Boston Breakers

The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston.[1] The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's United Soccer Association, as the Boston area's professional women's soccer team.

This article is about the National Women's Soccer League team and founding WPS member. For other uses, see Boston Breakers (disambiguation).

Boston Breakers
Nickname(s)Breakers
FoundedSeptember 4, 2007 (2007-09-04)
DissolvedJanuary 28, 2018 (2018-01-28)
GroundJordan Field
Capacity4,100 (seated)
OwnerBoston Women’s Soccer, LLC
Head CoachMatt Beard
LeagueNational Women's Soccer League
WebsiteClub website

The Breakers played their home games at Jordan Field in Boston and were managed in their final season by Matt Beard.

History

Original franchise
Main article: Boston Breakers (WUSA)

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 in the semifinals.[1]

Re-establishment (2007–2009)
Boston Breakers, 2009

The formation of Women'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 acquired Heather Mitts and former Breakers players, Kristine Lilly and Angela Hucles.[4] The club acquired Amy Rodriguez as the first overall pick in the 2009 WPS Soccer Draft in St. Louis on January 30, 2009.[5]

2009 season
Boston Breaker, Amy LePeilbet, defends against the Saint Louis Athletica

The Breakers played their debut match in the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer against FC Gold Pride in Santa Clara, California losing 2–1.[6]

Its first home match was against St. 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.

See also: 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season

2010 season
Main article: 2010 Boston Breakers season
See also: 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season

2011 season
Main article: 2011 Boston Breakers season
See also: 2011 Women's Professional Soccer season

2012 league suspension

On January 16, 2012, the Breakers announced that they signed United States U-23 national team defender, Bianca D'Agostino.[8] Australian national team forward, Kyah Simon, was acquired by the Breakers in anticipation of the 2012 season as well. Simon scored two goals against Norway in the 2011 World Cup, which advanced Australia to the quarter-finals.[9] Her goals made her the first ever Aboriginal to score a goal in a World Cup tournament.[10]

The league announced on January 30, 2012 that the 2012 Women's Professional Soccer season was suspended.[11] 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.[12] The semi-pro league has no restrictions on the types of players, whether they be professional or amateur.

After the WPS suspension, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher returned to her former club, Turbine Potsdam, after playing for the Breakers during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.[13]

Women's Premier Soccer League Elite
Main article: 2012 Boston Breakers season

In 2012, the Boston Breakers joined the Women'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 the Chicago Red Stars in the WPSL Elite semifinals.[15]

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 Canadian Soccer Association and the Mexican 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 Breakers Heather O'Reilly and Heather Mitts.[17] The other players assigned to the Breakers were Anisa Guajardo, Adriana Leon, Sydney Leroux, Cecilia Santiago, and Rhian Wilkinson.[17]

2013 season
Main article: 2013 Boston Breakers 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
Main article: 2014 Boston Breakers 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
Main article: 2015 Boston Breakers 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.[18]

2016 season
Main article: 2016 Boston Breakers 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
Main article: 2017 Boston Breakers 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

The Boston Breakers officially folded on January 25, 2018 and did not participate in the NWSL in 2018.[19]

Stadium

Jordan Field (2014–2017)

The Boston Breakers played their home games for their final four seasons at Jordan Field, a 4,100 seat, multi-purpose facility located on the campus of Harvard University in Allston, Massachusetts. Jordan Field was formerly known as Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium.

Dilboy Stadium (2012–2013)

The Breakers played at Dilboy Stadium in the Boston suburb of Somerville, Massachusetts[20] for their 2012 and 2013 seasons, the move from Harvard to Dilboy concurrent with their league move to the WPSL Elite.[21]

Harvard Stadium (2009–2011)

Boston used Harvard Stadium, the 30,323 seat home football stadium of the Harvard Crimson, from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, shortly after joining the newly created Women's Premier Soccer League Elite, the Breakers moved their home field to Jordan Field.[22]

Broadcasting
See also: National Women's Soccer League § Broadcasting

As of 2017, Boston Breakers games were streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers.[23] As part of a three-year agreement with A&E Networks, Lifetime broadcasts one NWSL Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons.[24][25] The Breakers were featured in the nationally televised Game of the Week on September 2, 2017.[26]

Previous seasons' games were broadcast on YouTube,[27] MediaBoss Television,[28] ESPN,[29] and Fox Sports.[30]

