As he leaves New York City FC this week to become Sporting Kansas City ’s new chief soccer officer, David Lee expects to field an inevitable question, particularly from proud inhabitants of “the greatest city on earth, the center of the universe,” as author Ellen R. Shapiro once described Gotham and its people.

Why abandon the Big Apple for the distant Great Plains? Particularly with NYCFC set to embark on another Audi MLS Cup Playoffs run, and just a matter of months away from the 2027 opening of Etihad Park, their luxurious, long-awaited permanent home in Queens.

“It's one of the most, if not the most exciting opportunity in all of MLS,” Lee told MLSsoccer.com in a one-on-one conversation about his move. “It is a historic franchise that's had huge amounts of success, has an amazing

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