Beware the barking swans.
Boston Legacy FC head coach Filipa Patão and her 24-player roster are ready to take on the National Women’s Soccer League, starting with Gotham FC on Saturday.
Patão has instilled her unwavering tenacity and confidence into the players over the last few weeks, likening them to “hungry dogs” (before amending the moniker to barking swans).
“We need to have the 24 dogs bite every player, every team, every game, every ball, every moment of the game,” she said.
Needless to say, the team feels ready.
The excitement over the club’s debut is tangible for everyone involved, but, for many looking in, uncertainty about how the team will fare this season is at the top of mind.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Laurel Ivory, Casey Murphy, Hannah Stambaugh
Defenders (7): Laurel Ansbrow, Laís Araújo, Jorelyn Carabalí, Emerson Elgin, Nicki Hernández, Kaká, Bianca St-Georges
Midfielders (7): Alba Caño, Aleigh Gambone, Josefine Hasbo, Annie Karich, Sophia Lowenberg, Barbara Olivieri, Chloe Ricketts
Forwards (7): Amanda Allen, Amanda Gutierres, Fauzia Najjemba, Nichelle Prince, Sammy Smith, Ella Stevens, Aïssata Traoré
The three goalies, St-Georges, Elgin, Hasbo, Olivieri, Ricketts, Allen, and Prince are the only players with NWSL experience. Prince tops the list for most NWSL experience; she will be entering her 10th season.
Ansbrow was on loan in the USL’s Gainbridge Super League last season, and the rest of the players come from or were on loan in domestic leagues in Mexico, Brazil, France, Portugal, England, Spain, Iceland, Germany, and Russia.
Lowenberg just finished her senior season at Boston College.
*Note: Stambaugh made one appearance in a friendly for Angel City FC, but did not have any regular-season minutes. Elgin was with Gotham as a short-term injury replacement from April to June 2025 but did not make any appearances. She was also on loan in the Gainbridge Super League starting in August, but only made two appearances due to injury.
Preseason
The Legacy fled to warmer weather in Florida and Spain for preseason training. Some players described the first few weeks as unstructured and, at times, chaotic. The team focused more on bonding activities and getting to know each other on and off the pitch before delving into tactics and playing style.
Boston faced five teams for preseason scrimmages: Washington Spirit, Chicago Stars, Molde FK, Alhama CF, and SAT Pro Pathway's Elite Eleven team (whose players ranged from 15-18 years of age).
The club did not disclose any scores or lineups, but a few of the opposing teams shared some useful information. And if we put together the context clues (General Manager Domè Guasch said all results were positive), it is safe to say the Legacy won all of its matches.
Confirmed scorelines:
- Chicago Stars (3-1)
- Molde FK (7-0)
- Alhama CF (3-0)
Playing Style
It is clear that the team is still in a formative phase. By the time the Legacy takes the field on Saturday, the players will have spent a total of eight weeks together.
When asked what challenges the team prepared for ahead of facing Gotham, the coach said a large part of the process has been identifying their own flaws.
“We are focusing [on] the things that we need to continue to improve and have some dynamics that can help us to beat our opponents in our first game,” she said when speaking to media. “We need to understand how to [not] show this weakness and appear with our strengths every game.”
Patão has often said she expects to have a high-pressing team that keeps possession. Adaptability and taking risks will guide the squad’s identity on the field. Since day one, the coaching staff has worked toward creating an environment that encourages players to feel comfortable making their own in-the-moment decisions.
She wants her players to fight for every ball and not be afraid of making mistakes.
Expectations
Patão says her team is ready for its first game, but acknowledges that the group has not reached the standard they set for themselves. It will take at least the next few games to find cohesion and determine how to best execute their style of play.
“This first game [isn’t] going to define our game and what we are. I think it’s going to be the consistency inside the season. It's a long season,” Patão said. “We're not going to be the best ones if we win this game, and we [aren't] going to be the worst ones if we lose the game.”
While there may be struggles along the way, the coach and players have ensured that competitiveness will not be an issue.
Karich, the first player to sign with the team, said the head coach and management have been clear about their expectations since the beginning.
“One of the first conversations I had with Filipa, she was like, ‘I want to win an effing championship," she said. "I am not here just to enter the league. I'm not here for a development year, we are here to win."
The players have all displayed significant buy-in, the coach said, and she’s made sure to promote a mentality that prioritizes dedication and perseverance.
“I cannot train effort. I train individual things, tactical things,” Patão said in Sam Mewis’ podcast this week. “Effort … is the thing that you need to have inside a professional league if you want to be a different player [and] if you want to be bigger every day.”
The team will always strive for greatness, but as they evolve their team dynamic, the players will take things day by day.
In terms of personal goals, Gutierres told The Blazing Musket in January that she wants to become the leader of the league. The 24-year-old was the Brazilian league’s leading scorer for three consecutive years when she was with Palmeiras. She scored 18 goals in 23 games last season and finished 21st in Ballon d’Or rankings.
The Brazilian will have tough competition if she’s able to translate her goal-scoring success to the NWSL. Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga has secured the Golden Boot award the past two years. She scored 15 goals last season, ahead of Gotham’s Esther Gonzales, who scored 13.
Predictions
To put it simply, trying to predict how the team will play would be a futile effort. There hasn’t been any film of the team playing together, and we only have a surface-level idea of what the playing style will be.
We can analyze individual performances at former clubs or on national teams, but like Patão told me Thursday, the environments are completely different.
Even with stars who recently played together, such as Annie Karich and Nicki Hernández at Club América, this is an entirely new team and system.
Based on the existing lineups and pairings I could find from preseason, this is my projected starting XI:
It could just be from the pure lack of information, or from a sense of confidence after watching the international players this past week, but I am cautiously optimistic about this roster.
I fully support the Golden Boot campaign, and even if she doesn’t receive it this season, I have faith that "Gutigoal" will score many screamers.
As for the Gotham game, I don’t necessarily believe Boston will win, but my goal for them is to get two in the back of the net (they can definitely score at least one).
If you’ll be at Gillette Saturday, I urge you to listen closely: you might just be able to hear some barking coming from the players' huddle.
