CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz celebrates with team-mate Ifeanyi Ndukwe (R) after scoring the second goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz celebrates with team-mate Ifeanyi Ndukwe (R) after scoring the second goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Liverpool twice conceded from Leeds‘ long throws in a timely reminder of their work in progress in pre-season, with a 4-2 defeat ending their USA tour.
Liverpool 2-4 Leeds
Pre-Season Friendly (3) | Soldier Field | August 2, 2026
Goals
Chambers 7′ (assist: Kerkez)
Wirtz 40′ (assist: Frimpong)
Aaronson 60′
Calvert-Lewin 72′
Longstaff 73′
Calvert-Lewin 85′
Wirtz and Isak start for first time under Iraola
After they were deemed not ready for involvement against Wrexham, both Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak were named in the starting lineup against Leeds.
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's players line-up for a team group photograph before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. Back row (L-R): goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Trey Nyoni, Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, captain Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander Isak. Front row (L-R): Florian Wirtz, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's players line-up for a team group photograph before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. Back row (L-R): goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, Trey Nyoni, Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, captain Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander Isak. Front row (L-R): Florian Wirtz, Kieran Morrison, Rio Ngumoha, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It was an otherwise ‘familiar’ side for this pre-season, with a makeshift centre-back duo of Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Luke Chambers, a midfield pairing of Dominik Szoboszlai and Trey Nyoni and wide support from Kieran Morrison and Rio Ngumoha.
Jeremy Jacquet missed out for a third time as his fitness continues to be managed, but Ryan Gravenberch was named on the bench.
Stefan Bajcetic and Wataru Endo are both nearing a return but neither will be considered until Liverpool are back on Merseyside later this month.
Wirtz scores in comfortable first half
It didn’t take Liverpool long to take the lead against their Premier League opposition, but the opening goal came from an unlikely source in left-back turned centre-back Chambers.
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Luke Chambers scores the first goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Luke Chambers scores the first goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Szoboszlai lifted a corner into the front post, it was flicked on by Milos Kerkez and not dealt with by the Leeds defence, allowing Chambers to hammer in unchallenged from close range.
Andoni Iraola has already suggested a number of the academy players involved could be retained as part of his squad this season and it would no surprise if the reliable, versatile 22-year-old is one of those kept around.
Though much of the first half was disrupted by stoppages in play, including an injury to Leeds‘ Gabriel Gudmundsson, there was a fluency in Liverpool’s play through Wirtz in particular.
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz celebrates with team-mate Kieran Morrison (R) after scoring the second goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz celebrates with team-mate Kieran Morrison (R) after scoring the second goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Wirtz capped his planned 45 minutes with a well-taken goal, arriving first to thump in Jeremie Frimpong‘s volleyed cross after the right-back was found by Nyoni’s searching ball.
Half-time: Liverpool 2-0 Leeds
Squad depth and set-piece issues made clear
There were four changes at the break with Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Lewis Koumas and Federico Chiesa coming on as Nyoni, Wirtz, Ngumoha and Isak made way in four pre-planned changes.
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Trey Nyoni during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Nyoni’s 45 minutes in midfield only further enhanced his reputation ahead of the campaign proper, with the 18-year-old likely to figure prominently in Iraola’s plans – particularly as Liverpool lost control without him.
Unfortunately Leeds grabbed a goal back on the hour mark, with a mistake from the under-pressure Kerkez giving away possession and allowing Brenden Aaronson to score.
More changes came with just over 20 minutes to play – with Szoboszlai handing Jones the armband after their heated argument on the pitch last time around – and Leeds soon went 3-2 up through goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sean Longstaff.
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch (R) react to conceding his side's fourth goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
CHICAGO, USA - Sunday, August 2, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch (R) react to conceding his side's fourth goal during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United at Soldier Field. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
An injury concern forced Frimpong off, leaving Ndukwe as the only outfielder to play the full 90 minutes, and Liverpool were 4-2 down as a second goal from a long throw picked them apart with Calvert-Lewin netting again.
Though a disappointing result for the 40,000-plus fans in Chicago’s Soldier Field, the timing and manner of Liverpool’s defeat will be a positive of sorts for Iraola.
More work is required on the training ground and no doubt in recruitment, but with three weeks until the Premier League begins there is still time for the new head coach to set his plans in motion.
TIA Man of the Match: Trey Nyoni
Liverpool 2-4 Leeds: Match Facts
Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Frimpong (Scanlon 77′), Ndukwe, Chambers (Ndiaye 68′), Kerkez (Tsimikas 68′); Szoboszlai (Elliott 68′), Nyoni (Gravenberch 46′); Morrison (Ramsay 68′), Wirtz (Jones 46′), Ngumoha (Koumas 46′); Isak (Chiesa 46′)
Subs not used: Woodman, Davies, McConnell, Abe, Sonni-Lambie, Wright
Next Match: Monaco (H) – Pre-Season Friendly (4) – Sunday, August 9, 2.30pm (BST)
Football – Pre-Season – Liverpool FC v Leeds United FC
Football – Pre-Season – Liverpool FC v Leeds United FC
Football – FA Premier League – Liverpool FC v Brentford FC
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Florian Wirtz during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Football – Pre-Season – Liverpool FC v Wrexham AFC
NEW YORK, USA - Wednesday, July 29, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Andoni Iraola speaks to former Liverpool player Robbie Fowler (L) and presenter Peter McDowall (R) for LFCTV after a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Wrexham AFC at Yankee Stadium. Liverpool won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)