20230426 American States United

"We are a nation that is going to be feared.”

—New U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker 🇺🇸 during his introductory press conference Tuesday. Rog recently sat down for a one-on-one interview with the former Southampton director of football operations to discuss his plans for the USWNT, USMNT, and more. The podcast drops Saturday, so be sure to check back for that special episode soon.

Thoughtful Owners in a Proud Town:

To say it’s a Hollywood ending might not do it justice. At least not based on fan response. Rewatch the amazing scenes that took place when Wrexham AFC achieved promotion to League Two on Saturday, and it would seem a difficult task for any film crew to recreate the emotion and euphoria that played out on the Racecourse Ground pitch in the immediate aftermath of the Red Dragons’ 3-1 win over Boreham Wood.

But Wrexham does have Hollywood to thank. And Philadelphia as well for that matter.

Philly’s own Rob McElhenney 🇺🇸, along with Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds 🇨🇦, have infused more than funds into the club since taking over as owners two years ago. They’ve invested real time and emotion into the team, its players, and the town of Wrexham as well.

Throughout the journey back to league football, McElhenney and Reynolds kept the spotlight on the proud town, not themselves, in such a thoughtful, joyous and humble way. And on Saturday, you watched them, you watched the club, you watched the town, and you were aware that they were making collective memories for generations.

Just watch their class in their post-match interviews. So many American owners of Premier League teams could learn from their empathy, their understanding of the crucial role that British football clubs play in the fabric of their local communities.

So what’s in store for “Welcome to Wrexham” Season 3? How does the club prepare for life in the fourth tier? To start, players have been reaching out to Wrexham directly to offer their services. Former West Brom striker, and Welsh international, Hal Robson-Kanu has expressed interest in playing for the Red Dragons, with the 33-year-old even saying he’d donate his salary to charity.

McElhenney has hit the recruiting trail as well, reaching out to Welsh legend Gareth Bale on social media to see if he’d have any interest in dusting off the boots for a season in North Wales. Reynolds followed up by volunteering to “shave a professional-grade golf course into Rob’s back” if Bale would sign on.

Wales. Golf. Manscaping. A lunatic pitch, but if any ownership group can pull it off, it’s the CONCACAF Duo.

Great Scouse-American Cranks It Up to 100:

Antonee Robinson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 continues to work his magic for Fulham. The 25-year-old from Liverpool was one of the standout performers in Fulham’s 2-1 Premier League Bowl win over Leeds on Saturday, driving the ball up field for the Cottagers’ first goal (WATCH), and then sending in the cross that led to the second (WATCH). He then had another solid outing in Fulham’s tough 1-0 loss to surging Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Robinson, who recently celebrated his 100th appearance with the Cottagers, was also part of Rog’s memorable interview with the four USMNT stars on Fulham and Leeds heading into Saturday’s Americans Abroad showdown. From piano banter to golf snubs, watch the hilarious interview in its entirety here.

Timmy Transfer Talk:

One of our few American World Cup goalscorers to not crotch the ball in or score by accident, Tim Weah 🇫🇷 (23; Rosedale, NY), has been linked to interest from Olympique Marseille by French publication L’Equipe. During a special “Men in Blazers x Here We Go” podcast, Rog spoke with Fabrizio Romano about a potential move from Lille for Weah. Fab had this to say.

🗣 “We can confirm that (Marseille) have an interest. (Weah) is a player that they really appreciate. They will go for that kind of player in the summer. Marseille have different options in that position, but yes, he’s (drawing) interest, especially in Ligue 1, because many clubs can see his progress. Olympique Marseille really appreciate him. I think this is a situation to watch in the summer, because he has many clubs following him. I think it could be a good opportunity in Marseille, the fans are crazy in a positive way, of course, and I think that kind of positive pressure could also help him to develop.”

Download and listen to the podcast here.

News and Notes:

• Chris Richards 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 returned to a Premier League pitch for the first time in over two months on Tuesday, getting the start for Crystal Palace in their 2-0 loss at Wolves. Richards began at right back before switching to center back for the second half, but was impressive in both roles.

• Middlesbrough goalkeeper Zack Steffen 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (28; Downington, PA) had an assist — and an Ederson-esque one at that (WATCH) — in a 3-1 win over Hull last Wednesday. Boro qualified for the Championship promotion playoffs with the victory. Goalkeeping KDB.

• Tanner Tessmann 🇮🇹 (21; Birmingham, AL) had an assist (WATCH) in Venezia’s 4-1 win over Ternana Sunday, and has been instrumental in Venezia’s climb up the Serie B table, where they’re now just four points out of the promotion playoffs.

• Alan Soñora 🇲🇽 (24; Buenos Aires, ARG) made his first goal contribution for FC Juárez with a splendid through-ball assist (WATCH) in their 1-1 draw at Toluca on Sunday.

• Lynden Gooch 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 had an assist (WATCH) for Sunderland in their 2-1 win at West Brom on Saturday. The 27-year-old from Santa Cruz, Calif. has started the Black Cats’ last six matches, with Sunderland getting three wins and three draws over that stretch to climb into the Championship promotion playoff spots.

• Rokas Pukštas 🇭🇷 (18; Stillwater, OK) headed home a goal (WATCH) for Hajduk Split in their 3-1 win over AC Milan in the UEFA Youth League semi finals. The Croatian club fell to AZ Alkmaar in the finals.

Parting Shots:

Mark McKenzie 🇧🇪 scored his first career goal for KRC Genk — a clean first-time finish off a set piece (WATCH) — in the Belgian club’s 2-2 draw at Charleroi on Sunday. The 24-year-old center back from Bear, Del. has helped steer De Smurfen into the Jupiler Pro League playoffs, in which the top four teams have their season points total halved before playing the other teams twice in order to determine the league winner.

American States United Referral Program - BIG LOVE from us to you 🇺🇸🙌🍻

Like a perfectly struck corner kick, our newsletter referral program is the ultimate assist. Invite your mates to read the American States United newsletter and together we'll tackle the world of our 🇺🇸 men and women abroad. As a thank you, you can earn rewards from the Men in Blazers universe, including an exclusive red, white, and blue logo patch and our Umbro x Men in Blazers socks inspired by the iconic ‘94 World Cup kit. Men in Blazers is based on community and word of mouth and we are immensely grateful to you for helping grow it.