The Boston Breakers: Everything to Know About Boston’s Former Women’s Soccer Team
Since the announcement of Boston getting their own NWSL team in 2026, we wanted to look back at the city’s first professional women’s soccer team: The Boston Breakers. Many are probably familiar with the name but might not know much more. So let’s get started!
The Boston Breakers were the updated version of the Breakers, a team that played in the Women’s United Soccer Association. When WUSA went under and the Women’s Professional Soccer League started to rise, Boston decided to keep a good thing going, update their name, and stay in the game.
The Boston Breakers were one of the original WPS teams. At the time of the announcement in 2007, it was the only professional women’s sports team in Massachusetts.
The inaugural roster for the Boston Breakers included stars like Kristine Lilly and Amy Rodriguez. For the next several seasons, the Boston Breakers would see their ups and downs until they joined the newly minted WPS Elite, a semi-pro extension of the parent league.
During their season with WPS Elite, the Boston Breakers finished first place in the regular season but lost to the Chicago Red Stars in the semifinals.
The very next year, the NWSL was formed. The Boston Breakers were among the eight original teams to join the league we know today. This original lineup included the likes of Heather O’Reilly, Sydney Leroux, and Rhian Wilkinson.
Hopes were high for this new team coming off the franchise’s best season. However, the Boston Breakers only declined during their time in the NWSL. They never finished higher than eighth overall. In 2018, the team officially dissolved, ending the franchise’s long history until now.
Over the years, the Boston Breakers hosted some all-star players. Players like Kristie Mewis, Alyssa Naeher, Rose Lavelle, and Midge Pruce laced up for the Boston Breakers, along with many more. With this new expansion coming in the next few years, we can’t wait to see what this new version of Boston soccer will do for this league.
Featured image via Getty Images
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