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Manchester City to play friendly vs. Toronto FC

Darren Staples / REUTERS

Manchester City are heading to Canada this spring to play a friendly against Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.

The defending Premier League champions, who announced the fixture Wednesday, will play the summer friendly at BMO field in Toronto on May 27.

"We are very excited about the game against Toronto FC," chief executive of Manchester City Ferran Soriano said.

"We know from our visit to Vancouver in 2011 the passion for the Club which exists in Canada.

"We have a very active supporters group in Toronto, and are looking forward to bringing our team to showcase their talents to our fans there."

Canadian fans, however, could be set for a heavy dose of City's reserve players.

The encounter takes place three days after the conclusion of the Premier League season, when City face Southampton at the Etihad Stadium. It seems unlikely that the team's full compliment of elite players will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean just days after a gruelling season.

It's the second consecutive season Manchester City will travel to North America following their participation at the International Champions Cup in the United States during the summer of 2014.

The Premier League club will take part in the same tournament this summer when it's hosted in Australia. They will clash with Roma and Real Madrid during the competition in July.

For Toronto FC, the fixture takes place in the middle of their season, in between matches against the Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes on May 23 and 30, respectively.

The MLS club played under similar circumstances last season when they hosted Tottenham during a friendly at BMO Field in July.

"Hosting a club like Manchester City is a great opportunity for our players to compete against one of the biggest clubs in the world," Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko said on the team's website.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on April 16.

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