Boston Legacy FC Names Filipa Patão as First Head Coach
BOSTON (June 25, 2025) – Boston Legacy FC has hired Filipa Patão as head coach, pending approval of her visa. She will begin her duties with the club in July as the Legacy continues building its roster.
“Filipa demonstrates all of the qualities that personify this club and the way we want to play: with passion, grit, and style,” said Legacy FC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein. “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.”
Patão comes to the Boston Legacy from Portuguese club Benfica, where she has been head coach of the women’s senior team since 2020 and amassed a 156-28-15 W-L-D record over all competitions. She currently holds a UEFA A coaching license and is in the process of obtaining her UEFA Pro diploma.
Patão began her career with Benfica in 2007 as a youth coach, eventually taking over the U-15, U-17, and then U-19 women’s teams. During Patão’s time as senior team head coach, Benfica won the Campeonato Nacional, Portugal’s top flight, five years in a row. She also took Benfica to the quarterfinals of the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League, the first Portuguese club to advance that far, and the second round of UWCL in 2024-25. For her 2024 performance she was nominated for the Ballon d'Or's first Women's Coach of the Year award.
“I'm very excited about going to Boston. I can't wait to get to the city, meet all the people and start working,” said new head coach Patão. “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.”
“Boston is a club where we want to develop both technical identity and have a clear style of play, but also we want a coach who thinks about more than just winning games,” said general manager Domè Guasch. “Filipa is a coach I believe can help us build a great culture where players understand they will come here to grow and learn.”
Boston Legacy FC will begin play in the NWSL in the 2026 season as the league’s 15th franchise. Season ticket deposits are available now. Follow for more on our social media platforms – Twitter (X), Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
