Fans across US unite in Chapel Hill for British soccer brawl between Chelsea, Wrexham

The summer before starting medical school in 2005, Manny Patel volunteered at a displaced persons camp in Uganda.

The year before, Didier Drogba, a striker hailing from the Ivory Coast, signed with Chelsea FC — becoming one of the few players from Africa to reach the Premier League at the time.

Drogba’s popularity, along with Chelsea’s, among the kids in the camp became evident to Patel. He began to listen to the team’s games over the radio with them and slowly fell in love with soccer and the team.

“The way I look at Chelsea, for me it’s an outlet,” Patel said. “There’s always something to look forward to when I get up in the morning on a Saturday or Sunday, turning on the TV, having a cup of coffee and watching Chelsea play.”

Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Patel was surrounded by a different kind of football culture: American, both college and the NFL. Now, he checks Chelsea Reddit threads first thing in the morning and even co-hosts a podcast called “Chelsea Against the World.”

He also traveled from his home in Nashville to Chapel Hill to watch the Blues take on Wrexham AFC — a friendly scheduled on both team’s preseason American tours.

Photos: Chelsea FC defeats Wrexham AFC in long-awaited match at UNC’s Kenan Stadium

Chelsea and Wrexham, teams from London and Wales, respectively, haven’t played each other since 1982. On Wednesday night, they met in Chapel Hill, bringing fans from around the country and across the world, together for a bit of British soccer (or football, if you dare) on American soil.

Patel’s co-host, Simon Zuckerwise-Causton, grew up just outside of London. Unlike his partner, he’s been a Chelsea fan his entire life. Upon moving to Nashville 4 1/2 years ago, he joined Middle Tennessee’s official Chelsea supporter group, Music City Blues, which Patel was already involved in.

“There are supporters groups anywhere you go in America, which is quite surreal for an English person to see, but it’s also really, really cool and welcoming,” he said. “There’s a lot of very, very passionate people.”

‘Welcome to Wrexham’ spurs popularity in US

Zuckerwise-Causton also attended the game, his first USA tour contest since moving to the States. He said it has been a lifelong dream to watch Chelsea here, especially because they’re playing Wrexham — a team with a large American fan base.

Wrexham’s popularity in the U.S. is thanks to celebrity duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who bought the club in 2021 before releasing a Hulu documentary series, “Welcome to Wrexham,” in August 2022.

Within four weeks of the show’s release, the team’s social media following increased by 19.2% and its retail website saw 185,289 visitors. Wrexham went from just missing the National League — four leagues below Chelsea in the Premier League — play-off in the 2020-21 season to earning promotion to EFL League Two in 2022-2023.

The people of Wrexham and the story of the club inspired fans from around the world, especially in the U.S. Those from before and after the documentary’s release mixed at Kenan Stadium, all bringing a level of excitement and pride that can exceed that of teams several leagues above them.

“I think Americans are passionate about their sports. When they decide to get into a team they really get into them, they do their research, they look at the history,” said Wrexham native Rob Roden. “There’s passionate support there, which really marries well with the existing fan base because Wrexham fans are known to be passionate.”

Roden traveled to the game from his home in Melbourne, Florida, and calls himself and other displaced Wrexham fans “Wrexpats” — a fitting combination of Wrexham and expats. He said there was no way he would miss an opportunity to see his “little hometown team” in the U.S.

“I guess I kind of feel somewhat of an ambassador for the club, being a Wrexham native,” he added. “This is my opportunity to help spread the word, do my part to make sure that people have a good image of Wrexham and a good experience of Wrexham and want to keep coming back for more.”

Paul McCord is one of the many fans who was drawn in by the documentary series. Since watching it when it came out, he’s gone from a soccer bystander to calling himself a Wrexham “fanatic.”

In fact, he even visited the town in February with his wife and 9-year-old son. The experience only affirmed their newfound love for the club and inspired them to take yet another trip to Chapel Hill, following the team from there to San Diego and Philadelphia.

“My son lined up outside the locker room there and every Wrexham player that walked by signed his autograph, said hello, got a picture with him,” he said. “You know they took the time that pro athletes tend not to take and they spent time just getting to know us in their own way. The players themselves were as magnificent as the people were.”

Soldout game in North Carolina

Even Chelsea fans fell for Wrexham and the inspiring story of a small-town team breaking barriers and livening up an entire population.

Crissie Hall grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and has been a Blues fan since was she 9. A member of the Hampton Roads Blues supporter group, she attended the match from Virginia Beach. She was looking forward to the fan experience, from both ends of the field.

“Of course you are always excited to see other Chelsea fans, but you can’t help but love Wrexham and their whole story and how they were just recently promoted,” she said.

All 51,000 tickets for the match at UNC were sold within four days of their release, showing the power of both international fan bases as well as their dedication, pride and passion.

While soccer is not the most popular sport in the U.S. — that spot goes to American football — it’s growing. If Wrexham’s rise and a chock-full Kenan Stadium has exemplified anything, it’s that the sport has the potential to expand even more.

“Going to soccer matches here, there is a camaraderie even with fans of the opposing teams because we know our fan base isn’t as big as it is for American football or baseball,” Hall said. “Everybody just gets really excited that we’re seeing a live match.”