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Manchester United to face Wrexham AFC in exhibition at Snapdragon Stadium

A soccer net and ball is set up on the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium, Sept. 16, 2022.
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KPBS
A soccer net and ball is set up on the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium, Sept. 16, 2022.

The famed English soccer team Manchester United will play in San Diego for the first time Tuesday night, facing Wrexham AFC, the fourth-tier Welsh club owned by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, in an exhibition at Snapdragon Stadium.

Manchester United will field what football director John Murtough called a youth-focused team drawn from its traveling squad supplemented by academy prospects.

Manchester United defeated fellow English Premier League team Leeds United, 2-0. in Oslo July 12, French side Lyon, 1-0, in Edinburgh, Scotland July 19 and Premier League club Arsenal, 2-0, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday on its preseason tour.

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Manchester United will play two more exhibitions in the United States on this tour, facing Spain's Real Madrid in Houston Wednesday and Germany's Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Wrexham AFC plays in the EFL League Two. It was founded in 1864, purchased by McElhenney and Reynolds in 2020 and the subject of the 2022 Hulu/FX documentary series, "Welcome to Wrexham."

Wrexham AFC is 1-1 on its inaugural tour of the United States, losing 5-0 to Chelsea of the Premier League Wednesday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and defeating LA Galaxy II of the third division MLS Next Pro on Saturday in Carson. It will conclude its tour Friday against Philadelphia Union II of MLS Next Pro at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The 7:30 p.m. game will be televised in English by ESPN2 and in Spanish by ESPN Deportes.

The Metropolitan Transit System has direct service to Snapdragon Stadium via the Green Line Trolley. Trolleys will depart Stadium Station a minimum of every 15 minutes for an hour after the event, with additional shuttles available as needed until crowds diminish.