FeatureUSA tour diary: The Open champion, a special Szoboszlai selfie, Mr. Beef and more from Chicago
Published7 hours agoBy Chris Shaw
Our first Liverpoolfc.com diary entry from the Reds’ 2026 pre-season tour of the USA recaps a day of travelling across the Atlantic on Monday.
For a small group of media staff travelling out from Manchester Airport slightly in advance of the Reds squad leaving Merseyside, it is a very early alarm call after a short nap. We had to stay up for the World Cup final, though, right?
Or multiple alarm calls, to be precise; I set up around a dozen on my phone to reduce the risk of sleeping in. Mission accomplished. With a yawn or two, and a real yearning for a cup of tea, our journey to the Windy City, as Chicago is known, is under way. Exciting.
- Buy tickets for the Reds’ three USA pre-season gameshere
As body and mind begin to wake up, we find ourselves mingling with familiar faces from the football fraternity in the airport. The sight of Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray shuffling past us as we wind through the security area alerts us to the presence of the Championship outfit. They are off to Portugal this week. Also spotted are League Two’s Port Vale.
After making our connection at Heathrow, off we go now towards America for real. “Smooth skies,” lay ahead, the pilot assures us. Fingers crossed. “Chicago, here we come!” enthuses one young passenger near me. Too right.
My personal pre-packed entertainment options include the gripping documentary World War II with Tom Hanks and, very fittingly given our destination, the latest series of Chicago-based drama series The Bear. Both are highly recommended.
Other fellow passengers include Ryan Fox, newly crowned winner of the 154th Open golf championship at Royal Birkdale, and the Claret Jug trophy he lifted on Sunday. Not a bad piece of luggage for the New Zealander.
A 31-player initial travelling squad boards their flight from John Lennon Airport. A journey of around eight hours’ duration awaits Andoni Iraola’s men over the Atlantic Ocean to the Midwestern of the States. It’s going to be a first visit to Chicago for the club since 2014.
Just far how away is the state of Illinois? Well, we asked the lads that geographical poser before take-off and you can see how they fared in the video above. Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai are partaking in some card games with several of the younger members of the squad, including Luke Chambers, Bailey Hall and Will Wright.
Those of us in the earlier party touch down at O’Hare International Airport and are greeted by spots of rain as we disembark. Border Control wave us through – phew (!) – and even indulge in a little chat about Spain v Argentina. Everyone has World Cup fever, it seems.
That inclement welcome at the airport proves to be a red herring as we steadily move towards our hotel near Lake Michigan – sunshine appears and the temperature is humid. Along the journey, we go by Mr. Beef, the real-life restaurant spot that is the inspiration in the aforementioned The Bear. Love that.
The Reds have arrived in the States.
After a meal inside the hotel, the next order of business is a stretching session for the players to limber up after the flight, followed by a walk nearby, ahead of their on-pitch training resuming on Tuesday. One local fan’s day is made when he suddenly spots that ‘my favourite team!’ are strolling the streets.
In keeping with that theme, we were witness to a special impromptu selfie in the hotel. With Szoboszlai heading up to his room for the evening, he was, by chance, joined in an elevator by a family of Liverpool supporters staying here too. Their request for photographs is happily obliged by the No.8. And it turns out the mum is celebrating her birthday, too. “It’s my lucky day,” she beams afterwards. How lovely.
A good morning from Chicago, where breakfast chatter is largely centred around each individual’s sleep quality overnight and related level of jet-lag. For me, it was a challenge. One unnamed colleague takes great pleasure in telling me he, by contrast, slept brilliantly…
Another walk is on the agenda for the squad, this time heading down towards Lake Michigan. En route, another Reds supporter realises his heroes are in the vicinity. “Curtis Jones, what the hell!” he declares in delight at seeing the Scouser in-person, bringing a laugh from Jones and his teammates.
A busy day is ahead, with Iraola set to speak to the media at a press conference in the afternoon, ahead of a training session. Liverpoolfc.com, of course, will have photos, footage and news from both to come.
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