The Boston Breakers were an American professional

women's soccer Women's association football, more commonly known as women's football or women's soccer, is the team sport of association football played by women. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries, and about 200 national teams partic ...

club based in the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

neighborhood of

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is ...

. The team competed in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

(NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct

Women's United Soccer Association The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the Uni ...

, as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team. Boston would eventually be awarded Boston Legacy FC in 2023 that will begin play in 2026. The Breakers played their home games at

Jordan Field Jordan Field (formerly called Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium) is a stadium on the campus of Harvard University in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. (Although the core of the Harvard campus is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, the athletic ...

in Boston and were managed in their final season by Matt Beard.

History

Original franchise

The original Boston Breakers played in the WUSA from 2001 to 2003. In the final season in the WUSA, the Breakers had their best record (10–4–7) and placed first in the regular season before losing to the

Washington Freedom Washington Freedom may refer to: * Washington Freedom (cricket) * Washington Freedom (soccer) {{dab ...

in the semifinals.

Women's Professional Soccer

Re-establishment (2007–2009)

The formation of

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 ...

was announced on September 4, 2007, during which time it was also announced that a franchise had been awarded to Boston. The Boston Breakers franchise was officially unveiled on October 26, 2008. At the time it was the only professional women's sports team in Massachusetts. Joe Cummings was named the President and General Manager and he had previously worked for the Breakers franchise in the WUSA. In September 2007,

Tony DiCicco Anthony D. DiCicco Jr. (August 5, 1948 – June 19, 2017) was an American soccer player, coach, administrator, and TV commentator. He is best known as the coach of the United States women's national soccer team from 1994 to 1999, during which ...

was appointed as the club's first head coach. During the WPS national team player allocation on September 16, 2008 the Breakers acquired

Heather Mitts Heather Mitts Feeley (born Heather Blaine Mitts; June 9, 1978) is an American former professional soccer defender. Mitts played college soccer for the University of Florida, and thereafter, she played professionally in the Women's Professional ...

and former Breakers players,

Kristine Lilly Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey (; born July 22, 1971) is an American former professional soccer player. She was a member of the United States women's national team for 23 years and is the most-capped football player in the history of the sport (m ...

and

Angela Hucles Angela Khalia Hucles Mangano (; born July 5, 1978) is an American sports executive and former professional soccer player who is currently the president of women's soccer for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was ...

. The club acquired

Amy Rodriguez Amy Joy Rodriguez Shilling (; born February 17, 1987) is an American soccer coach and retired professional player who most recently served as head coach of Utah Royals of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). During a career that spanned 1 ...

as the first overall pick in the 2009 WPS Soccer Draft in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

on January 30, 2009.

2009 season

The Breakers played their debut match in the inaugural season of

against

FC Gold Pride FC Gold Pride was an American professional women's soccer club based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which participated in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Associati ...

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

, losing 2–1. Its first home match was against

St. Louis Athletica Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte ...

on April 11, 2009, in which the Breakers lost 2–0. The Breakers finished the season in fifth place with a 7–9–4 record.

2010 season

2011 season

2012 league suspension

On January 16, 2012, the Breakers announced that they signed United States U-23 national team defender,

Bianca D'Agostino Bianca Elisa D'Agostino (born January 11, 1989) is an American former soccer player. She most recently played for the Boston Breakers in the National Women's Soccer League and was formerly a member of the United States U-23 women's national socc ...

. The Breakers also acquired Australian national team forward

Kyah Simon Kyah Pam Simon (born 25 June 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker. She has represented Australia from 2007 to 2023, making 111 caps and scoring 29 goals. In 2011, Simon became the first Indigenous Australian ...

in anticipation of the 2012 season. Simon scored two goals against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

in the 2011 World Cup, which advanced

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

to the quarter-finals. Her goals made her the first Aboriginal player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament. The league announced on January 30, 2012, that it had suspended the 2012 season. On February 9, 2012, the club announced it would compete in the newly formed WPSL Elite for the 2012 season, with the expectation that it would rejoin the WPS for the 2013 season. The semi-pro league had no restrictions on whether players were professional or amateur. After the WPS season was suspended, goalkeeper

Alyssa Naeher Alyssa Michele Naeher ( ; born April 20, 1988) is an American professional association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Chicago Stars FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Naeh ...

returned to her former club,

Turbine Potsdam 1. Frauenfußballclub Turbine Potsdam 71 e. V., commonly known as 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam (or Turbine Potsdam outside of Germany), is a German women's football club located in Potsdam, Brandenburg. They are one of the most successful women's footb ...

