VANCOUVER — What a week it has been for Ryan Reynolds.
Back in his hometown of Vancouver following a whirlwind press tour for the movie "Deadpool & Wolverine" — which opened in theatres on Friday — the co-chair of Welsh third-tier side Wrexham AFC watched his team deliver a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
At the international friendly at BC Place, many of the 34,738 fans in attendance were decked out in red and white jerseys and scarves, cheering enthusiastically for players such as Ollie Palmer and Jordan Davies who they’ve come to know through the popular FX docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini, untroubled by the final result. “This tells you the power of storytelling. Wrexham tells a story with the documentary, with how people get behind the thing even if they’re so far apart, even if they’re not soccer fans or whatever.”
After starting their weeklong "Wrex Coast Tour" with draws in California against Premier League sides Bournemouth and Chelsea, Wrexham closed out strong win a decisive win.
“You can see Vancouver, they've got some real talented players out there in terms of intelligent footballers,” said manager Phil Parkinson. “The rotations are good. They can turn sharp on the ball. And I thought it was a great exercise for us to deal with that kind of rotation all over the pitch.”
The game matched up an MLS squad in midseason form against a Wrexham side that is two weeks away from making its debut in England’s League One, following back-to-back promotions.
“It’s been three really tough games for us,” said Wrexham midfielder George Evans. “We've learned a lot defensively. I think even today. It’s been a great preparation trip for us, and we know it's gonna be a tough season, League One. Feeling ready.”
Sebastian Revan, James McClean, Elliot Lee and Jordan Davies scored for Wrexham, while Giuseppe Bovalina replied for Vancouver. Wrexham led the shots 10-4 (6-3 on target).
Revan scored the only goal of the game’s first half, firing the ball past Vancouver 'keeper Isaac Boehmer after a tidy cross from Andy Cannon was deflected to him by Lee.
After substitutions began in earnest on both sides in the second half, Vancouver drew even in the 55th minute when Pedro Vite popped the ball loose to Ahmed, who fed Giuseppe Bovalina for the shot.
In the 62nd minute, Boehmer made way for Joe Bendik in the Whitecaps net. Six minutes later, a wide-open McClean paced a perfect header into the net. Lee followed up in the 71st minute and Davies closed out the scoring in the 82nd minute.
“At minute 60, we were 1-1 and probably had more chances than them,” Sartini said. “Then, the classic thing that sometimes happens in pre-season — they put in all the experienced players, we put in all the young players, and it’s a bit of a mismatch.”
With a number of regulars absent or seeing limited minutes, the Whitecaps signed six players from their second team to short-term agreements ahead of Saturday’s game. Defender Finn Linder was featured in the starting lineup, and all six saw match action.
“I told them at the end, take the applause,” Sartini said. “It’s also for you guys.”
Wrexham co-chair Rob McElhenney has accompanied the team on the entire North American tour. He was also in the box beside Reynolds on Saturday.
And while the Red Dragons have grown accustomed to the scrutiny that comes with being documentary subjects, Parkinson admits they might play with a little extra zest when both their owners are watching them live.
“We’ve got to be up for every game because there’s always a spotlight on us,” he said. “Obviously, Ryan's been incredibly busy with his movie and the PR for that. But you know, if they say they're going to be somewhere, they're there.
“I think that was fantastic that Ryan was here today, being his home city. Enormous credit to him to make sure he was here today.”
Former Whitecap and current Canadian national team captain Alphonso Davies also took in the match from a box.
With a successful North American tour now wrapped for a second consecutive year, Wrexham now returns to The Racecourse Ground in Wales to finish out its pre-season against Fleetwood on Aug. 3. The Red Dragons will host the Wycombe Wanderers for their League One debut on Aug. 10.
After they visit LAFC for a Leagues Cup group stage match on Tuesday, the Whitecaps will host Club Tijuana in Cup action at BC Place on Aug. 3.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2024.
Carol Schram, The Canadian Press
