A Slow Start, Then Sunderland Take Over
Wrexham actually started the brighter of the two sides at Subaru Park, coming out with real intensity early on. Dan Ballard had to recover well to block one Wrexham effort in those opening exchanges, and for a few minutes it looked like it might be a tricky afternoon for Sunderland. Didn’t last, though. Slowly but surely, Sunderland worked their way into the game — Habib Diarra almost broke the deadlock inside two minutes with a low cutback that Romaine Mundle turned just wide, and by the 12th minute Nordi Mukiele had already forced a save out of Arthur Okonkwo after some good link-up play with Brian Brobbey.
The goal, when it came, was built well. Trai Hume found Brobbey in the box on the half-hour mark, Brobbey held off Wrexham centre-back Dominic Hyam and laid it off, and Mukiele swept a low finish past Okonkwo in the 34th minute to make it 1-0. Wrexham thought they’d responded four minutes later when Nathan Broadhead finished off a Daniel Imray cross, but the flag went up for offside and the goal didn’t stand.
Mass Changes, But Sunderland Hold Firm
Both sides made wholesale changes at the break, and the pattern of the game shifted a bit as a result — Wrexham saw more of the ball in the second half and had their moments, with Phil Parkinson’s side enjoying the better of the closing stretch. Nilson Angulo almost doubled Sunderland’s lead not long after coming on, cutting inside and clipping the crossbar with a strike that had keeper Okonkwo beaten. At the other end, Sunderland’s young back line — thrown into the game amid the raft of substitutions — stood firm and saw out the win, even as knocks picked up by Mukiele and Simon Adingra gave Régis Le Bris something to think about heading into the new season.
What It Means Next
A solid way to wrap up Sunderland’s US tour, even if the overall pre-season results column doesn’t read amazingly — this ends a stretch that included a loss to Leeds and a heavier defeat to Liverpool. Still, an hour of real control against Championship opposition will please Le Bris regardless. For Wrexham, it’s their final warm-up game before returning to competitive action, with an EFL Cup first-round trip to Middlesbrough up next.
Match Summary
Sunderland 1-0 Wrexham Club Friendly — Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania Sunday, 2 August 2026
Goal: 34′ Nordi Mukiele (Sunderland) 1-0 (assist: Brian Brobbey)
Result: Sunderland close out their US pre-season tour with a 1-0 win. Wrexham head into the new season off the back of their final friendly.
For live pre-season friendly scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and fixtures at the official Sunderland AFC website.
