International Soccer
Sunderland defeat Wrexham in preseason friendly
Sunderland came out on top of their final preseason friendly match at Subaru Park on Sunday, defeating Wrexham by a 1-0 scoreline. Nordi Mukiele scored the lone goal in the match, assisted by Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey.
Wrexham and Sunderland’s preseason tours in the USA ended with Sunday’s face-off in Chester. Both clubs faced Leeds and Liverpool in the states before the finale between the two British sides. Wrexham owner and Always Sunny star Rob Mac gave a video message before the match, touching on the emotional highs and lows of the sport and the parallels between the struggles and successes of Wrexham and Sunderland as well as his hometown Philadelphia Eagles. With both clubs known in America for their respective docuseries, Mac mentioned that Sunderland ‘Til I Die inspired him to follow soccer and get involved with the game, helping shape Welcome to Wrexham which has been a huge hit amongst Americans. The match was Sunderland’s first ever
in the Philadelphia area, and Wrexham’s second after their friendly against Union II in 2023.
Sunderland were the better of the two teams in the first half. Brian Brobbey was a menace to the Wrexham back line, posting up against the center backs and using his strength to shield the ball.
After being pulled down after being in on goal in the first half, he responded minutes later to set up a goal. Trai Hume played the ball in to the feet of Brobbey, holding off Wrexham’s Dominic Hyam before laying a first time pass off to Nordi Mukiele. Mukiele fired home from a tight angle, beating Arthur Okonkwo to give Sunderland a 1-0 lead in the 40 th minute.
Both teams entered the second half with many changes, rotating heavily and keeping players fresh to finish preseason. Wrexham found their way into the match more in the second half, creating a couple half chances and finding multiple threatening opportunities from set pieces.
Wrexham forced a turnover in their attacking half at the death, but could not convert the chance as Anthony Patterson flew off his line to clear. The final whistle blew, and Sunderland took the victory by a 1-0 score.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson spoke with media after the game. “It was some occasion a few years ago when we were here in a two-hour delay, but yeah today was great,” Parkinson said, referencing the lengthy rain delay in Wrexham’s last match at Subaru Park. “Great conditions and fantastic crowd inside the stadium… it’s been fantastic, the game was a great occasion.
Facing Liverpool at Yankee Stadium, an iconic ground to go to, and we were all kind of blown away by that. Then to come here today, to Rob’s home city, very special one for him to see his team here, great for him as a fantastic follower at the ground today which made it a special atmosphere for everyone here.”
Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien stepped aside to speak with media postgame after helping his side keep a clean sheet against the Welsh opposition. O’Nien was asked about his experience in the United States and playing in Philadelphia for the first time. “I loved it. When the ball was nowhere near me, I was just looking at that beautiful bridge in the background, like this is kind of cool. So yeah, it was really nice,” O’Nien said, full of compliments for Subaru Park. “It’s different to England in terms of the fireworks going off. Every time a firework went off and a goal went in, I poop my pants a little bit every single time. I’m just not used to that stuff. It’s great to meet the American supporters… they’ve been brilliant for us over the last 10 days.”
After getting word of an interaction between O’Nien and a fan in the stands, Philadelphia Soccer Now asked O’Nien about the incident involving a shoe after the match. “How have you heard about The Shoe?” O’Nien exclaimed before explaining himself. “There’s rumors, it’s never been confirmed that as we were going out for the second half through the tunnel, a gentleman was just sitting there. I can’t confirm if it’s the truth or not, but I may have untied his shoe and then tied it
to the railing while he wasn’t looking,” O’Nien elaborated, describing the light-hearted prank he pulled on a Wrexham supporter.
Sunderland’s Luke O’Nien just tied a Wrexham supporters’ shoelaces to a railing while he wasn’t looking.
Absolutely incredible. pic.twitter.com/sfsXazWiGt
— Evan 🐍🛡️ (@SoB_Evan) August 2, 2026
“When I came back in, he asked me to sign it. Listen, they’re rumors. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they’re rumors.”
Update: he has signed the shoe. https://t.co/LmnMMCg3Ml pic.twitter.com/3ZaD0M3IDh
— Evan 🐍🛡️ (@SoB_Evan) August 2, 2026
Sunderland will return to Europe for their final two preseason matches, in action next in France against Lens. Wrexham, on the other hand, will be jumping straight back into competitive action. The Red Dragons will face Middlesbrough this Friday in the EFL Cup, and will play a closed- door friendly on Sunday before their first league match against bitter rivals Cardiff.
Wrexham Lineup
Arthur Okonkwo; Zak Vyner (80’), Dominic Hyam (80’), Callum Doyle (80’), Liberato Cacace
(63’), Daniel Imray (63’); George Thomason (80’), Matthew James (45’), Nathan Broadhead
(74’), Bailey Cadamarteri (45’); Kieffer Moore (63’)
Substitutes
Ollie Rathbone (45’), George Dobson (45’), Sam Smith (63’), Lewis O’Brien (63’), Ryan
Longman (63’), Davis Keillor-Dunn (74’), Max Cleworth (80’), Dan Scarr (80’), Ryan Barnett
(80’), Lewis Brunt (80’)
Unused Substitutes
Aaron James, Danny Ward, Callum Burton, Elliot Lee, Harry Ashfield, Alexander James Moore
Manager: Phil Parkinson
Sunderland Lineup
Robin Roefs (63’); Reinildo (63’), Luke O’Nien (63’), Dan Ballard (45’), Nordi Mukiele (53’);
Habib Diarra (63’), Noah Sadiki (63’), Chris Rigg (63’); Trai Hume (63’), Romain Mundle (45’),
Brian Brobbey (63’)
Substitutes
Jenson Seelt (45’), Nilson Angulo (45’), Jenson Jones (53’), Archie Lightfoot (63’), Timur
Tutierov (63’), Tom Proctor (63’), Jack Whittaker (63’), Leo Hjelde (63’), Alan Browne (63’),
Simon Adingra (63’, 90’), Anthony Patterson (63’), Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi (90’)
Unused Substitutes
Simon Moore, Melker Ellborg, Charlie Dinsdale, Finn Geragusian, Felix Scott, Jaydon Jones,
Ben Kindon
Manager: Régis Le Bris
