Latest news with #JamesMcClean
1News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Wrexham captain on potential signing of All Whites defender
Wrexham AFC captain James McClean says the players will welcome All White Liberato Cacace with open arms, if the New Zealand defender completes a reported move to the Welsh club. The two previously crossed paths when the All Whites and the Republic of Ireland battled out a 1-1 draw in 2023. 'In my last ever Ireland game, we played New Zealand and he played that night,' McClean told Breakfast. 'I know he did quite well at [Italian side] Empoli last season, but I wouldn't say I know very much more than that." Mclean said he looks forward to the competition new players at the club bring. ADVERTISEMENT 'This club's moving forward all the time - the more you go up the divisions, the better players you're going to sign. 'If he does sign, we'll welcome him with open arms like we always do, and we'll relish the competition for places because it's only healthy.' All White Liberato Cacace (left) and Wrexham AFC captain James McClean (right). (Source: Photosport/Getty) Cacace previously played for the Wellington Phoenix, adding an extra level of intrigue ahead of their pre-season friendly tomorrow. Wrexham skipper McClean has enjoyed the welcome extended to the side in the capital 'It was incredible, we got to see and embrace the culture here. 'For me, it was a great experience to see the haka up close and personal for the first time here.' ADVERTISEMENT The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a Wellington house fire, the UK lowers the voting age, and the Obamas joke about divorce rumours. (Source: 1News) He admitted he was still surprised by the global level of support the Welsh club has generated. 'Obviously, we know the support in America, given the owners and where they're from, but to come over here and see the fanbase and the support and how big it is, it just shows you where this club is at. 'It's massive worldwide.' Watch the Phoenix take on Wrexham live and free on TVNZ+ and TVNZ2 from 4.30pm
Leader Live
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Danny Ward happy to be back in Wrexham's starting XI
A product of the academy at The Racecourse, Ward rejoined the Reds last month after leaving Leicester City. After coming on for the second half in the 3-0 win against Melbourne Victory during the first game of the pre-season tour Down Under, the Wales international was back between the posts from the start on Tuesday as Wrexham suffered a 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC. Before he made the switch Liverpool in January 2012, Ward made one competitive appearance in the Welsh Cup against Airbus in December 2011 and the 32-year-old was delighted to be back in the starting XI in front of more than 40,000 fans at The Allianz Stadium. He told the club's YouTube channel: 'It's a lot different surroundings to where I would have been a long time ago. 'It was a really good feeling. It feels like it's been a long time coming, and it's very surreal. "The club I left a long time ago has completely changed now. 'Coming to an arena like this, the other side of the world and drawing a crowd of over 40,000, being a part of that… I think it was a brilliant occasion and I'm really proud about it." Wrexham took an 18th minute with an own goal from a James McClean free kick and after Ollie Rathbone limped off, there was a further blow for the Reds on the stroke of half-time when Sydney levelled. Parkinson made 10 changes on the hour mark before the A-League side grabbed the winner but Ward felt it was another good work-out in the Reds' build-up to the new Championship campaign which kicks-off against Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday August 9. "A lot of the boys got 60 minutes under their belt which is the main part of pre-season," said Ward. "It is to get ourselves up to that level of fitness where we can start to compete. "Apart from Ollie getting a knock, coming through that is another step in the development to get to that match fitness. "It is difficult for boys to come on then for the last 30 minutes with lots of changes. "Credit to Sydney as well, they put in a real shift. Showed some flashes of some real nice stuff and pressured really well. "All-in-all, a good workout and something which will hold us in good stead going into Wellington." MORE WREXHAM AFC NEWS Former Wrexham striker Andy Mangan takes up new role at Brazilian club Botafogo. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson hopes injured players are close to a return Wrexham have moved onto New Zealand for the final game of the tour where they will face Wellington Phoenix at The Sky Stadium tomorrow morning (6.30pm kick-off). "The manager is big on getting us to integrate and get back to what has made Wrexham successful over the last few years," added Ward. "There will be new players like myself where you forge new relationships on and off the pitch so these games are huge for that sort of chemistry.. "We are looking forward to what I am sure will be a tough game in Wellington, hopefully another big crowd and another good test for us."
