Liverpool continued their winning start under new head coach Andoni Iraola with a 1-0 victory over Wrexham at Yankee Stadium in New York on Thursday. Rio Ngumoha scored the decisive goal in the second half as the Reds made it two wins from two during their United States pre-season tour ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Liverpool had opened their pre-season with a victory over Sunderland in Nashville before travelling to New York. Wrexham provided a tougher test after recently beating both Manchester United and Leeds.
Liverpool Beat Wrexham 1-0 in New York
The match remained goalless through the first half, with Liverpool creating their clearest opportunity through Harvey Elliott. Stand-in captain Dominik Szoboszlai, who was forced to operate at centre-back following Joe Gomez’s injury against Sunderland, picked out Elliott, who then supplied Josh Abe. However, former Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward kept out the resulting effort.
Iraola made four changes at half-time, including bringing Ngumoha into the game. The teenager eventually made the difference with 15 minutes remaining.
Rio Ngumoha Scores Decisive Goal
Ngumoha drove towards the centre of the Wrexham defence before seeing his effort take a deflection and loop into the net. The goal proved enough to give Liverpool their second consecutive pre-season victory in the United States.
Wrexham had an opportunity to equalise late in the match when Kieffer Moore found himself with a chance from close range, but he was unable to finish. Liverpool subsequently held on for the win.
Iraola Says Liverpool Still Have Work to Do
Despite the positive result, Iraola believes Liverpool are still adapting to his footballing approach. Speaking to the club’s media after the match, the new Reds boss said the team looked more solid and collective than in their previous outing against Sunderland.
“I think we’re still not there [showing his identity].”
Iraola also pointed to the narrow pitch and limited space in New York as factors that made the game different from the Sunderland fixture. He said Liverpool would gradually get closer to his preferred style as more senior players returned to the squad.
The Liverpool manager is currently working with a group that includes several young players, while senior members of the squad are only beginning to return to training.
Wirtz, Gravenberch and Isak Set to Return Against Leeds
Liverpool are expected to welcome several senior players into their pre-season plans when they face Leeds in Chicago on Sunday. Florian Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak have already started training in Chicago after early exits from the World Cup.
Iraola confirmed that his intention is for the trio to make their first appearances of pre-season against Leeds. New signing Jeremy Jacquet could also receive his first minutes for Liverpool, although the manager will determine the playing time for each player based on their preparation.
“My idea is for Ryan [Gravenberch], for Florian [Wirtz], for Alex [Isak], for even Jacquet to have their first minutes against Leeds.”
The Liverpool boss stressed that the returning senior players would need to be integrated gradually after having completed fewer training sessions with the squad.
Liverpool Pre-Season Fixtures
Liverpool’s next pre-season fixture is against Leeds in Chicago on August 2. The Reds will then return to Anfield for matches against Monaco and Como before the start of the new campaign.
The victory over Wrexham gives Iraola a perfect start to his first pre-season tour as Liverpool head coach, although the Spaniard has acknowledged that the team still needs time to fully reflect his tactical identity.
