India to host Puerto Rico in football friendly

India will play an international friendly match against Puerto Rico in Mumbai on September 3, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Thursday.

The match will be played at the Andheri Sports Complex here.

"We are pleased to announce an International Friendly against Puerto Rico on September 3, 2016, in Mumbai," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said in an AIFF release.

"As per the August FIFA Rankings, Puerto Rico are ranked 114. Playing against such an opposition will help us prepare well for the forthcoming Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifiers," Das added.

National coach Stephen Constantine stressed that the best way to test growth is to "playing higher ranked opposition". India are currently ranked 152.

"During my previous tenure in India, we regularly played higher ranked Teams. It's the best way to test yourself. Puerto Rico are presently ranked 114 and we look forward to playing them," Constantine stated.

"The pre-season training camp had its own benefits and they were visible even in the high altitude in our unofficial friendly match against Bhutan in Thimphu. But this will be an entirely different ball game," he added.

India beat Bhutan 3-0 in a friendly match on August 14.

--IANS

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