Photo: Humphrey Bolton / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Liverpool concluded the Chicago portion of their pre-season tour and travelled to Nashville on Friday, where they will face Sunderland at GEODIS Park in their opening summer fixture.
The squad's stay in Chicago drew a steady presence of supporters outside the team hotel throughout the week. Among notable sightings was professional basketball player Tacko Fall, who stands at 7ft 6in, also in the building.
On the training pitch, manager Andoni Iraola ran lengthy and intense double sessions. "All the players try to give absolutely everything to try to understand what exactly he wants and to do the right things inside the pitch," said Kostas Tsimikas, who has returned from loan this summer.
Iraola confirmed at a press conference that the touring group would be joined by Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in the coming days.
Stefan Bajcetic, who last played a competitive match in May 2024, trained alongside his teammates on Thursday as he continues his recovery from long-term injury and received applause from the squad. Giovanni Leoni, rehabilitating from a long-term ACL injury, was also present doing laps and exercises at the facility, as was Hugo Ekitike, working on the perimeter while managing a ruptured Achilles. "All good," Ekitike said when asked about his condition.
Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who recently signed a new contract with the club, also featured during the week's sessions.
Liverpool's match against Sunderland will be played at GEODIS Park in Nashville — the largest soccer-specific stadium in the USA and Canada. The squad arrived in Tennessee shortly after 6pm local time on Friday.