sole goal of the evening and sealing the win for Liverpool.
Wrexham had a fleeting opportunity to equalise late in the game when striker Kieffer Moore found himself in a promising position inside the box. However, his composure slipped and he failed to convert the chance, allowing Liverpool to hold on for a 1‑0 victory and maintain their unbeaten record in the United States. Looking ahead, the Liverpool squad will head to Chicago for their final American friendly against Leeds United on Sunday. The match is expected to feature several high‑profile newcomers, including German talent Florian Wirtz, Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, and Swedish striker Alexander Isak, all of whom are set to receive their first minutes of pre‑season action under Iraola's guidance.
In the post‑match press conference, Iraola acknowledged that his side still has work to do in order to fully adapt to his tactical philosophy. "Overall we were more solid than the other day," he said.
"The pitch here is narrow and the space is limited, but we had good spells of play. Even if we scored more goals in the previous game, today we displayed a more collective, team‑oriented performance." He added that the squad is not yet at the level he envisions.
"We sometimes arrive too late in transitions, but it's a step forward, especially compared with the first half against Sunderland. The second half showed more promise.
Gradually, I hope each game brings us closer to the style we want. We are integrating many young players, but senior members are beginning to train with us, and we need them to be ready for the start of the season." Iraola also confirmed that several of his marquee signings will feature against Leeds.
Both Wirtz, Gravenberch and Isak have already begun training in Chicago following early exits from the World Cup, and they will be joined by the rest of their teammates. When asked whether fans could expect to see new signing Jeremy Jacquet take the field, the manager replied affirmatively: "Yes, my idea is for Ryan, for Florian, for Alex, and even Jacquet to have their first minutes against Leeds. We'll see how many minutes they can play, but we need to start slowly integrating the senior players who have had fewer training sessions.
They should be ready to feature this weekend." The upcoming schedule for Liverpool's pre‑season tour includes: - August 2: Liverpool vs Leeds United – Chicago, 9 p.m. - August 9: Liverpool vs Monaco – Anfield, 2.30 p.m.
- August 16: Liverpool vs Como – Anfield, 6 p.m. These fixtures will give Iraola valuable opportunities to fine‑tune his squad, blend the youthful exuberance of players like Ngumoha with the experience of seasoned internationals, and solidify the tactical identity he wishes to imprint on the team ahead of the new campaign. The Reds' perfect record in the United States thus far underscores a promising start, but the manager remains realistic about the adjustments required to compete at the highest level once the Premier League season kicks off.