The final whistle on Liverpool's 2026 pre-season US tour is almost here, and it comes against Leeds United tonight at Soldier Field in Chicago. Two wins from two so far — Sunderland beaten 4-2 and Wrexham edged out 1-0 — and Andoni Iraola has kept his selection cards close to his chest throughout. Tonight, though, things get a little more interesting.

Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch are all set to feature. That trio alone transforms this from a routine late-July friendly into something worth staying up for. The question is not whether they will play, but how much Iraola hands them and in what shape the rest of the XI takes around them.

Our two Reds writers have had a crack at picking their preferred teams, and as you might expect, they do not entirely agree.

Writer one is leaning into the youth that has impressed so far on tour, largely because he does not expect all three returning names to start. Centre-back remains the area of concern for Iraola, and the suggestion is that Ifeanyi Ndukwe lines up alongside Luke Chambers at the heart of defence. Both have had good pre-seasons by all accounts, and Ndukwe in particular has caught the eye. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez get the full-back slots, with Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott forming the midfield three. Up front, Calum Scanlon gets another look on the left, Rio Ngumoha starts on the right, and Will Wright leads the line — with Isak, Wirtz and Gravenberch all earmarked for impact from the bench or with limited minutes.

His team: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Ndukwe, Chambers, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Jones; Ngumoha, Elliott, Scanlon; Wright.

Writer two sees it a little differently, and makes a compelling case. Ndukwe has been the breakout name of the tour — 80 minutes against Sunderland, the full 90 against Wrexham — and the feeling is the 18-year-old has earned a breather. The preference is for Luke Chambers and Mor Talla Ndiaye to pair up at the back, with Jeremy Jacquet possibly given some minutes in the second half if the club's caution around him eases slightly. Frimpong and Kerkez continue at full-back. In midfield, Gravenberch returns alongside Trey Nyoni — a pairing worth watching. And then there is the front four: Ngumoha again on the right after his Wrexham winner, Lewis Koumas getting a chance on the left, Wirtz operating behind Isak in a 4-2-3-1 shape. The note that this would be the first time Wirtz plays behind Isak under Iraola, but certainly not the last, is the kind of quietly exciting observation that sums up where this squad is heading.

His team (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Ndiaye, Chambers, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Nyoni; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Koumas; Isak.

Both selections make sense in their own way, and the differences between them tell a story about where Iraola finds himself right now. He has options everywhere except possibly centre-back, and he has a cluster of first-team players only just finding their pre-season legs. The temptation to throw Isak and Wirtz straight into the thick of it will be real, but Iraola has shown in the first two matches that he is not rushing anyone. He will manage this carefully.

Ndukwe's situation is worth dwelling on. Whether he starts or gets a rest tonight, the fact that two experienced journalists are having genuine debates about his place in the XI — after just two pre-season matches — tells you plenty about the impression he has made. Eighteen years old and already forcing the conversation. That is not nothing.

Ngumoha, too, has given Iraola something to think about. Scoring the only goal against Wrexham does wonders for a young player's confidence, and the discussion around whether he starts again tonight rather than being eased back in suggests he has done more than enough to stay in the picture.

And then there is the broader point about Gravenberch, Isak and Wirtz. Getting minutes into them before the competitive season begins is the whole point of a tour like this. Chicago is the last chance Iraola has to give them that match sharpness in a controlled environment. Expect him to use it wisely.

One other note from the camp: Liverpool have launched their new away kit for the 2026/27 season, described as being inspired by the club's away strips from the 1980s. The retro influence is clearly a theme at Anfield right now — though if the football this season matches the ambition on show in Chicago, the kit will be a secondary conversation.

Tonight wraps up the US chapter. Then the real work begins.