Wrexham's players are not resting on their laurels after their promotion heroics last term as they prepare for a tour of the US with a mouth-watering pre-season programme.
The Red Dragons experienced a fairytale promotion last season, winning the National League to gain a place back in the EFL after a decade and a half away. Given the Welsh outfit's Hollywood ties through owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, their journey during the previous campaign was followed by supporters around the globe.
The historic club was brought to the attention of the wider public stateside and beyond by the raw of the club's enthusiastic chairmen and the chronicling of the club's fortunes in the form of TV show "Welcome to Wrexham" last year. After beating nearest challengers Notts County to the title in dramatic circumstances last season, the club will embark on a victory-lap tour around the US in the next month.
The whistle-stop trip will see Phil Parkinson's team take on Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United, with dates versus MLS Pro League opposition LA Galaxy II and Philadelphia Union II also in the diary. In the case of the latter fixture, the exhibition match will see "It's Always Sunny" funnyman McElhenney take Wrexham to his beloved Philly for the first time.
Understandably, boss Parkinson is putting his players through their paces now ahead of their blockbuster clashes out in the US, with two behind-closed-doors matches already having taken place after the squad reconvened following a summer break. As it stands, the former Sunderland manager is eager to ensure that each of his players are fit and ready for the demands of the tour.
Speaking to Wrexham's club website ahead of their first game in America versus Chelsea on July 19, he said: "Obviously it's a different preseason because of the lengths of the breakaway and the games we've got over there, so we've adapted our preseason programme leading into that slightly.
"Both the games we've had are going to be behind closed doors like today, an in-house game and next Saturday behind closed doors. The reasons for that are just that we want to control the minutes of every single player so we make sure that we go to America in the best possible shape.
“The profile of these games is obviously a different level in terms of the anticipated attendance and also the experience of being in America where the club, through the documentary, has been well received, and we're looking to take that a step further with our performances on our travels."
Goalkeeper Ben Foster admitted that the demands of pre-season are "brutal", with his teammates having been put through their paces by head coach Parkinson and his staff in recent days, adding he was "glad to be an outfield player". He told BBC Sport: "They're getting put through their paces, everybody's running, working hard but the spirit is good. I think we're just really excited for the start of the season but we're four weeks away now and need to put the work in.
"We're looking forward to getting this week out the way and then getting out to America for a couple of weeks. They're [his teammates] running all over the place. They're moaning, they're tired and you can't blame them because it just takes it out of you.
"You are constantly tired, constantly stiff but it's the way that it goes - you know what to expect. Thankfully, the lads have been moaning a little bit but they've just cracked on."
