Boston Legacy FC at Angel City FC: 3 Thoughts

Boston Legacy FC’s inaugural season swan song was a brutal 4-1 loss against Angel City FC on Sunday.

Los Angeles (15-8-7) opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Boston (9-15-6) equalized 20 minutes later. ACFC proceeded to pile on three more goals in the second half to secure the win and extend its unbeaten streak to 10 games. 

BLFC concluded the season in 13th place with 33 points. The highest spot the club reached in the standings this year was 12th place. 

Head coach Filipa Patão started Laurel Ivory in the net behind Nicki Hernandez, Lilly Reale, Deja Davis, and Bianca St-Georges. Aleigh Gambone, Annie Karich, Alba Caño, and Aïssata Traoré made up the midfield, and Amanda Gutierres and Sarah Schupansky took the top.

Here are three thoughts from the match:

The Finale

Sunday’s performance lacked what Patão said she was seeking: consistency. In many ways, the game was an encapsulation of all the strengths and weaknesses the team has displayed throughout the season. 

BLFC maintained 61% possession throughout the game and attempted 10 shots in the first half and nine in the second half. Only two were on target.

Though there were individual mistakes in Boston’s own half that nearly led to some early LA goals, the Swans showed better execution when entering the attacking third but struggled to convert. The Legacy ended with 67 final third entries compared to ACFC’s 21.

The first half resulted in a 1-1 tie, and ACFC went on to double its lead at the start of the second half. By the 84th minute, LA had found the back of the net twice more to finish with four goals.

Coach Patão said the team’s breaking point came at the 70th minute when Hernandez attempted a pass in the 18-yard box that grazed ACFC defender Savy King’s arm. The referee did not call anything on the field despite Legacy players’ protests. A VAR check confirmed it was not considered a handball. 

“That killed our team,” she said postgame. “Emotionally, we didn't [come out] of that situation, and after we were playing with emotions and not being rational.”

The coach said the team started rushing the game by playing long and sending crosses without players inside the box. 

“Our players need to grow to understand that … we don't control the referees, we don't control [their] decisions, but we need to keep our focus and be rational inside the game, and that was the part that we didn't have,” Patão said. 

Nevertheless, Patão still believed Boston was the better team on the field, and this will be yet another learning experience to take into the next year.

Gutigoal

The Legacy’s lone goal was a result of a Traoré-Gutierres link-up, one that many have envisioned all season. Traoré received a pass from Caño at the edge of the box and turned away from the goal, setting up the ball for Gutierres to nail it into the net in the 37th minute.

The Brazilian’s 11th goal of the season surpassed Traoré’s 10, making her the team’s leading goalscorer and the player with the most goal contributions (11 goals, two assists). Traoré was close behind with 10 goals and two assists.

Gutierres started the year with hopes of winning the Golden Boot. By the June break, she had only scored two goals. She scored another two in July before sustaining a minor back injury that limited her playing time for most of the remaining games. Despite not being at full fitness for nearly half the season, she ended the season in a four-way tie for fifth leading goalscorer in the league.  

“When you get to a new team, you always want to be the best,” Gutierres said two weeks ago. “You want to be better than everyone–not taking any value away from my teammates, but you always want to trust your work, your performance, and always think about helping each other.”

Gutierres recorded five shots and had 92% passing accuracy. 

So Long, Farewell

Patão may be relieved the season is over, but she takes pride over building a team that others have said was a challenge to play against. Getting better end results is one of the final pieces Boston will need to work on.

“We want a win at the end of the day, too,” the coach said. “So that is the part that I think this team is getting ready for the next season: to allow us to not just provide a good show, but come to our home with a win in these types of games.”

Schupansky started in the season opener against Boston when she was still with Gotham FC and remembers feeling the pressure from the brand new team. The 23-year-old signed with the Swans at the end of a long, winless streak of games and has already experienced the ups and downs of being on the team. 

“[BLFC] continued to prove that they're a team that's not to be messed with. And I mean, it's a privilege to be a part of it and to be inside of it,” she said. “But it definitely is something that I think is only going to get better.”

It all ties back to the team’s motto of trusting the process. A loss was not how the team wanted to go out, but the coach and players will not let this game, or any of their other losses, dictate the season.

The Legacy still has a few weeks of training before heading into its break. The team will reconvene in January to begin preseason before the season opener in February.