Wrexham star James McClean appeared to aim a subtle dig at Chelsea’s Levi Colwill after their scrap on the pitch during a pre-season friendly.
The match was friendly in name only, as the veteran Irishman and young Blues defender clashed within minutes of kick-off in their encounter at the Levi’s Stadium – home of NFL side San Francisco 49ers.
England international Colwill reacted to an early challenge from McClean, with the pair going shoulder-to-shoulder off the ball.
It led to a bit of a fracas, with Colwill grabbing McClean by his shirt and the pair grappling in the middle of the field with just 122 seconds on the clock.
The scenes then escalated as players from both teams and even Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson got involved after sprinting out from the technical area.
After the scenes petered out, both players avoided bookings and the two British clubs shared the spoils, with League One Wrexham holding the Premier League giants to a 2-2 draw across the pond.
Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring for Chelsea in the first-half, before goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott put the north Wales club ahead, with the Blues needing a late equaliser from Lesley Ugochukwu to salvage a draw.
But McClean couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at his Chelsea rival with a social media post the day after the match.
Posting a selfie from Sugarrays boxing gym in Vancouver, the former Wigan and Stoke star posted: “No pushing or shoving here – proper fighting.”
Wrexham are currently enjoying their second pre-season tour of the United States since their takeover from Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds and Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney.
Branded the ‘Wrex Coast Tour’, the Welsh side are celebrating their back-to-back promotion success with friendly games in Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the US.
Plus, they’re making a trip north of the border to Vancouver, Canada – Reynolds’ home city.
4
4
4
The club’s women’s team are also playing a series of matches in LA and Portland.
Wrexham have enjoyed a decent pre-season so far, beating non-league side Hanley Town 5-1 before a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth and 2-2 draw with Chelsea in California.
They play Major League Soccer outfit Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada on Sunday, before returning home to host Fleetwood Town at the Racecourse Ground on August 3.
Parkinson’s men then begin their League One campaign against Wycombe on August 10, as Wrexham look to consolidate their position in the third tier of English football.
Or, who knows, maybe even go for three straight promotions to reach the Championship.