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Wrexham Australia/New Zealand tour diary, part 3: CEO Williamson on merchandise sales, sunsets and bungee jumping
Wrexham's tour Down Under has moved on to New Zealand after nine days in Australia, where Phil Parkinson's side beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 but then lost 2-1 against a youthful Sydney FC. Saturday's match with Wellington Phoenix will complete a trio of fixtures against A-League opposition as the countdown continues to Wrexham's Championship campaign, which begins at Southampton on August 9. Advertisement To keep fans across what's going on in Australia and New Zealand, The Athletic is publishing a diary of the tour with key members of the travelling party. After manager Parkinson gave his thoughts in part one and then captain James McClean did the same in part two, today's final instalment comes from CEO Michael Williamson. There's a definite 'pinch me' element to the tour, certainly with the support the club enjoys on the other side of the world. We played Sydney tonight in the Allianz Stadium, and the crowd was 40,242 — a record for a club football match at this venue. On the back of the game in Melbourne attracting 37,000 fans through the turnstiles and almost 30,000 tickets having been sold for the final tour game in Wellington at a 35,000-capacity stadium, this is phenomenal support. We're not playing Chelsea, unlike the two recent North America tours, or Manchester United, as we did in 2023. I've honestly lost count of the number of people who have come up to me and said, 'Thank you for bringing Wrexham here.' So, so many. All I can say in reply is, 'No, it's me who should thank you for supporting us.' The turnout — and not just at the matches, I'm talking the kit launches and other promotional events — shows how the storytelling element of Welcome to Wrexham resonates over here as much as anywhere. As a show, it's as much about the people of Wrexham as it is the football club. People such as Wayne Jones, the landlord of The Turf. He's out here with us, and you can see the connection the fans have with Wayne. At the stadium, they all wanted to meet him and visit the pop-up version of his pub. No one likes to lose, even in a friendly, as we did tonight against Sydney. But the sea of red in the stands really did make for a memorable sight. I liked the stadium. A proper English-style football stadium with seats close to the pitch. Advertisement Melbourne's Marvel Stadium had fantastic facilities — the experience in and around the venue was great — but the sightlines were pretty long because it was built for another sport, Australian rules football. In contrast, Sydney was perfect for match-watching. The home team performing really well also created a bit of a buzz. We bid 'farewell' to Sydney today, moving on to Wellington, our final tour destination. We're partnered with Tourism New Zealand on the final leg, and they've really gone out of their way to help promote Wrexham. Before moving on, I'd like to thank everyone in Sydney for an amazing few days. We had a great time, including a truly memorable evening river cruise hosted by Sydney FC, where we took in all the famous sights, such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, to the backdrop of a truly stunning sunset. Even the locals said it was one of the most spectacular sunset evenings they had seen. A post shared by Michael Williamson (@tenspromike) On the retail side, Australia proved rewarding. This is the first year of our new global distribution deal, and my understanding is that every Macron/Wrexham product in Australia had sold out as we left Sydney. There was literally nothing left. Driving from the hotel to the match last night, I could believe it — so many people were on the street wearing Wrexham kits that it felt like we were back in Wales, outside The Racecourse Ground. Amazing. There are obviously two sides to selling out all the stock that was shipped to Australia (a separate consignment went to New Zealand). First, it underlines the incredible demand. Two, in future, it shows the orders need to be bigger. That's a great thing. Before we flew out there, no one knew exactly how the Australia and New Zealand market would pan out. There were orders placed by Ultra Football, orders placed by the promoters and Macron. Advertisement These orders were progressive but conservative, if that makes sense. No one wants to be stuck with a bunch of inventory. But the sales on the tour — and we've still got the New Zealand leg to come, remember — mean we can say to all parties next time around, 'You need to place larger orders'. It's too early to talk exact sales figures but we've already outperformed the sales from the two previous tours to the United States and Canada. And, don't forget, we played some big Premier League teams in 2023 and 2024. Our first full day in Wellington and what an incredible welcome we've had. The players are training at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation & Sport, and they've really gone out of their way to make us feel at home. The training pitch, for instance, has been renamed The Racecourse for our visit, while the dressing room has pictures of The Turf, and every player has their squad number and photo on the lockers. We were all treated to something special before training, with a haka being performed on the pitch. What an incredible sight. I'd love to see us implement that as a pre-match thing in the Championship. Can you imagine how intimidating Jimmy McClean would be for the opposition when performing the haka before kick-off? I'm aware the impression I'm probably giving is that life on tour is a glamorous affair. But it's also a very busy one, especially when 12,000 miles from home as we are at the moment. I've had many a night working until 2am since we got here. It might be phone calls to agents about players, or maybe the staff back in Wrexham. There are a million different things that need dealing with, especially emails. I'll find myself getting to sleep at 2.30am and then, thanks to the time difference with the UK and also the U.S., waking up at 7am to see my inbox full once again. Advertisement But that's the job. The football world doesn't stop just because we're on the other side of the world. What I do like about being on tour is we're all in the same place. If we need, say, a quick 10-minute chat about a potential transfer, then Phil Parkinson is right here so we can sit down and go through things. There have been a few of those meetings with Phil and his staff in the early hours since we flew out. We're 11 hours ahead of the UK so, once again, there's plenty to catch up on overnight from back in Wrexham. It's also good to hear what the two Bens — Foster and Tozer — have been up to. The two former players are both out here as ambassadors for the club and doing a bunch of fun things with the tour promoters. Last I'd heard, they were high-speed boating down a rapids river, but now it seems there's a bungee jump planned. On hearing this earlier, I was even happier the two Bens had joined the tour as, otherwise, it'd probably have been me and Shaun Harvey doing the bungee!
