 | |||
| Nickname | Breakers | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | September 4, 2007; 18 years ago (2007-09-04) | ||
| Dissolved | January 28, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-01-28) | ||
| Stadium | Jordan Field | ||
| Capacity | 4,100 (seated) | ||
| Owner(s) | Boston Women’s Soccer, LLC | ||
| League | National Women's Soccer League | ||
| Website | http://www.bostonbreakerssoccer.com | ||
TheBoston Breakers were an American professionalwomen's soccer club based in theBoston neighborhood ofAllston.[1] The team competed in theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced theoriginal Breakers, who competed in the defunctWomen's United Soccer Association, as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team. Boston would eventually be awardedBoston Legacy FC in 2023 that will begin play in 2026.
The Breakers played their home games atJordan Field in Boston and were managed in their final season byMatt Beard.
The original Boston Breakers played in theWUSA 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 theWashington Freedom in the semifinals.[1]
The formation ofWomen's Professional Soccer 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.[2] Joe Cummings was named the President and General Manager and he had previously worked for the Breakers franchise in the WUSA.[3] In September 2007,Tony DiCicco was appointed as the club's first head coach.
During the WPS national team player allocation on September 16, 2008 the Breakers acquiredHeather Mitts and former Breakers players,Kristine Lilly andAngela Hucles.[4] The club acquiredAmy Rodriguez as the first overall pick in the 2009 WPS Soccer Draft inSt. Louis on January 30, 2009.[5]
The Breakers played their debut match in the inaugural season ofWomen's Professional Soccer againstFC Gold Pride inSanta Clara, California, losing 2–1.[6]Its first home match was againstSt. Louis Athletica on April 11, 2009, in which the Breakers lost 2–0.[6][7] The Breakers finished the season in fifth place with a 7–9–4 record.
On January 16, 2012, the Breakers announced that they signed United States U-23 national team defender,Bianca D'Agostino.[8] The Breakers also acquired Australian national team forwardKyah Simon in anticipation of the 2012 season. Simon scored two goals againstNorway in the2011 World Cup, which advancedAustralia to the quarter-finals.[9] Her goals made her the first Aboriginal player to score a goal in a World Cup tournament.[10]
The league announced on January 30, 2012, that it had suspended the2012 season.[11] On February 9, 2012, the club announced it would compete in the newly formedWPSL Elite for the 2012 season, with the expectation that it would rejoin the WPS for the 2013 season.[12] The semi-pro league had no restrictions on whether players were professional or amateur.
After the WPS season was suspended, goalkeeperAlyssa Naeher returned to her former club,Turbine Potsdam, after playing for the Breakers during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.[13]
In 2012, the Boston Breakers competed in theWomen's Premier Soccer League Elite.[14] 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 theChicago Red Stars in the WPSL Elite semifinals.[15] The team was coached by Lisa Cole.
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 theUnited States Soccer Federation, theCanadian Soccer Association and theMexican Football Federation.[16] On January 11, 2013, the league held its player allocation for the national team players, with Boston receiving seven players, including two returning former BreakersHeather O'Reilly andHeather Mitts.[17] The other players assigned to the Breakers were Anisa Guajardo,Adriana Leon,Sydney Leroux,Cecilia Santiago, andRhian Wilkinson.[17]
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.
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.
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.[18]
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.
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.
After failed last-minute attempts to sell the club to the owners of theNew England Revolution[19] and to local commercial real estate developers,[20] the Boston Breakers officially folded on January 25, 2018 and did not participate in the NWSL in 2018.[21] Reports generally blamed lack of marketing and resultant limited fanbase for the club's demise.[22][23]
The Boston Breakers played their home games for their final four seasons atJordan Field, a 4,100 seat, multi-purpose facility located on the campus ofHarvard University inAllston, Massachusetts. Jordan Field was formerly known asSoldiers Field Soccer Stadium.
