In his five years as a member of NYCFC, former Barcelona and Atlético Madrid great David Villa became a fixture in the New York soccer landscape. Many NYCFC supporters expected Villa, the club’s all-time leading scorer, to retire as a Pigeon, only to find themselves mourning his departure as the World Cup-winner instead chose to play his career out with Japanese side Vissel Kobe.



Now, The Athletic has learned that Villa seems slated for a return as a minority owner of a Queens-based USL side. The team—which multiple sources confirmed will almost certainly be called Queensboro F.C.—is seeking to take the field in 2021, and an official announcement could come as soon as September of this year. Though multiple sources familiar with project described it as being in its advanced stages, it is still anything but official: USL has not yet awarded the prospective ownership group a franchise.



Villa’s interest in bringing a USL side to...