![]() ![]() One team did it the old-fashioned way: through success on the field mixed with savvy merchandising, key partnerships, and constant exposure. versus Wrexham felt less like a traditional soccer match than a clash of ideologies in how to build corporate identity. At the March press conference announcing the game, the moderator didn’t praise Manchester United the team, but did call them “one of the iconic brands in soccer.” Of Wrexham, he noted to McElhenney, seated near the podium, that the game is an opportunity for “penetration of your brand inside the United States.”Īnd indeed, Man U. But promoters of the Man U.–versus-Wrexham match were unusually upfront about the marketing piece of it. The motives for these kinds of games have never much been in question: American fans thirsty for a taste of world-class soccer get a B-level version of it, while European clubs in perpetual pursuit of the American dollar tap into new markets during their offseasons. These include soccer nerds and people who have never before watched the sport. ![]() Thanks to their ownership, the sweet-to-the-point-of-saccharine TV series, and the team’s success in the lower leagues - the pastoral heart of British soccer - Wrexham has attracted huge numbers of new fans in recent months. In 2020, it was purchased by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have turned it into material for the popular FX/Hulu docuseries Welcome to Wrexham (created by, co-executive-produced by, and yes, starring, Reynolds and McElhenney, which debuted almost a year ago). Wrexham is a tiny but historic team from a hardscrabble town in Wales. Manchester United is possibly the world’s most famous soccer club, with roughly 650 million fans. It’s a matchup that wouldn’t have made any sense three years ago. One friendly seemed particularly noteworthy this summer: Manchester United versus Wrexham AFC. Last week, as Messi fever gripped Florida, I witnessed a completely different soccer mania 3,000 miles away in San Diego.įor a couple decades now, Europe’s - particularly England’s - top teams have been visiting the United States for lucrative branding and revenue-generating opportunities - otherwise known as preseason exhibition matches, or “friendlies” in soccer parlance. Photo: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images Not actually Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. ![]()
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