Tag: Chelsea Vs. Wrexham

Premier League Trophy makes its way across the pond to UNC basketball team

European soccer is the gold standard for professional soccer. The Premier League trophy, won by England’s best-performing club, made its way to the UNC basketball team Thursday.

Last summer was a pretty historic one at Kenan Stadium, as UNC’s home football venue hosted a Premier League soccer match for the first time ever.

For those who are wondering, the Premier League is the United Kingdom’s top tier of professional soccer (or, as they call it in Europe, football).

Chelsea, the 6-time Premier League Champions, faced off against the Ryan Reynolds-owned Wrexham club. It was a one-sided affair, with Chelsea winning 5-0, but an historical event in which the Tar Heels should be proud of hosting.

Premier League soccer returns to Kenan Stadium this summer, as 10-time league champion Manchester City will face off against Scottish club Celtic FC on Tuesday, July 23. Manchester City is the most successful European team of late, winning the past four Premier League titles.

To help generate hype for the event, the Premier League trophy made its way to Chapel Hill.

The trophy’s first stop on campus was at the Dean Dome, with several Tar Heel basketball players and coaches taking pictures with it on Thursday, June 13.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8KhaIUJEdT/?img_index=1

If you scroll through the Instagram slide show, you’ll notice North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, star transfer addition Cade Tyson, projected starting center Jalen Washington and several assistant coaches, including 2005 National Champion Sean May.

Just a few months after Manchester City and Celtic FC clash, the UNC basketball team will open its 2024-2025 season on Monday, Nov. 4 against Elon.

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Twitter reacts to UNC hosting Chelsea-Wrexham

Fans from all over packed Kenan Stadium on Wednesday, July 19 for the historic Chelsea-Wrexham match. See how people reacted on Twitter.

Wednesday was a historic day at UNC’s Kenan Stadium, as it hosted Chelsea-Wrexham for the first-ever professional soccer match in its 95-year history.

Normally covered in Carolina Blue for Tar Heel Football games, Kenan was decked out in English soccer gear. There were team shops for both squads on the main concourse, Chelsea and Wrexham banners donning the lower bowl, plus the 50,000+ fans in red, white and blue – several from out-of-state – packing the stands to watch an English power go up against a mighty, up-and-coming squad.

The match did not disappoint. Wrexham kept things close early, going into halftime down just 2-0 and even earning a couple of solid scoring chances in the box, but ultimately ended up losing 5-0.

It almost felt like a home-field advantage for Chelsea – nearly everywhere fans looked, they saw royal blue. Despite the thousands of “Let’s Go Wrexham” chants, Chelsea fans roared after each of their five goals.

UNC should evaluate the impact of Chelsea-Wrexham and the benefits of hosting such a historic soccer match. Wednesday night was certainly a success and hopefully, it paves the way for other opportunities.

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Chelsea-Wrexham match delivers an epic night in Kenan Stadium

UNC hosted the first-ever stateside matchup between Chelsea and Wrexham, and fans got their money’s worth—a look inside the historic game.

July 19th, history was made as Kenan Memorial Stadium opened its doors to a sold-out crowd with 50,596 in attendance for the first-ever stateside meeting between Chelsea and Wrexham.

As fans lined up at the gates for the doors to open, high-fives and chatter filled the void of waiting. The temperature was perfect, with Carolina blue skies in 80-degree weather with a nice breeze.

Once doors opened, it was on as fans poured in the entrances rocking dark blue for Chelsea and red for Wrexham; it felt like Kenan Stadium was under attack by UNC in-state rivals. However, a Tar Heel chant broke out, echoing louder than UNC’s bell tower, to end any color alliance.

The game started with the national anthem performed by North Carolina’s oldest cappella group with current and alums members of the UNC Clef Hanger. The coin toss was as particular as the atmosphere, with North Carolina’s women’s soccer coach, Anson Dorrance, doing the honors of the game’s ritual coin flip.

Fans were greeted with an early treat as Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen got things going early with a goal before the three-minute mark. The thrill continued throughout the first period as fans cheered at fast breaks, held their breath for lob passes, and booed refs for suspect calls. Before the half was over, Maatsen scored his second goal to give Chelsea the 2-0 lead.

The quick 15-minute half-time show, or lack of one, did not bring the house down, but that did not waiver the energy in the second half.

Despite both teams going scoreless in the first 35 minutes of the second period, fans still found ways to erupt, whether due to a sweet pass or insane crossover. At the 81 minute, the blue sea erupted again with Conor Gallagher’s goal to give Chelsea the 3-0 lead. Chelsea added salt to injury by tacking on two more goals in the 89th and 90th minute to push the lead to 5-0.

Fans stayed seated and cheered until the end, even with the shutout on the horizon.

Chelsea would go on to win 5-nil. The excitement would not end there as men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis and football coach Mack Brown presented the Man of the Match to Maatsen, voted by the fans.

It is no telling if UNC will get another chance to host such an event, but with the atmosphere brought tonight by fans, it would be hard not to.

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