, after playing for the Breakers during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Women's Premier Soccer League Elite

In 2012, the Boston Breakers competed in the

Women's Premier Soccer League Elite The Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) was a women's semi-professional soccer league created by the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to support the sport in the United States, both from continued interest by WPSL teams in profes ...

. The team finished in first place clinching the regular season title with an 11–3–0 record, the best season in the franchise history. They lost 3–1 against the

Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...

in the WPSL Elite semifinals. The team was coached by Lisa Cole.

National Women's Soccer League

In November 2012, it was announced that the Breakers would be one of eight teams in a new women's professional soccer league sponsored by the

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of soccer in the United States. It is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer ...

, the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

and the

Mexican Football Federation The Mexican Football Federation (), abbreviated as FMF is the official governing body of football in Mexico. It administers the men's and women's national teams with all its youth teams, the national teams of futsal and beach soccer, Liga MX wit ...

. On January 11, 2013, the league held its player allocation for the national team players, with Boston receiving seven players, including two returning former Breakers Heather O'Reilly and

. The other players assigned to the Breakers were Anisa Guajardo,

Adriana Leon Adriana Kristina Leon (born October 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada ...

, Sydney Leroux, Cecilia Santiago, and

Rhian Wilkinson Rhian Emilie Wilkinson (born May 12, 1982) is a Canadian professional soccer coach and former player, who currently coaches the Wales women's national team. She was previously the head coach of Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer Le ...

2013 season

The 2013 Boston Breakers season was the club's eighth overall year of existence, fourth consecutive year, and first year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 22 games, finishing with 8 wins, 6 draws, and 8 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at fifth place in an eight team league.

2014 season

The 2014 Boston Breakers season was the club's ninth overall year of existence, fifth consecutive year, and second year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 24 games, finishing with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 16 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at eighth place in a nine team league.

2015 season

The 2015 Boston Breakers season, was the club's tenth overall year of existence, sixth consecutive year, and third year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 20 games, finishing with 4 wins, 3 draws, and 13 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at ninth place in a nine team league.

2016 season

The 2016 Boston Breakers season was the club's eleventh overall year of existence, seventh consecutive year, and fourth year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 20 games, finishing with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 15 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season at tenth place in a ten-team league.

2017 season

The 2017 Boston Breakers season was the club's twelfth overall year of existence, eighth consecutive year, and fifth year as a member of the National Women's Soccer League. They played 24 games, finishing with 4 wins, 7 draws, and 13 losses. They did not qualify for the post-season playoffs, and finished the season in ninth place of a ten-team league.

2018 season

After failed last-minute attempts to sell the club to the owners of the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...

and to local commercial real estate developers, the Boston Breakers officially folded on January 25, 2018 and did not participate in the NWSL in 2018. Reports generally blamed lack of marketing and resultant limited fanbase for the club's demise.

Stadium

Jordan Field (2014–2017)

The Boston Breakers played their home games for their final four seasons at

, a 4,100 seat, multi-purpose facility located on the campus of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Allston, Massachusetts Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is ...

. Jordan Field was formerly known as

Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium Jordan Field (formerly called Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium) is a stadium on the campus of Harvard University in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. (Although the core of the Harvard campus is in Cambridge, the athletic complex lies within Bost ...

Dilboy Stadium (2012–2013)

The Breakers played at Dilboy Stadium in the Boston suburb of

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

for their 2012 and 2013 seasons, the move from Harvard to Dilboy concurrent with their league move to the WPSL Elite.

