TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League (USL) – the largest Division II professional league in the world and longest standing member of the U.S. Soccer Federation – today welcomes Didier Drogba as the newest member of Phoenix Rising FC.

Drogba joins the league’s growing list of high-profile stars which include Omar Bravo, Joe Cole, Marcel Schäfer and Shaun Wright-Phillips. These veterans join a field of rising talent that includes 2016 USL 20 Under 20 No. 1 selection Victor Mansaray of FC Cincinnati, U.S. U20 National Team members Coy Craft (OKC Energy FC), Danilo Acosta (Real Monarchs SLC) and Jeremy Ebobisse (Portland Timbers 2), all of whom were part of the side that claimed the 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship, and Canada U20 National Team members Shaan Hundal of Toronto FC II and Kadin Chung of Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, both of whom represented their country at the 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship.

“The USL is a league on the rise, further demonstrated by the caliber of players who have recently joined our ranks,” said USL President Jake Edwards. “The addition of Drogba in Phoenix, as well as the numerous other world class and domestic players competing in the USL speaks volumes to the professional-quality environment our league continues to build.”

Drogba, a four-time Premier League champion and Champions League victor with Chelsea FC, joins a star-studded Phoenix Rising FC roster that includes Bravo, Chivas de Guadalajara’s all-time goal-scoring leader, and former England international Wright-Phillips.

“The professionalism, financial stability and growth of the USL has created an unprecedented platform for us to attract internationally acclaimed soccer players to Phoenix,” said Phoenix Rising FC Governor Berke Bakay. “Didier Drogba will help us express our appreciation for the tremendous partnership we have received from the League by serving as an ambassador for soccer on the pitch and within USL cities we will be visiting across North America.”