Less than a week after AC Milan and Real Madrid graced the field at Yankee Stadium, the Chilean and Ecuadorian National teams are prepping for an international friendly at Citi Field on Wednesday.

Ecuadorian head coach Reinaldo Rueda and Chilean head coach Claudio Borghi, Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports

It is the second consecutive year that Ecuador will participate in a game at the Queens stadium. On June 7, 2011 they took on Greece in front of a near sell-out crowd of 39,656. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Now over a year later they return to the New York City borough for a match-up that will help them, and their opponent, prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifying games.

“We think Ecuador is a great match-up,” said Chilean head coach Claudio Borghi through a translator during a press conference on Monday.  “We welcome this match as we look forward to a very competitive game ahead of our qualifiers. And competition is always important and that is why we made the very good decision to accept this game and travel to play this match.”

Ecuadorian head coach Reinaldo Rueda agreed with Borghi about how interesting the match will be and added that it is a good test for his team. “We know that we need a test that will ask a lot of us and it is important to live and spend some time together as a group.”

Ecuador will field a talented team Wednesday night highlighted by Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia, Club America’s Cristian Benitez, and Walter Ayoví of Monterrey.

Borghi was asked how he would have his team defend Valencia. He told reporters that he doesn’t focus on specific players. “They have very good players that are fast and we’re going to present the lineup we usually do.”

Chile’s roster will feature international stars such Alexis Sanchez of Barcelona, Claudio Bravo of Real Sociedad, and Humberto Suazo of Monterrey.

Wednesday’s friendly will be the first time these two clubs have faced each other since October 14, 2009 in Chile. Ecuador edged out a win in that matchup 1-0. The upcoming game will be the 44th time Ecuador and Chile have played one another, with Chile holding a 25-6-12 advantage.

Playing on a baseball field will be a new experience for the Chilean team, but their head coach said they aren’t worried about it. The Ecuadorian head coach echoed the same sentiments.

Wednesday will also mark the third soccer match to take place at Citi Field. In addition to Ecuador’s previous game, Juventus F.C took on Club America at the home of the New York Mets on July 26, 2011.

Fans are encouraged to check out the 1495 Sports photo gallery from the coaches press conference by clicking on the link below:

http://1495sports.com/2012/08/13/1495-sports-photo-gallery-chileecuador-coaches-press-conference/

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