New York City FC will play Comunicaciones FC in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League next month.
The Cityzens will host the Guatemalan side in the first leg at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in Hartford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
Yankee Stadium has been deemed unacceptable for a CCL match as was Citi Field, according to Concacaf. Both are baseball parks. Red Bull Arena, at which NYCFC has played in 2020 and 2021, was unavailable.
NYCFC has played competitive matches at Rentschler twice before, hosting the Houston Dynamo during the 2017 MLS season and against Toronto FC in 2020 when the stadium served as the Canadian side’s home stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A week later on March 15, NYCFC will play at Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City at 8 p.m. ET.
“Following our win against Santos, we’re ready and motivated to continue progessing through the Champions League,” NYCFC CEO chairman Brad Sims said in a statement. “This is an important and prestigious tournament, and everyone at the Club is focused on building upon last year’s success to bring more silverware to New York City.
“It’s disappointing for us that Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are not CONCACAF approved venues and that Pratt & Whitney Stadium is the closest approved and available venue. However, Pratt & Whitney is an excellent stadium for soccer as evidenced by the many USMNT, USWNT, international and MLS matches played there. While we know this is certainly not a convenient location for many of our fans, we hope some supporters will be able to make the journey to support the team in this important game.”
The club said that it will work with its officially recognized Supporters Groups to provide transportation to Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
City defeated Santos de Guapiles in the Round of 16, winning both legs via shutouts, 2-0 and 4-0.
The CCL semifinals are set for April 5-7 (first leg) and April 12-14 (second leg).
The final is set for April 26-28 (first leg) and May 3-5 (second leg).
