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It may be a game played in San Diego, but Manchester United’s upcoming pre-season game against Wrexham is a game made in Hollywood. Erik ten Hag’s men will take on Phil Parkinson’s Red Dragons in the Welsh side’s first appearance in the United States.

It’s yet another example of the influence star owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney wield, including the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson’s involvement in the video announcing the matchup.

Naturally, it’s not very often that the Reds take on a non-league team, unless they’re up against a potential banana-skin cup. By the time the current season comes to a close, Wrexham may have re-established themselves in the Football League, with them sitting first in the National League at the time of writing. But the news is the perfect opportunity to look at United’s record against the minnows of the soccer world, and it’s not quite as brilliant as you might expect.

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In February 1949 Yeovil Town became the second non-league team to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, winning a tie against United at Maine Road. It turned out to be more than comfortable, with an 8-0 win for the Manchester Reds.

It certainly wasn’t so easy in 1953, when lowly Walthamstow Avenue won a famous replay thanks to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Ultimately, the tie would be settled by a 5–2 margin when the teams met again, but this match marked the ordeals United would face whenever non-league teams called.

Jumping forward to 2005, Exeter City won a replay, frustrating United in their own patch to hold on to a 0-0 draw. The third round tie was just about the biggest upset of the FA Cup, as Exeter missed many chances to at least take the lead, while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes failed to influence play once from the bench.

In the lucrative rematch for the non-league club, it would take goals from the Portuguese star and Wayne Rooney to finally defeat an energetic Exeter side, in a season that saw United reach the final, only to lose 5- 4 on penalties against Arsenal. .

Just a year later, lightning struck twice. Burton Albion welcomed United in the third round, forcing another 0-0 draw against a team containing the likes of Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Premier League giants made light work of the conference side as Albion made the return trip to Old Trafford. A 5-0 win sent Burton’s magical run into the history books and glossed over the real scare United had been given along the way.

The most recent ‘David vs. Goliath’ contest involving United came in 2011, when Crawley Town clinched the dream cup draw in the fifth round. While 93 places separated the teams in the pyramid, it was just a 27th-minute header from Wes Brown that decided the game. 9,000 Sussex supporters watched their side nearly earn a late equalizer as Steve Evans’s side demonstrated why they were destined for the back-to-back promotions that awaited them soon after.

So Wrexham has nothing to fear by looking through the history books, not that its famous owners allow such sentiments to thrive. The pre-season contest is sure to be a celebration of the work done in Wales, while also presenting a valuable opportunity for Ten Hag to sample some new blood in his ranks.

But United will have to take it seriously. A win for the Dragons, and with the money behind them, a movie will probably be made about it by the end of the year.

Until next time: