TourUSA diary: Sightseeing, training with a difference and a debate about ironing

• Monday

9am: Another day begins with a pleasant chat to a former player on the tour. Gary McAllister is in our company this morning for an upcoming edition of our My Liverpool Story feature. In the very near future, you'll read about how two phone calls from Liverpool changed the Scot's life. Sidebar, I offer a top tip for anyone who ever has the pleasure of encountering Gary: iron your shirt beforehand. In the hotel lift he weighed in on a discussion with a colleague about ironing. He declared he 'always' irons his clothes and pointed out that I, quite clearly, did not (he's spot on, to be fair). Life's too short to worry about creases, in my humble opinion.

10.30am: We're back at 'the Linc' – the locals' name for Lincoln Financial Field – again for training. It's an entertaining session that ends with some 3v2 games played at warp speed to my untrained eye. Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas and Kaide Gordon are among the few that stay out afterwards for a bit of shooting practice. Mohamed Salah, tongue firmly in cheek, tells our camera operators not to bother, insisting they won't miss anything worthwhile. We keep on filming, of course, and there's incredible efforts flying in – ones matched by some full-stretch saves from Marcelo Pitaluga. Before leaving, there's a catch-up with Gordon as he tells us about his delight just to be involved in a pre-season again after a 19-month injury lay-off. "It's definitely the hardest time I've been through," the teenager says.

3.45pm: Well, this is different. The Reds' second workout of the day sees them head to Front Street Gym, the location of an emotional scene between Sylvester Stallone and Michael B. Jordan in the film Creed. Indeed, a spot of boxing is on the cards for the squad this afternoon in a surprise laid on by Arne Slot. Trainer George Mosee was impressed by what he saw from Jarell Quansah with the gloves on. Salah gifts our very accommodating hosts a Liverpool shirt at the end of the session.

5.20pm: The boxing theme continues as on the way back we pay a visit to a must-see Philly landmark: the Rocky Steps. Sightseers are given a shock when the Liverpool squad and backroom staff are dropped off at the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Dominik Szoboszlai is the first player to scale all 72 steps, while a woman sings the Slot chant first coined by Jürgen Klopp. Everyone eventually reaches the summit to get in position for a team photo before making their way over to the Rocky Balboa statue. I duly spend the rest of the day humming songs from the films.

6.40pm: Some players opt to use their free evening to head over to Citizens Bank Park for America's favourite pastime: baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies taking on the New York Yankees is the viewing and the guests from Merseyside are given the honour of being shown on the big screen. Save me some peanuts and cracker jack, boys.

8.30pm: Liverpool's group Stateside expands with the arrival of Ryan Gravenberch. The midfielder enters the lobby at the team's hotel after his time off following Euro 2024 and flashes a smile for our cameras. Ibrahima Konate should be here as well but he's in the midst of a lengthy flight delay.

10pm: Konate finally links up with the Reds squad. He's in a good mood despite the inconvenience and happy to be back with his clubmates. Sleep well, Ibou.

• Tuesday

9am: It's a player appearance morning, which means all members of the squad will be completing various commercial, community and media commitments over the next few hours. Some of our crew have taken Gordon, Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg out for a guided tour around Philadelphia. They see the sights and hit up Jim's South St, where they learn how to work up one of their famous Philly cheesesteaks. Meanwhile, the fan event 'LFC at the Fillmore' is happening at the same time and Quansah, Szoboszlai and Owen Beck show their faces, with Jamie Webster's sets going down a treat as well. I must say, Szoboszlai's choice of attire is rather interesting…

11am: Next to our working room at the hotel, various Reds drop in to meet four terminally ill children and their families in a special event put on by LFC Foundation, Make-A-Wish America and Dream On 3. They each introduce themselves by stating their names and positions (even Salah!) before signing autographs and posing for photos with the youngsters, who are made up. A final surprise awaits as they're given tickets for the game with Arsenal on Wednesday.

4.45pm: The squad head to the NovaCare Complex, the day-to-day facility of the Philadelphia Eagles, for the afternoon session. It begins with a minute's silence to pay respects to all those affected by the tragedy that occurred in Southport. It's good to see yesterday's returning duo involved in the workout, as well as Curtis Jones following his injury scare last week. This all-Premier League affair with the Gunners has certainly come around quickly.

• Wednesday

10am: In an attempt to meet the daily step count, I meet a mate from back home to do all the touristy stuff Philly has to offer. He's here as part of a group of 30 or so supporters who go every game home and away. The tour represented the perfect excuse for him to tick the United States off his list. The dedication is absolutely incredible. There's loads of fans wearing Liverpool shirts all around the city – a fair few Arsenal ones as well, we must acknowledge – and the Reading Terminal Market seems to be the hub for a pre-match sup and some delicious food. I reach 10,000 steps by noon, by the way.

4pm: Our journey to the stadium takes a bit longer than it should, owing to the traffic from the Phillies game that's just wrapped up. They don't half love their sports in this city.

7.40pm: The match begins after an impeccably observed period of a silence for everyone impacted by the events back home in Southport, with both sets of players also wearing black armbands. A crowd of 69,879 – a record for a football/soccer game in this stadium – watch as Slot's men score two lovely goals in the opening 34 minutes. Elliott is the creator for both and his cheeky assist for a Carvalho volley draws a few wows from the press box. Arsenal pull one back towards the break but they're unable to find a leveller, kept out by a stubborn young side in the second half. It's two wins from two in the States and the boss is happy with where we're at. "We are heading in the right direction," he tells the media afterwards.

• Thursday

10.45am: Our final day in the City of Brotherly Love begins with a trip to the team hotel to capture the squad's warm-down session. The first group on the spin bikes pass the time with a general knowledge quiz. Ear flicks are the consequence for the losing Luca Stephenson and Amara Nallo. There's controversy in a music round when Jones is deemed to provide the wrong song title to an Ed Sheeran hit. His protests continue in the stretching exercises afterwards.

Attention then turns to plans for the rest of the day, with an afternoon off on the cards. An invitation is sent out for a guided tour around the Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned former prison that once housed Al Capone. Diogo Jota and Caoimhin Kelleher are among those to take it up. Some members of our team are looking to head to the Phillies team store for souvenirs and others are planning a trip to watch the Eagles' practice at 'the Linc' later on. We've had an absolute blast in Philadelphia and will be sad to leave on Friday. That said, we're excited to head to Columbia for the final leg of what's been a brilliant trip so far. We'll see you in South Carolina.