Major League Soccer took its second major league step into the New York Metropolitan area today when it was revealed that an expansion team, to be known as the New York City Football Club, would join the league in 2015.

NYCFC, which would be the 20th MLS club, will be majority owned by Manchester City, the iconic franchise from the English Premier League, and minority owned by baseball’s New York Yankees.

The team is expected to play in Yankee Stadium for at least one season until a new soccer-specific venue is built for the club. The New York Red Bulls already play in the area in their own stadium in New Jersey.

“We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer,” MLS commissioner Dan Garber said in a statement. “This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city.”

The Yankees and Manchester City already have a working relationship via Legends Hospitality, the stadium concessions business owned by the Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, which handles services at Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s home stadium, as well as Yankee Stadium and Cowboys Stadium.

The Manchester-Yankees alignment comes on the heels of a multi-year deal between Microsoft and MLS. That alliance will be anchored by a Windows 8 element, featuring exclusive content, highlights, play-by-play, roster lineups, game stats, goals and club news.

Barry Janoff is director of sports media marketing initiatives for PromaxBDA. He also is the executive editor for NYSportsJournalism.com which covers national sports marketing, business and media news; and a contributing writer for Yahoo! and MediaPost.

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