Boston Legacy FC names Filipa Patão as first head coach

NWSL expansion side Boston Legacy FC has found its first head coach in Filipa Patão. Pending approval of her visa, Patão will begin working with the club in July.

Patão joins Boston from Portuguese club Benfica, where she has a 156-28-15 record with the women’s senior team. She holds a UEFA A coaching license and has coached there since 2020. According to the team release, she is in the process of obtaining her UEFA Pro diploma.

“I’m very excited about going to Boston. I can’t wait to get to the city, meet all the people and start working,” Patão said in a statement. “The American league is extremely competitive and that’s one of the reasons I accepted this project: I like competition, difficulty, and getting the players to strive for more and better. To transform themselves and always demand more of themselves. I know that Boston fans are passionate about the city and their teams and I’m looking forward to building a new history with them.”

Patão started as a youth coach with Benfica in 2007 and coached the U-15, U-17 and U-19 teams before taking over with the senior team. During her tenure, Benfica won Portugal’s top flight Campeonato Nacional five years in a row and advanced to the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinals. She earned a nomination for the Ballon d’Or Women’s Coach of the Year award.

She is the second major hire by Boston Legacy FC, who tabbed Domènec Guasch as general manager in December. He joined the team after 13 years with FC Barcelona, where he most recently served as head of management for women’s football.

“Filipa demonstrates all of the qualities that personify this club and the way we want to play: with passion, grit, and style,” Legacy FC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein said. “She is a coach who loves to develop players and loves to win, and that attitude is very evident in the way she is approaching our inaugural 2026 season head-on. We can’t wait to watch her build Boston’s next championship team.”

Boston Legacy FC is set to begin play in 2026 as the 15th NWSL franchise. They will play their inaugural season at Gilette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., home of the MLS’ New England Revolution and NFL’s New England Patriots.