The Kraft family is lobbying Boston officials to consider the use of a city-owned site next to the Southeast Expressway in South Boston for a new stadium for the New England Revolution.

The owners of the Major League Soccer franchise and the New England Patriots are interested in the Frontage Road lot used for public works vehicles and towed vehicles, the Boston Globe reported.

The Revolution have played in Foxboro since 1996, first at the old Foxboro Stadium and at Gillette Stadium since it opened in 2002. Revolution management has indicated it prefers a smaller stadium closer to Boston to connect with its predominantly urban fan base.

Average attendance this season is roughly a quarter of Gilette Stadium’s 68,000 capacity. As early as 2007, the Krafts had preliminary discussions with Somerville officials about a potential soccer stadium project at the Assembly Row redevelopment site on the Mystic River. The team also expressed interest in a property in Revere.

The South Boston parcel is just north of another city-owned property near Widett Circle that has been mentioned as a possible site for an Olympic stadium by an organizing group lobbying for Boston to host the 2024 summer games.

The Krafts hopes to have the new soccer stadium in place within five years, according to a source cited by the Globe.