The Welsh soccer team with closer ties to Hollywood than any other will be taking its talents to Southern California this summer.
Announced as part of its three-game “Wrex Coast Tour” on Thursday, Wrexham AFC will play at Harder Stadium on the campus of UC Santa Barbara on July 20. The stadium, home to UCSB’s men’s and women’s soccer teams, seats about 17,000.
“To be part of the Wrex Coast Tour, and host Wrexham AFC and AFC Bournemouth here in Santa Barbara is hugely exciting,” said UCSB Director of Athletics Kelly Barsky. “The partnership is a special one as part of our mission in athletics is to serve and connect a deeply engaged community. To bring high caliber soccer to Harder Stadium, long referred to as Soccer Heaven, on our UC Santa Barbara campus with teams that share a focus on serving the community is truly exceptional.”
In the Santa Barbara match, Wrexham will take on AFC Bournemouth of the English Premier League, whose lineup features “Captain America” Tyler Adams, who captained the United States Men’s National Team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Wrexham has gained fanfare in the U.S. due to its star-studded ownership group. The club, Wales’ oldest professional soccer team, was purchased in 2020 by a group led by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The pair’s ownership has spawned a popular FX docuseries, “Welcome to Wrexham,” which follows the club’s journey through the English football ranks.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
Immense success has followed the team in the years since the purchase. Just this month, Wrexham secured promotion into League One, the third tier of soccer across the pond, and just two levels down from the EPL. Wrexham was in the fifth tier when Reynolds (“Deadpool“) and McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia“) bought the club.
The Santa Barbara match opens the three-game West Coast tour for Wrexham. In the days that follow, the team will take on EPL-side Chelsea in Santa Clara and the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS in Vancouver.
According to UCSB, tickets for the Santa Barbara match will be on sale for the general public at noon on Thursday.