After a wide search, Major League Soccer officials have zeroed in on a run-down section of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens as their preferred site for the league's first New York stadium, according to multiple officials briefed on the matter.

In recent weeks, top MLS officials have presented a detailed proposal to local politicians, outlining a plan for a 20,000- to 25,000-seat stadium on roughly eight acres near the northern end of the park.

The plan, still in its nascent stages, would create a home for a brand-new league team, as yet unnamed. The league believes construction could be completed one to two years after the project receives the necessary approvals, according to officials briefed on the plans.

The move is perhaps surprising given that MLS opened the $220 million Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., in 2010.

But landing a stadium in New York City—a media capital and an ethnically diverse urban center—would be a significant boost to the league's international stature. Founded in 1993, the professional league comprises 19 teams, 16 in the U.S. and three in Canada.