Benfica women’s coach, Filipa Patão, has reached an agreement with Boston Legacy FC to become the club’s first coach in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
The Boston Legacy FC is preparing to debut as an expansion team in the NWSL next year.
The club declined to comment when contacted.
According to reports, Benfica will receive financial compensation from Boston, as Patão has a contract in effect until 2027.
Patão, 36, originally from Portugal, has led Benfica’s senior team since 2020, achieving five consecutive league titles.
Under her management, Benfica became the first Portuguese club to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in the 2023-24 edition.
One source described Patão as a coach “with a lot of energy and passion”, who would have been one of the most sought after among the available coaches.
Alofoke Deportes
Patão was one of the six nominees last year for the first Ballon d’Or Coach of the Year award, a prize that was ultimately won by the coach of the United States national team, Emma Hayes.
Before taking office in the first team, Patão was involved in Benfica’s training schools. She also played professionally and was an international with the Portuguese national team.
The general manager of Boston Legacy is Domènec Guasch, who joined the club in December after leaving his position as head of women’s football management at FC Barcelona.
Boston will join the NWSL next year along with another expansion team in Denver, bringing the number of league teams to 16.
The club has had a difficult start off the field since being awarded an expansion franchise in 2023. Initially, it presented the name “BOS Nation FC” in October and introduced the brand with a campaign titled “Too Many Balls”, which many fans considered insensitive.
The club apologized and finally changed its name to Boston Legacy FC earlier this year.
Earlier this week, the club confirmed that delays in the construction of White Stadium will force the team to play its first season at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Boston Legacy is renovating White Stadium as part of a controversial public-private partnership with Boston Public Schools.
There is an ongoing lawsuit by local residents to stop the project, although a judge recently dismissed most of their legal claims.
The completion of White Stadium as a permanent stadium was a condition for Boston to obtain an NWSL expansion team.
The owning group is led by managing controller Jennifer Epstein, a businesswoman whose family were long-time shareholders of the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