Supporters

The team had an official supporters group called the Boston Armada [31][32] as well as an independent supporters group called the Riptide, who cheered from a standing section known as "The Dock".[33][34]

Players and coaches
See also: All-time Boston Breakers (WPS) roster

Final roster
As of November 1, 2017[35]
No. Position Player Nation
2 Defender Allysha Chapman  Canada
3 Defender Brooke Elby  United States
4 Defender Megan Oyster  United States
7 Defender Lotta Ökvist  Sweden
8 Defender Julie King  United States
9 Forward Natasha Dowie  England
10 Midfielder Rosie White  New Zealand
11 Midfielder Rose Lavelle  United States
14 Goalkeeper Abby Smith  United States
15 Goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme  United States
17 Defender Amanda Frisbie  United States
18 Forward Tiffany Weimer  United States
19 Forward Adriana Leon  Canada
20 Defender Christen Westphal  United States
21 Forward Midge Purce  United States
22 Forward Ifeoma Onumonu  United States
23 Forward Katie Stengel  United States
25 Midfielder Morgan Andrews  United States
26 Midfielder Angela Salem  United States
33 Forward Hayley Dowd  United States

Head coaches

Ownership and team management

Michael Stoller was the managing partner of Boston Women's Soccer, LLC, the ownership group overseeing the Breakers.[37]

Records and statistics
Year League Pos. Playoffs W L D Pts. GF GA Home Away
2009WPS5thDid not qualify 7 9 4 25 18 20 4–3–3 3–6–1
2010WPS2ndSuper Semifinal 10 8 6 36 36 28 5–6–1 5–2–5
2011 WPS4thFirst Round 5 9 4 19 19 24 4–3–2 1–6–2
2012 WPSLE1stFirst Round 11 3 0 33 28 9 6–1–0 5–2–0
2013 NWSL5thDid Not Qualify 8 8 6 30 35 34 5–3–3 3–5–3
2014 NWSL8thDid Not Qualify 6 16 2 20 37 53 5–7–0 1–9–2
2015 NWSL9thDid Not Qualify 4 13 3 15 22 43 4–5–1 0–8–2
2016 NWSL10thDid Not Qualify 3 15 2 11 14 47 2–6–2 1–9–0
2017 NWSL9thDid Not Qualify 4 13 7 19 24 35 3–6–3 1–7–4

Honors

Individual Player Awards

Player of the Week
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 [39]
2013 NWSL Week 4 Sydney Leroux [40]
2013 NWSL Week 7 Lianne Sanderson [40]
2013 NWSL Week 13 Sydney Leroux [40]
2015 NWSL Week 17 Alyssa Naeher [41]
2017 NWSL Week 3 Adriana Leon [42]
2017 NWSL Week 21 Adriana Leon [43]

Player of the Month
Month League Player Ref
April 2009 WPS Kelly Smith [44]
July 2010 WPS Jordan Angeli [45]
August 2010 WPS Kelly Smith [46]
April 2017 NWSL Rose Lavelle [47]

Pillars of Excellence
Two pillars at the southern part of the colonnade at Harvard Stadium

In summer 2009, the Breakers began a tradition of honoring legends from the past with commemorative banners at Harvard Stadium.[48] 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 became the first inductee during a halftime ceremony on May 17, 2009 when the Breakers hosted the Washington 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.[48] Angela Hucles was inducted on May 1, 2010 during a home game against the Chicago Red Stars.[49] Kristine Lilly was inducted during halftime of a match against the Philadelphia Independence May 23, 2011.[50] Leslie Osborne was inducted during halftime of a home game against Sky Blue FC.[51]

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

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 recognizes a player's individual contribution to the team during the match. The trophy for 2017 is representative of the unofficial mascot of the Boston Breakers, "Chunk", a British Bulldog owned by Boston Breakers Academy Head Coach, Lee Billard.

See also

References
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  2. Eldred, Sheila (January 25, 2009). "Call It a Comeback With women's pro soccer ready to strike with a new league, Boston Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco, 60, believes that, this time, failure is not an option". The Boston Globe.
  3. Belson, Ken (July 9, 2009). "Women's soccer sets the bar low; New league tackles daunting times with start-up mentality". The New York Times. Cambridge, Massachusetts. p. 11. 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.
  4. Daniels, Mark (September 17, 2008). "Boston Breakers net stars". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
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