It’s time to get serious.

Queensboro FC head coach and sporting director Josep Gombau is relocating from Barcelona to New York to start preparation for the spring start of the USL Academy League.

The QBFC Academy squad will compete in the Northeast Division.

After a series of tryouts back in November, Gombau and technical director Luis Gutierrez made their initial academy roster selections and the first academy training session will take place Wednesday, Feb. 17.

The final Academy roster will consist of 23 players as most will come from the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut). That will include Queens natives and/or residents.

“The QBFC Academy is one major step of many towards building our first-ever professional team for Spring 2022 kickoff, and I am very focused on recruiting the right talent and positioning our club to succeed on the pitch,” Queensboro head coach and technical director Josep Gombau said in a statement. “It has been incredible to see the commitment of these young players – along with their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm in wanting to be a part of the historic making of our club. After months of planning and preparation, we are ready to come together and train as a team, and I am looking forward to soon unveiling our final QBFC Academy roster.”

In contrast to many other academy programs across, the QBFC Academy said it was fully funded and free-of-charge for its players and families. In addition, as part of the club’s commitment to give emerging players a “pathway to the pros”, the QBFC Residency Program will provide room, board, education and other living expenses for select young internationals to have the opportunity to come to the United States (many for the first time) – and play for New York City’s
newest professional soccer team.

Queensboro FC is slated to make its USL Championship debut in 2022.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.