NEW YORK – The world’s game is coming to the world’s borough.

Queensboro FC (QBFC) has been awarded a United Soccer League (USL) franchise, establishing a professional men’s soccer team in Queens, New York. The club will kick off in 2021 and play in the USL Championship, the top tier of the USL. QBFC’s ownership group is led by New York businessman Jonathan Krane, CEO of KraneShares, an asset management firm based in New York City, and international soccer star, World Cup champion and all-time leading Spanish national team goal scorer David Villa.

“I lived and played in New York for four years. I know what a special place Queens is,” said Villa. “I love the cultures, the food, the people and their passion for life and, of course, soccer. There is no other place like it in the world. It’s a dream to help build this football club in Queens and I couldn’t choose a better location.”

QBFC will unite the city’s diverse population around a shared passion for soccer and will build the club from the ground up with input from the community every step of the way. As Queens’ own soccer team, QBFC will represent the borough’s diversity, promote inclusivity, embody its shared values and strive at all times to be a source of civic pride.

“We are excited to bring a USL Championship club to Queens,” said Krane. “Queens has a large, passionate and knowledgeable community of soccer supporters and players from all over the world and deserves a club to call its own. We look forward to working closely with the community to establish Queensboro FC as not just a leading organization in professional soccer but also as a proud ambassador of Queens. Together we will accomplish great things on and off the pitch.”