Wrexham Unveil 28-Man U.S. Tour Roster While Three Players Face Exit

Wrexham Unveil 28-Man U.S. Tour Roster While Three Players Face Exit

Wrexham have announced a 28-player squad for their upcoming three-game tour across the United States.

The Red Dragons depart Wednesday morning ahead of a fixture against Leeds United in Tampa on Saturday. Phil Parkinson's men will then face Liverpool in New York the following Wednesday before meeting Sunderland in Philadelphia the Sunday after in their final scheduled preseason game.

Parkinson has already indicated that Wrexham's Carabao Cup first-round tie against Middlesbrough will essentially function as an extra preseason outing ahead of the new Championship season. That fixture could offer potential first appearances for any summer arrivals, though the club has yet to complete its first signing of the transfer window.

Wrexham's U.S. Tour Squad

Josh Windass applauding.

The touring squad is largely similar to the group that finished seventh in the Championship last season, with a number of key players returning from spells on the sidelines.

Max Cleworth, Ben Sheaf and Josh Windass have all made the trip after sitting out the first two preseason friendlies with minor knocks, while Liberato Cacace is also included having been given extra time off following New Zealand's participation at the World Cup.

Wrexham anticipate all four players being available for the Leeds United clash this weekend, though Elliot Lee and Ryan Longman are both set to miss that game through injury.

Lee had appeared to have played his last match for the club when he was omitted from the squad that beat Manchester United after featuring against Wisła Kraków, but he could still make an unexpected appearance during the U.S. tour.

The midfielder remains likely to depart Wrexham later this summer and is not the only player whose future seems to lie elsewhere.

Ryan Hardie misses the tour due to a thigh strain and has been informed he is free to seek a new club. Conor Coady is also absent despite appearing in Wrexham's opening two preseason games. The former England international spent the second half of last season on loan at Charlton Athletic and is expected to depart on another temporary basis, with his salary making a permanent move difficult. Seb Revan has not featured in any game this summer due to injury and is also anticipated to leave before the window closes.

Position

Players

Goalkeepers

Burton, Okonkwo, Ward.

Defenders

Brunt, Cacace, Cleworth, Doyle, Hyam, A.James, Scarr, Vyner.

Midfielders

Ashfield, Barnett, Dobson, M.James, Lee, Longman, A.Moore, O'Brien, Rathbone, Sheaf, Thomason.

Attackers

Broadhead, Cadamarteri, Keillor-Dunn, K.Moore, Smith, Windass.

What Phil Parkinson Said

Phil Parkinson pictured during the game between Wrexham AFC and Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.

Speaking after naming his touring squad, Parkinson said: "It's great today that we've got Windass, Sheaf, Cacace and Max all back involved in a practice match, which they needed because, clearly, when Saturday comes around, we're expecting all of them to get some minutes.

"Ryan Longman will be back in full training once we get to America. He's just had a minor issue. Ryan Hardie, unfortunately, is going to miss the tour. He picked up a thigh strain, which is a blow for him.

"Elliot Lee has a small injury, but he's going to join the trip because we feel he should be in contention for the second match. Equally, we want to keep Elliot with us because physically he's in good condition and, even if he doesn't get many minutes out there, it will be important for him to keep training and maintain his fitness levels.

"There are still players on slightly different schedules. Cacace is just a little behind Dom [Hyam], who got his 45 minutes at the weekend. Cacace stayed back here and had an intense training session. Windass has been back on the grass throughout last week and joined full training this week, so we'll assess him closer to kickoff.

"Sheaf has trained this week too, so the plan is to give those players some minutes at the weekend. But we'll get through the next few days first and see how everyone is when we arrive in Tampa.

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"Planning is really important, but that's down to myself and the rest of the coaching staff to ensure everyone is ready for whatever minutes they're given. Equally, players need to be pushed because when we return we'll go straight into the Middlesbrough game, and then nine days after that we've got Cardiff away."

Date

Opponent

Venue

July 25

Leeds United

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

July 29

Liverpool

Yankee Stadium, New York

Aug. 2

Sunderland

Subaru Park, Philadelphia

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