Wrexham have confirmed that seven former Premier League players will join them for a pre-season competition this summer, including former Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa.
Phil Parkinson’s side recently secured their second successive promotion after finishing second in the League Two ladder – just four points behind champions Stockport County.
Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny have since celebrated their success by treating their players with an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas.
But their team will be back in action sooner rather than later. In fact, the Red Dragons will enter a team in next month’s TST 7-a-side tournament in Cary, North Carolina, under the name Wrexham Red Dragons.
Their squad will feature a mix of first-team players, legends and friends of the club, including current Wrexham coach David Jones, and former striker Lee Trundle.
After a successful inaugural edition in 2023 – which saw Wrexham win all three group games before exciting in the knockout stages – the competition has been expanded to 48 teams, with the winner receiving a $1 million prize.
And the League One club have already confirmed that seven former Premier League players will feature for the club in America as they could potentially come up against Hashtag United, Serie B’s Como 1907 and Luis Nani’s Nani FC.
So who will feature? You can see the full squad list HERE, but the following former Premier League players will take part, according to the official TST website.
David Jones – Manchester United, Derby County, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic, Burnley and Sheffield Wednesday.
George Boyd – Stevenage Borough, Nottingham Forest, Hull City, Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday, Peterborough United, Salford City and Scotland Men’s National Team.
Roger Espinoza – Sporting KC, Wigan Athletic and the Honduran National Team.
Gary Hooper – Celtic, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday.
Bradley Johnson – Northampton, Leeds United, Norwich City, Derby County, Blackburn Rovers and MK Dons.
Elliott Bennett – Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Shrewsbury Town and Bury.
Maynor Figueroa – Wigan, Hull City, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Victoria and Olimpia.
Kettering Town midfielder Dan Jarvis will once again feature for Wrexham after he scored two hat-tricks in last year’s tournament, while first-team pros Aaron James and Jake Bickerstaff will make their TST debuts.
TST will take place at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina from June 5-10.
The 48-team men’s field will commence with group play on June 5-6, with teams being split into 12 groups of four. Thirty-two teams will emerge from the group stage to the knockout rounds, beginning on June 7.
TST’s round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place on June 8, and the two semifinal matches will be played June 9.
Both the men’s and women’s events will conclude in a winner-take-all championship doubleheader on June 10, with a total of $2 million in prize money being awarded.