The Breakers played atDilboy Stadium in the Boston suburb ofSomerville, Massachusetts[24] for their 2012 and 2013 seasons, the move from Harvard to Dilboy concurrent with their league move to theWPSL Elite.[25]
Boston usedHarvard Stadium, the 30,323 seat home football stadium of theHarvard Crimson, from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, shortly after joining the newly createdWomen's Premier Soccer League Elite, the Breakers moved their home field toJordan Field.[26]
As of 2017, Boston Breakers games were streamed exclusively byGo90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers.[27] As part of a three-year agreement withA&E Networks,Lifetime broadcasts oneNWSL Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons.[28][29] The Breakers were featured in the nationally televised Game of the Week on September 2, 2017.[30]
Previous seasons' games were broadcast on YouTube,[31] MediaBoss Television,[32]ESPN,[33] andFox Sports.[34]
The team had an official supporters group called the Boston Armada[35][36] as well as an independent supporters group called the Riptide, who cheered from a standing section known as "The Dock".[37][38]
Matt Beard (2016–2017)[40]
Tom Durkin (2014–2015)Cat Whitehill (2013) (interim)Lisa Cole (2012–2013)Tony DiCicco (2009–2011)Michael Stoller was the managing partner of Boston Women's Soccer, LLC, the ownership group overseeing the Breakers.[41]
| Year | League | Pos. | Playoffs | W | L | D | Pts. | GF | GA | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | WPS | 5th | did not qualify | 7 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 18 | 20 | 4–3–3 | 3–6–1 |
| 2010 | WPS | 2nd | Super Semifinal | 10 | 8 | 6 | 36 | 36 | 28 | 5–6–1 | 5–2–5 |
| 2011 | WPS | 4th | First Round | 5 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 24 | 4–3–2 | 1–6–2 |
| 2012 | WPSLE | 1st | First Round | 11 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 28 | 9 | 6–1–0 | 5–2–0 |
| 2013 | NWSL | 5th | Did not qualify | 8 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 35 | 34 | 5–3–3 | 3–5–3 |
| 2014 | NWSL | 8th | Did not qualify | 6 | 16 | 2 | 20 | 37 | 53 | 5–7–0 | 1–9–2 |
| 2015 | NWSL | 9th | Did not qualify | 4 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 22 | 43 | 4–5–1 | 0–8–2 |
| 2016 | NWSL | 10th | Did not qualify | 3 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 47 | 2–6–2 | 1–9–0 |
| 2017 | NWSL | 9th | Did not qualify | 4 | 13 | 7 | 19 | 24 | 35 | 3–6–3 | 1–7–4 |
| Year | League | Week | Player | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | WPS | Week 3 | Kelly Santiago | |
| 2010 | WPS | Week 17 | Kelly Smith | |
| 2011 | WPS | Week 9 | Meghan Klingenberg | |
| 2011 | WPS | Week 10 | Alyssa Naeher | |
| 2011 | WPS | Week 18 | Kiki Santiago | |
| 2013 | NWSL | Week 3 | Heather O'Reilly | [44] |
| 2013 | NWSL | Week 4 | Sydney Leroux | [45] |
| 2013 | NWSL | Week 7 | Lianne Sanderson | [45] |
| 2013 | NWSL | Week 13 | Sydney Leroux | [45] |
| 2015 | NWSL | Week 17 | Alyssa Naeher | [46] |
| 2017 | NWSL | Week 3 |  Adriana Leon | [47] |
| 2017 | NWSL | Week 21 | Adriana Leon | [48] |
| Month | League | Player | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2009 | WPS | Kelly Smith | [49] |
| July 2010 | WPS | Jordan Angeli | [50] |
| August 2010 | WPS | Kelly Smith | [51] |
| April 2017 | NWSL | Rose Lavelle | [52] |
In summer 2009, the Breakers began a tradition of honoring legends from the past with commemorative banners atHarvard Stadium.[53] The award's Pillars of Excellence name was influenced by the stadium's iconic colonnade. Players from bothBoston Breakers (WUSA) and the WPS/WPSL Elite/NWSL entry are considered.
Maren Meinert became the first inductee during a halftime ceremony on May 17, 2009 when the Breakers hosted theWashington Freedom. 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.[53]Angela Hucles was inducted on May 1, 2010 during a home game against theChicago Red Stars.[54]Kristine Lilly was inducted during halftime of a match against thePhiladelphia Independence May 23, 2011.[55]Leslie Osborne was inducted during halftime of a home game againstSky Blue FC.[56]
| Inducted | Player | Position | League | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2015 | Leslie Osborne | Midfielder | WPS/WPSL Elite | 2010–12 |
| May 23, 2011 | Kristine Lilly | Midfielder/Forward | WUSA/WPS | 2001–03, 2009–10 |
| May 1, 2010 | Angela Hucles | Midfielder | WUSA/WPS | 2001–03, 2009 |
| May 17, 2009 |  Maren Meinert | Midfielder/Forward | WUSA | 2001–03 |
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", abulldog owned by Boston Breakers Academy head coach Lee Billard.
You have to have some pioneer spirit, said Joe Cummings, the president and general manager of the Boston Breakers, who worked for the franchise in the old league, too.If you're not willing to make the sacrifices beyond the white line, this is not for you.
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