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wrexham beaten by Sydney FC in pre-season
Wrexham continued their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand with a 2-1 defeat by A-League side Sydney home side took control of the game in the opening stages with Sydney FC threatening Danny Ward's goal on a couple of a nervy opening, Wrexham broke the deadlock through captain James McClean's delivery into the penalty area, which was turned in by Sydney midfielder Corey began to build momentum following the goal, however, last year's Player of the Season Ollie Rathbone was withdrawn before half-time after picking up an apparent leg the wake of a controversial no-handball decision, Sydney FC equalised from a corner on the stroke of initial header was saved from summer signing Ward, but the rebound was converted from close range by defender Alexandar Popović.Wrexham applied pressure to start the second half, with the wing pairing of Ryan Barnett and McClean continuously putting dangerous crosses in the penalty box for the Red Dragons narrowly missed the chance to retake the lead through the combination of substitutes Ryan Longman and Jack Marriott as they were denied by an emphatic save by Harrison later Sydney took the lead through a beautifully finessed shot from just outside the 18-yard box by youngster Joe struggled to create chances after falling behind, failing to break down the disciplined Sydney FC defence as they suffered a first loss on the tour Down conclude their tour against Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium on Saturday, 19 July (06:30 BST).Parkinson's side start their 2025-26 Championship campaign at Southampton on Saturday, 9 August (12:30 BST).They will host West Bromwich Albion in their first home league fixture of the new season a week later (12:30 BST).
Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Wrexham vs Sydney FC: Live Stream Men's Club Friendly, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Looking to watch your favorite Welcome to Wrexham players? You're in luck on Tuesday as CBS Sports Network will air a club friendly between Wrexham and Sydney FC. What will happen when these teams clash? Tune in Tuesday morning to find out. James McClean of Wrexham AFC applauds after the team's victory in the match between Melbourne Victory and Wrexham AFC at Marvel Stadium on July 11, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. James McClean of Wrexham AFC applauds after the team's victory in the match between Melbourne Victory and Wrexham AFC at Marvel Stadium on July 11, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo byHow to Watch Wrexham vs Sydney FC Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Time: 5:30 AM EDT Channel: CBS Sports Network Stream: Fubo (Try for free) Wrexham is coming off a second-place finish in League One, which has earned the team a spot in the second tier of English football next season, the Championship. It's the first time it has played at the second level since the 1981-82 campaign. The investment from Ryan Reynolds and the newly-renamed Rob Mac has helped this team reach unexpected heights. Can the team defy all odds this season and earn a spot in the Premier League? Wrexham's most recent match was on July 11, a 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory. Sydney FC is a team in the top league in Australia, the A-League Men. The team was seventh in the league standings in the 2024-25 season, winning 10 of its 26 matches. Considering how Wrexham disposed of a Melbourne team that finished ahead of Sydney, it's going to be an uphill battle for the team to get the upset over Wrexham on Tuesday. Welcome to Wrexham airs on FX. Fubo subscribers can watch Tuesday's game live, and then can stream on-demand episodes of Season 4 of the show as well. Live stream the Wrexham vs Sydney FC game on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
