We now know more specifics about three NYCFC preseason matches planned ahead of the 2024 MLS regular season.
The club announced back in November that it would participate in February’s Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, California, and the event this week confirmed its full schedule of matches.
Nick Cushing’s club will face the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, February 7 at 3 p.m., then Phil Neville’s Portland Timbers on Saturday, February 10 at 4 p.m., closing out the Invitational with a Valentine’s Day meeting with the LA Galaxy at 3 p.m., all times Eastern.
For anyone looking to escape the likely frigid East Coast for an up-close glimpse at 2024 NYCFC preseason action, tickets to the five-day preseason non-tournament went on sale December 7.
Attending in person might be the only way to see what transpires during any of these 15 matches, as there have been no mentions to date of any streams or broadcasts being made available.
Preseason streaming has gotten scarce across MLS, with none of NYCFC’s 2023 preseason matches available to watch from the comfort of anyone’s home. There were some expectations that setup would change with Apple and MLS Season Pass now almost exclusively broadcasting MLS matches, but so far, preseason streams remain largely nonexistent.
The Coachella Valley Invitational bills itself as “the largest MLS preseason event in the league’s history” and says it offers fans “unprecedented access to watch some of the league’s most decorated and popular teams in an intimate and informal setting,” though that access only seems to extend to those making the trip to the California desert.
This will be the third installment of this particular preseason Coachella soccer “festival,” which was created by LA Galaxy owners Anschutz Entertainment Group in 2022. This year’s participant field is comprised of 11 clubs from MLS plus a sole 12th entrant from the USL Championship, Phoenix Rising FC.
NYCFC likely will have more plans beyond these Coachella fixtures to announce as part of the club’s 2024 preseason activities.
Last year, the club played seven total warm-up matches during preseason, with initial friendlies kicking off in mid-to-late January—so we will keep an eye out and update you when there are more important NYCFC preseason dates and matches announced.
