Boston Legacy FC Announces Inaugural Leader

Boston Legacy FC has hired Filipa Patão as head coach, pending approval of her visa. She will

begin her duties with the club in July as the Legacy continues building its roster.

“Filipa demonstrates all of the qualities that personify this club and the way we want to play:

with passion, grit, and style,” said Legacy FC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein. “She is a coach

who loves to develop players and loves to win, and that attitude is very evident in the way she is

approaching our inaugural 2026 season head-on. We can’t wait to watch her build Boston’s next

championship team.”

Patão comes to the Boston Legacy from Portuguese club Benfica, where she has been head

coach of the women’s senior team since 2020 and amassed a 156-28-15 W-L-D record over all

competitions. She currently holds a UEFA A coaching license and is in the process of obtaining

her UEFA Pro diploma.

Patão began her career with Benfica in 2007 as a youth coach, eventually taking over the U-15,

U-17, and then U-19 women’s teams. During Patão’s time as senior team head coach, Benfica

won the Campeonato Nacional, Portugal’s top flight, five years in a row. She also took Benfica to

the quarterfinals of the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League, the first Portuguese club to

advance that far, and the second round of UWCL in 2024-25. For her 2024 performance she was

nominated for the Ballon d'Or's first Women's Coach of the Year award.

“I'm very excited about going to Boston. I can't wait to get to the city, meet all the people and

start working,” said new head coach Patão. “The American league is extremely competitive and

that's one of the reasons I accepted this project: I like competition, difficulty, and getting the

players to strive for more and better. To transform themselves and always demand more of

themselves. I know that Boston fans are passionate about the city and their teams and I'm

looking forward to building a new history with them.”

“Boston is a club where we want to develop both technical identity and have a clear style of play,

but also we want a coach who thinks about more than just winning games,” said general

manager Domè Guasch. “Filipa is a coach I believe can help us build a great culture where

players understand they will come here to grow and learn.”

About Boston Legacy FC

Boston Legacy FC will add to Boston’s winning legacy as the 15th team in the National Women’s

Soccer League (NWSL) starting play in 2026. Founded and led by women, the club is committed

to creating a home for the greatest female athletes of our time, building upon the supercharged

legacy of Boston’s historic sports teams, cultivating a community of fans with impact at its core,

- BLFC -