Phil Parkinson: Wrexham's US tour 'part of the journey'
- Published
Wrexham striker Paul Mullin and goalkeeper Ben Foster walk out at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina
Manager Phil Parkinson says he could never have imagined that Wrexham would be playing a pre-season game in front of 50,000 fans.
The Dragons face Chelsea in the first of four games in the United States.
The Welcome to Wrexham documentary with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has seen the club gain a huge following.
"Last year we were playing Nantwich Town in our first official pre-season game and now we're playing Chelsea," Parkinson said.
"Me and Shaun [Harvey, advisor to the board] were saying that when we both came on board that we didn't expect two years later to be playing in front of 50,000 people.
"It's got that surreal feel to it but it's part of the journey of Wrexham, the profile of the club and what the owners have created.
"It's been an enjoyable journey for everybody. We loved last year and getting promotion but it's now fully focused on the season ahead.
The National League champions take on Chelsea at Chapel Hill, North Carolina during the early hours of Thursday, 20 July (00:30 BST) as part of the 2023 FC Series.
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Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy will be their opponents at Dignity Health Sports Park in California on Sunday, 23 July (03:30 BST).
Manchester United at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego follows on Tuesday, 25 July (03:30 BST).
The tour concludes on Friday, 28 July (00:30 BST) against Philadelphia Union II, co-chairman McElhenney's home city.
Parkinson believes the tour, and playing in front of big crowds, will help the club ahead of their return to the Football League.
"It's always good for players to play in front of big crowds, expectations, because as the season goes on the pressure mounts for all teams vying hopefully at the top of the table," he said.
"It's always a good indicator how the players react to those pressure games.
"Last year in the FA Cup we played Coventry and Sheffield United, high profile games for us.
"I thought they were great benchmarks for what was to come towards the end of the season when the pressure really mounted in those crucial games we had to win to get promotion."