Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham AFC defeats hometown Whitecaps 4-1 in Vancouver

Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds watched Wrexham AFC take down his hometown VancouverWhitecaps4-1 on Saturday night at BC Place.

Wrexham, a third-tier Welsh club co-owned by Reynolds and popularized by the Welcome to Wrexhamdocuseries, made its first trip to Vancouver.

The match was played in theWhitecaps' stadium and was officially a neutral-site international friendly, but many of the 34,738 fans were decked out in red and white jerseys and scarves, happy to see Wrexham pull out a win.

Sebastian Revan, James McClean, Elliot Lee and Jordan Davies scored for Wrexham, while Giuseppe Bovalina replied for Vancouver. Wrexham led the shot 10-4 (6-3 on target).

Fresh off his whirlwind press tour for the movie Deadpool & Wolverine,which opened in theatres Friday, the Vancouver-born Reynolds took in the match from a box along with his Wrexham co-chair, Rob McElhenney.

The win was Wrexham's first on its weeklong 2024 Wrex Coast Tour,following a pair of draws against Premier League sides Bournemouth and Chelsea in California.

Amid early back-and-forth action, Ali Ahmed came close to putting theWhitecapson the board first in the 22nd minute. He created a point-blank chance off a steal that was saved by Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo.

Wrexham's goal came after Revan fired the ball past Vancouver 'keeper Isaac Boehmer after a tidy cross from Andy Cannon was deflected to him by Lee.

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Whitecapscoach Vanni Sartini received a yellow card caution after the goal.

Both teams made extensive substitutions during the second half, with theWhitecapslooking ahead to Leagues Cup action in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson continues to assess his roster ahead of his squad's debut this August in England's League One.

Okonkwo left with a clean sheet after the first half, replaced by Mark Howard. Boehmer exited in the 62nd minute with one goal allowed as Joe Bendik took over.

Vancouver drew even in the 55th minute when Pedro Vite popped the ball loose to Ahmed, who fed Giuseppe Bovalina for the shot.

In the 68th minute, a wide-open McClean paced a perfect header past Bendik as Wrexham re-took the lead. Lee followed up in the 71st minute before Davies closed out the scoring in the 82nd minute.

'A little bit of a mismatch'

Sartini acknowledged that his side was not at full strength on Saturday, but said the experience of playing on real grass, instead of B.C. Place's usual artificial turf, was good for his players.

"The classic thing that sometimes happens in preseason they put all the experienced players, we put all the young players," he told reporters after the game. "And there's a little bit of mismatch, and at the end it is what it is."

Parkinson said playing against the Whitecaps was great exercise for his team as the players shape up for the upcoming season, especially when it comes to playing with different tactical systems.

"I've never been to this stadium before and the crowd, the fact that they sold the bottom tier and had that to maximum capacity, made it great energy in the ground," he said after the game.

The Whitecaps told CBC News that34,738 people attended the game on Saturday.

Wrexham returns to The Racecourse Ground in Wales to finish out its pre-season against Fleetwood on Aug. 3. The Red Dragons will host the Wycombe Wanderers for their League One debut on Aug. 10.

After visiting LAFC, Vancouver hosts Club Tijuana in Leagues Cup action at BC Place on Aug. 3.