Photo: Steffen Prößdorf / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Liverpool continued their pre-season tour across Chicago and New York last week, with the squad returning to action following the World Cup and preparing to face Wrexham at Yankee Stadium.
Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz all rejoined training in Chicago after their involvement at the World Cup earlier in the summer. Their first session back included a finishing drill, with Isak drawing attention for a scissor-kick that struck the post.
"I want to be more of a leader now for the team," Gravenberch said in an interview at the end of the Illinois training day.
During a morning session at Chicago Fire's training facility, former Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski — who joined the MLS club in June — was spotted finishing a session on an adjacent pitch. The Polish forward acknowledged the travelling Liverpool media party with a wave before leaving.
The tour party moved to New York ahead of the Wrexham fixture, landing at LaGuardia Airport to preparations for a pre-season match at Yankee Stadium. Club legends Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Phil Thompson were also part of the travelling group, with comedian and Liverpool supporter John Oliver joining them for an Empire State Building visit.
On Monday morning, reports circulated among media staff that rock musician Bon Jovi had been signing autographs outside the team hotel. Bon Jovi had headlined a show at Madison Square Garden the previous evening, with Bruce Springsteen also reported to have appeared on stage.
Tuesday's schedule centred on Liverpool's away kit launch, held at The Refinery near the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. The Empire State Building later lit its peak in Liverpool's club colours to mark the occasion.
The squad flew from Chicago to New York on Wednesday morning after thunderstorms disrupted travel on the eastern seaboard the previous day, landing in the city shortly before lunchtime ahead of the evening match against Wrexham.