Published on July 20th, 2023 by Inside Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Peter Jones has been watching Wrexham matches since 1966, attending as many as he could in that span.
He’s traveled the world to watch his favorite club, visiting many countries in Europe for nearly six decades. Jones became a historian in the process as he wrote a book last year titled “Wrexham AFC 1864-2022 – History Only Tells The Story.”
So, of course, when it was announced that Wrexham would face Chelsea in Chapel Hill for its first international match, Jones wasn’t going to miss this chapter of Wrexham’s progression.
“I’ve very rarely missed a game — home and away,” Jones said.
UNC hosted its first ever international soccer match on Wednesday in front of a sold out Kenan Memorial Stadium. Chelsea won the preseason friendly 5-0 against Wrexham.
Wednesday’s historic event gave UNC football’s home the look and feel of a soccer game.
The fans that typically walked around wearing Carolina blue were instead donning blue Chelsea jerseys and red Wrexham jerseys. The Bell Tower still peeked outside of the stadium, but rather than the yard markers on the turf, new boundaries and boxes were traced on the fresh grass that was installed last week.
Many fans even rocked the jersey for former Chelsea athlete Christian Pulisic, an American midfielder who transferred to AC Milan a week before the match.
Wrexham had a fan-stand set up outside the Bell Tower, with cutouts of the team’s owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The culture around the game also had its differences, from the pregame ceremonies to the ways in which fans cheer on their clubs.
“A lot of chants and things like that for American football, but it seems like English football has a lot of singing and fans in unison, which is a little a little different, but neat to see,” one local fan said.
North Carolina still had its own presence throughout the day. Long-time women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance and former UNC soccer athlete Jenny Chiu addressed the crowd at halftime to acknowledge the momentous occasion. Rameses paraded around the Chelsea fan-stand and made his rounds on the field during the match.
Chelsea represented the Premier League — the highest level in the English league system — on Wednesday with a resounding victory.
Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen scored both of the game’s first-half goals. He cut outside the defense for his first one, receiving a pass from his teammate Nicolas Jackson. For his second make, Maatsen got into some give-and-go action, quickly passing the ball to Carney Chukwuemeka before relocating to scoring position and netting the shot.
The club had three players each score a goal in the second half, completing the commanding victory. Each score livened the crowd of locals and foreign visitors.
“I think it was amazing,” Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said after the game. “We really enjoyed it.”
Members of Wrexham’s club learned a bit about UNC’s history in the days it spent in Chapel Hill. The team toured some of the athletic facilities that have housed iconic North Carolina athletes over the years.
“In England and Wales, you don’t have the kind of sporting facilities in our universities as you’ve got here,” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said. “I think the lads were shocked, well we all were, when we saw the size of the stadiums.”
Chapel Hill was the first stop for Wrexham in a four-game U.S. Tour. The team is flying to California to play games in Los Angeles and San Diego. It will then head to Philadelphia for its final stop of the tour.
Jones, a long-time fan of the team, will also make every stop in that tour. He saw Wrexham’s most viewed match in the 1970 FA Cup against Liverpool, which reported more than 54,000 spectators.
Jones and those he was with flew into New York for Wednesday’s match. They stayed two nights there and two more in Philadelphia before taking a 10-hour train ride to Durham, and they made their way over to Chapel Hill.
UNC took part in Wrexham and Chelsea’s historic day, a moment shared with those in the local community and around the world.
“50,000 here today to watch a preseason friendly, which is unbelievable,” Jones said. “Never experienced anything like this.”
Jeremiah Holloway 