Harvard Stadium (2009–2011)

Boston used

Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The Stadium is one of only four athletic facilities that are considered National Historic Landmarks. The stadium is owned and operated ...

, the 30,323 seat home football stadium of the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson is the nickname of the college sports teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate Varsity team, varsity sports teams for women and men at Harva ...

, from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, shortly after joining the newly created

, the Breakers moved their home field to

Broadcasting

As of 2017, Boston Breakers games were streamed exclusively by

Go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a ...

for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers. As part of a three-year agreement with

A&E Networks A&E Television Networks, LLC, doing business as A+E Global Media (formerly A+E Networks) is an American multinational broadcasting company owned and operated as a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company th ...

, Lifetime broadcasts one ''NWSL Game of the Week'' on Saturday afternoons. The Breakers were featured in the nationally televised Game of the Week on September 2, 2017. Previous seasons' games were broadcast on YouTube, MediaBoss Television,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, and

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

Supporters

The team had an official supporters group called the Boston Armada as well as an independent supporters group called the Riptide, who cheered from a standing section known as "The Dock".

Players and coaches

Final roster

Head coaches

* Matt Beard (2016–2017) * Tom Durkin (2014–2015) *

Cat Whitehill Catherine Reddick Whitehill (born Catherine Anne Reddick; February 10, 1982) is an American retired professional soccer defender, who was also an assistant coach of the Boston Breakers in the NWSL. Whitehill last played for the Boston Breakers i ...

(2013) (interim) * Lisa Cole (2012–2013) *

(2009–2011)

Ownership and team management

Michael Stoller was the managing partner of Boston Women's Soccer, LLC, the ownership group overseeing the Breakers.

Records and statistics

Honors

Individual player awards

* Amy LePeilbet, WPS 2009, 2010 Defender of the Year

Player of the Week

Player of the Month

Pillars of Excellence

In summer 2009, the Breakers began a tradition of honoring legends from the past with commemorative banners at

. The award's Pillars of Excellence name was influenced by the stadium's iconic colonnade. Players from both Boston Breakers (WUSA) and the WPS/WPSL Elite/NWSL entry are considered.

Maren Meinert Maren Meinert (born 5 August 1973) is a German football coach and former player who played as a midfielder and striker. She was most recently the head coach of Germany women's national under-20 football team. As a player, Meinert played for Ge ...

became the first inductee during a halftime ceremony on May 17, 2009 when the Breakers hosted the

Washington Freedom Washington Freedom may refer to: * Washington Freedom (cricket) * Washington Freedom (soccer) {{dab ...

. During her final season in 2003 Meinert was named the WUSA's Most Valuable Player for the regular season and MVP of the WUSA All-Star Game.

was inducted on May 1, 2010 during a home game against the

was inducted during halftime of a match against the

Philadelphia Independence The Philadelphia Independence was an American professional association football, soccer club that was based in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennsylvania. The team joined Women's Professional Soccer as an expansion team in 2010 and played ...

May 23, 2011.

Leslie Osborne Leslie Marie Osborne (born May 27, 1983) is a retired American soccer defensive midfielder who last played for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL in 2013. She is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team and previously pl ...

was inducted during halftime of a home game against

Sky Blue FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 un ...

Supporters Award

In 2017 the official supporters group of the Boston Breakers, The Boston Armada, began a tradition of awarding one player at each home game with a supporters award. Officially dubbed "The Chunk Award", it recognized a player's individual contribution to the team during the match. The trophy for 2017 represented the unofficial mascot of the Boston Breakers, "Chunk", a

bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

owned by Boston Breakers Academy head coach Lee Billard.

References

External links

*
Boston Breakers News at NWSL News
{{Womens Professional Soccer 2008 establishments in Massachusetts Association football clubs established in 2008 Soccer clubs in Massachusetts National Women's Soccer League teams Soccer clubs in Boston Women's Professional Soccer teams Women's soccer clubs in the United States Women's Premier Soccer League Elite teams 2018 disestablishments in Massachusetts Association football clubs disestablished in 2018 Women's sports in Boston