New York City FC today announced that the Club will travel to Ecuador to face C.S. Emelec in a friendly match on Wednesday, February 8.

The match will take place at Emelec’s newly redeveloped Estadio Banco del Pacifico in Guayaquil at 8 p.m local time and will be NYCFC’s first exhibition match of 2017 preseason.

Patrick Vieira, New York City FC Head Coach, said:

“We are looking forward to our friendly against C.S. Emelec which will be our first test of the 2017 season. They are a talented team which will provide us with a competitive match. This game will give us the opportunity to integrate the new players who have joined the team over the break and will allow us to build our rhythm on the field.”

Claudio Reyna, New York City FC Sporting Director, added:

“We would like to thank C.S. Emelec for giving us this opportunity and are excited to once again travel to Latin America for a friendly. As frequent participants of the Copa Libertadores, we know C.S. Emelec will be a good test for us. Ecuador is known for its passionate soccer fans and we’re looking forward to continuing to grow our fan base outside of the United States.”

Emelec have won 13 Ecuadorian Serie A championships, as well as seven regional titles, since they were founded in 1929. Nicknamed El Bombillo (The Lightbulb), Emelec are based out of Guayaquil, the most populous city in Ecuador.

The friendly will take place at Emelec’s newly redeveloped stadium Estadio Banco del Pacifico, which re-opened in October and houses 38,963 spectators.

Captained by Pedro Quinonez, El Bombillo finished in second place in Serie A in 2016, following three title wins in a row from 2013 to 2015. Top scorer Cristian Guanca is considered the team’s dangerman after the 23-year old Argentine forward netted 21 goals in 43 games last season.

Emelec will compete in the Copa Liberatadores for the eight-successive year in 2017.

Ticket details will be announced in the coming weeks.