Preseason 2017: Where Are NYCFC Going?

Mark Booth

It’s almost time.

Preparations for NYCFC’s third MLS season officially commence on Monday as the team flies to Jacksonville, Florida, for a fortnight-long training camp.

Staying at the same facility which hosted the team ahead of our inaugural 2015 season, the squad will begin the process of honing bodies and minds on the challenges which await us in 2017.

The first game of preseason will see Patrick Vieira’s men take on Jacksonville University on Thursday, February 2 in a scrimmage designed to put minutes into legs following the offseason break.

The JU Dolphins are led by Head Coach Mauricio Ruiz and amassed eight wins in 2016 and two of their players earned all-conference honors, while three were named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team.

After two weeks in Jacksonville, NYCFC will fly to Ecuador for four days where they will face Ecuadorian giants Emelec at the newly redeveloped Estadio Banco del Pacifico in Guayaquil on February 8.

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.

Following a brief pause in New York, NYCFC travels to Tucson to compete in the MLS Desert Diamond Cup where the team will play four games at the Kino North Stadium.

Red Bulls will provide the opposition for the first of these games on Wednesday, February 15 before Vieira’s side meet Houston Dynamo three days later on Saturday, February 18 and then Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, February 22.

Depending on the results in those three matches, NYCFC will then play their final preseason game against one of Sporting Kansas City, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders or New England Revolution on Saturday, February 25.

With one week to go until the MLS opener in Orlando, the squad returns to New York on Sunday, February 26.

The NYCFC media team will be with the players every step of the week to bring you coverage of our preseason training camp and matches, so make sure you’re following us across all of our channels for all of the buildup to what should be a special 2017 season.