Wrexham match suspended as stars forced to take cover inside concourse due to extreme weather including lightning

IT’S not always sunny in Philadelphia, as Wrexham found out last night.

The League Two side, co-owned by Always Sunny star Rob McElhenney, concluded their US tour with a trip to Philly to face the Union’s second team at Subaru Stadium.

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Lightning struck as Wrexham’s pre-season friendly was delayed[/caption]

Alamy

The match resumed in brutal conditions[/caption]

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A fan waves a flag despite being urged to retreat to the concourse[/caption]

The match kicked off in uncomfortably hot, sticky conditions.

And when a storm rolled into Philadelphia, fans were urged to take shelter in the concourses and avoid their exposed seats due to threat of lightning strikes.

Rather than abandon the match, players and staff were made to be patient, waiting for the storm to pass.

After a two hour delay , players finally returned to the pitch -undergoing a short warm-up before getting back to action.

The second half finally kicked off at around 11pm local time.

During the break, Wrexham fans still found a way to have a good time in the concourse.

While taking shelter, supporters sang songs and made use of the refreshment stalls in order to stay entertained.

The match had been level at 1-1 as the players made their way in after the opening 45 minutes.

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Tom O’Connor gave the League Two new-boys the lead on 42 minutes, pouncing on a loose ball following a set-piece.

Phil Parkinson’s side weren’t in front for long, with Jeremy Rafanello deflecting a free-kick beyond a wrong-footed Ben Foster.

After the extended half-time break, Parkinson made 11 changes to his side – with the match going on to finish 1-1.

Ahead of the match, Philadelphia-born McElhenney described his excitement at seeing Wrexham play in his hometown.

He tweeted: “A dream comes true for me tomorrow.

“Thank you @Wrexham_AFC @PhilaUnion and the entire city of Brotherly Love!!! Wow.”

Parkinson, meanwhile, was just happy not see a repeat of the incident that saw star striker Paul Mullin puncture a lung against Manchester United.

On his side’s US tour, he said: “It was a great experience for our guys to play four different teams this summer and face new things.

“We wanted to get through tonight with no injuries and we did that.”

In addition to beating a young Man United side 3-1 and drawing last night – Wrexham triumphed 4-0 over LA Galaxy’s second team but lost 5-0 to Chelsea.

They are set to kick-off their first League Two campaign since 2007-08 by hosting MK Dons at the Racecourse Ground next Saturday.

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Wrexham fans did their best to enjoy themselves in the concourse[/caption]

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A thunderstorm struck on a hot, sticky evening in Pennsylvania[/caption]