CITY FC TO FACE C.S. EMELEC IN FRIENDLY ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

NEW YORK, N.Y., December 19, 2016 – 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 7 p.m local me and will be NYCFC’s first exhibion 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 compeve 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 Sporng Director, added:

“We would like to thank C.S. Emelec for giving us this opportunity and are excited to once again travel to Lan America for a friendly. As frequent parcipants 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 connuing to grow our fan base outside of the .”

Emelec have won 13 Ecuadorian Serie A championships, as well as seven regional tles, 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, aer a three year in a row championship for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Top scorer Crisan Guanca is considered the team’s dangerman aer the 23-year old Argenne midfielder need 21 goals in 43 games last season.

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

About New York City FC: New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in New York City that competes in . It was announced as the league's tweneth franchise on May 21, 2013 and is the first and only Major League Soccer Club located within the five boroughs of New York City. Majority owned by , which includes City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama F. Marinos, New York City FC plays its home games at , which is also home to minority owner, the .

Website: NYCFC.com | Twier: @NYCFC | Instagram: @NYCFC | Hashtags: #NYCFC | #WeAreOne | .com/NewYorkCityFC | Stadium: Yankee Stadium | Training Facility: SUNY Purchase

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