Despite being in the English football league system, Wrexham is becoming must-watch TV for soccer fans in the United States. The Red Dragons currently play in the fifth-tiered National League in England’s soccer setup. However, thanks to Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and the popularity of Welcome to Wrexham, the team is being followed closely here in the United States.
Wrexham’s historic FA Cup run
It’s safe to say that Wrexham’s FA Cup run this season has been enthralling so far. The Welsh club made it past Championship side Coventry City in the third round by a score a of 4-3. The match featured some incredible goals, a sending off, and nearly a late collapse by Wrexham.
Nevertheless, the Red Dragons advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup to face Sheffield United last weekend. Much like the previous matchup with Coventry, the Sheffield United game was thrilling. The two sides played out to a 3-3 draw, with each team scoring in the final minutes of the match. A replay of the fixture is set to be played on Tuesday, February 7th live on ESPN+.
ESPN says Wrexham-Sheff Utd dominated interest levels
As all FA Cup matches are streamed on ESPN+ here in the States, fans were able to watch Wrexham in action. And they came in droves.
Although the viewing numbers for the Wrexham against Sheffield United FA Cup game are not publicly made available, World Soccer Talk has learned that the game was a hit.
Wrexham-Sheffield United was the most followed soccer game by users across all of ESPN’s digital platforms, including ESPN.com and the ESPN App, according to an ESPN spokesperson.
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Other soccer games on the day included: Brighton versus Liverpool (FA Cup), Real Madrid against Real Sociedad (LaLiga), PSG-Reims (Ligue 1), Napoli-Roma (Serie A) and Bayer Leverkusen versus Borussia Dortmund (Bundesliga).
The upcoming FA Cup replay between Wrexham and Sheffield United will surely be another hit for the sports network. Along with catching Wrexham’s cup matches on ESPN+, fans in the States can also sign up to watch their league games as well.
Similarly, soccer fans in the United States can get the Disney Bundle, which includes ESPN+ (for Wrexham FA Cup games), Hulu (to binge the Welcome to Wrexham series) and Disney+ for the rest of the family.
No wonder ESPN is continuing to promote the club, including appearances on SportsCenter and NFL programming.
Photo: Imago
