Dominik Szoboszlai during a Liverpool training session in the US
Dominik Szoboszlai during a Liverpool training session in the US
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Liverpool underwent an open training session at Chicago Fire’s facility on Friday as Andoni Iraola put his players through their paces ahead of Sunday’s friendly with Leeds United.
The Reds will conclude their pre-season tour of the United States after the game at Soldier Field, with Iraola looking to make it three straight victories on the trip having already beaten Sunderland in Nashville and Wrexham in New York.
Liverpool have been based in Chicago for the last fortnight and opted to fly into Nashville and New York in a move designed to maximise training time for the players, who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing campaign last time out when they finished fifth.
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Alexander Isak, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz all took part in the first session ahead of their first appearance of the summer this weekend and Federico Chiesa was involved once more having missed Wednesday’s game through illness.
Jeremy Jacquet remained absent, however, and he is not expected to feature against Leeds while Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley watched from the sidelines. Iraola confirmed on Thursday he expects Gomez to miss the opening game of the campaign, against Newcastle United on August 23, with a muscle complaint but the defender has not flown home for treatment and remains with the group Stateside.
Jacquet, a £60m signing from Rennes this summer, was in the gym with fellow centre-back Giovanni Leoni as the pair look to work their way back to full fitness. Leoni suffered an ACL injury last September, while Jacquet hasn't played a minute since a season-ending shoulder issue in February.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 23: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jérémy Jacquet of Liverpool during a training session at Endeavor Health Performance Center on July 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Jeremy Jacquet was missing from Liverpool training in Chicago(Image: Getty Images)
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The decision to stay in one city and treat the travelling like a European schedule was approved prior to Iraola’s appointment in early June, it’s understood.
But Iraola’s exacting methods are having the desired effect with Dominik Szoboszlai opening up about the intensity of the sessions in a press conference on Thursday.
“I think the intensity what we need, it’s here now,” Szoboszlai said. “What we have been missing, it’s back from the coach side, from the players’ side as well.
“So now we have to put this together with the quality of the players we have and I think it’s going to be quite nice.”
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool FC speaks during a press conference in Chicago
Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool FC speaks during a press conference in Chicago(Image: Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Szoboszlai was all smiles with Curtis Jones during the hour-long workout following their on-pitch disagreement at Yankee Stadium at full time. It's been suggested the interaction centred around the captain's armband in the Bronx, which was worn by Kostas Tsimikas on the night after Szoboszlai was substituted.
The exchange went viral across social media on Thursday but there was clearly no bad blood between the pair as they repeatedly joked around during the session.
Meanwhile, the afternoon was overseen by the president of Fenway Sports Group, Mike Gordon, who is set to attend the game and meet Andoni Iraola for the first time.
The American executive, who is the day-to-day runner of the club, is planning to catch up with Iraola for the first time since the new head coach was appointed in early June.
The influential Gordon took a step back from acting as the operating owner of Liverpool over two years ago when FSG took the decision to restructure in the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s departure.
Tom Werner, chairman, Mike Gordon, president of Fenway Sports Group and John Henry, principle owner of Liverpool and his wife Linda Pizzuti Henry pose for a photograph with the Premier League trophy, May 2025(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Gordon has always been widely regarded as the most hands-on of the Fenway group but moved back to allow Michael Edwards the freedom to take charge in his role as FSG’s CEO of football, a bespoke job title that was created for him to return to the club in 2024.
But following Edwards's departure, which came after plans to start a multi-club model within FSG's portfolio were shelved, Gordon has become a more prominent figure once more at Anfield.
Gordon enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Klopp during the German's decorated nine-year stint at Anfield and speaking to the ECHO in New York earlier this week, former CEO Peter Moore explained why the FSG chief's return to the fold can only be considered a positive.
"Look, you've got to steady the ship and so Mike has been in that role for the best part of 16 years, since the club was taken over," Moore explained in an exclusive Blood Red podcast. "When New England Sports Ventures, which then b ecame FSG took over, Mike was going to be the 'operator'.
"I reported to Mike and even though he was 2500 miles away in Boston, he was always available, he wasn't short of opinions and he knew everything that was going on at the club at the time in both Chapel Street (club's city centre offices), Melwood as it was at the time and Anfield.
"So Mike coming back, there's no start-up period for Mike Gordon coming back, it's exactly what needs to happen. I think Mike was desperate at that point (in 2024) to maybe take step back and spend more time with family but the moment Michael intimated it was not working out for him, Mike starts easing his way back into the fold."
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