FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Gillette Stadium was not where Boston Legacy planned to play its franchise's first game, and losing 1-0 to Gotham FC was not how they expected the party to end.
But after roughly three years of planning, stadium renovation setbacks and a marquee mulligan, Boston's arrival in a competitive NWSL match was a moment for the club and the league to celebrate.
“I know at this point, being here today is a victory,” Boston Legacy control owner Jennifer Epstein said moments before Saturday's game began.
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Esther González, an MVP finalist last season when Gotham won a second NWSL Championship in three years, came off the bench at halftime and scored 10 minutes later to bring Gotham within three points in the opening weekend.
A Boston team with significant international talent clogged the midfield and slowed play in a scoreless first half.
Esther's goal broke the deadlock and Legacy defender Bianca St-Georges' second yellow card in the 77th minute reduced her team to 10 players and stifled the comeback attempt.
An announced crowd of 30,207 showed up for the market's first women's professional soccer game since the now-defunct Boston Breakers played this same Gotham franchise (then called Sky Blue FC) in September 2017.
The crowd set a record for an expansion team's home opener, although that record will fall in two weeks, when a crowd of more than 50,000 fans is expected for the home opener of the other 2026 expansion team, Denver Summit FC.
On Saturday, a Boston team with significant international talent clogged the midfield and slowed play into a scoreless first half. Legacy goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who has 20 caps for the United States, made three saves that day, including a diving save to the ground in the first half on a shot by Jaedyn Shaw.
Esther broke the deadlock when she took advantage of a loose ball following a botched clearance by Legacy defender Bianca St-Georges. Gotham defender Lilly Reale won the ball in midfield and found Shaw, who broke free of pressure and returned the ball to Reale on the left flank. Reale's cross just missed debutant rookie Jordyn Dudley's near post, but Esther was lurking in the penalty area to get the neat finish.
“She's Esther; she's world class,” Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell said. “She will always come and bring the same quality in front of goal. That's what we needed her to do, and great players show up in games and that's what she did.”
St-Georges' second yellow card in the 77th minute reduced his team to 10 players and stifled the comeback attempt.
The NWSL board of governors first greenlit Boston's expansion bid more than three years ago (although it wasn't publicly announced until months later), marking the longest runway in league history for expansion teams.
Several setbacks followed. An ambitious project to renovate White Stadium, which is located within Boston's city limits, was a flashpoint in the city's mayoral race and faced local opposition. Construction delays ultimately cost the team the opportunity to play the 2026 schedule there as originally planned. The new Blanco Stadium, with capacity for about 10,000 fans, will open next year.
The Legacy also launched the “BosNation” brand last year before abandoning it after widespread scrutiny and settling on the Boston Legacy name and brand.
So, Saturday's game marked an important step forward for Legacy. “Our legacy takes flight,” was what the Boston supporters' group in the North End read before the game.
“Today I'm just thinking about today and the celebration,” Epstein said. “We are doing something big; we are doing something historic. And yes, it has been difficult, more difficult than one would have thought, but I couldn't be more proud of the effort of the entire organization. Today I feel proud and, honestly, a sense of awe to have gotten here, to be playing in a world-class stadium.”
Saturday's game was the first to be played on the temporary turf planned for the 2026 men's World Cup. A snowy winter in New England delayed installation of the surface, which played slowly on Saturday, and caused the MLS New England Revolution to postpone its home opener earlier this month.
Players on both sides said the course was fine, although the difficulty posed by strong winds was a common frustration.
Boston coach Filipa Patão said she thought the emotions of the game, which included seven yellow cards and one ejection, were normal for the occasion.
He said he saw a team that “is going to do well in this league” once it gets into rhythm.
“If we won the game, I would tell you the same thing: it's a process,” Patão said. “We need more games; we need more time. But we are going to achieve the identity we want. I think we already showed something: a team that tried to play, a team that tried to have the ball, a team that wants to press, wants to recover quickly. It's a process.”
Murphy, who has played for two other NWSL teams in addition to spending time abroad, was encouraged by her team's debut.
“In a lot of players you could see the courage, the attitude to give it their all,” Murphy said. “I love fighters. I love leaving it all out there. We were one man down and we still didn't give up. We kept moving forward until the final whistle.
“That's what makes great teams. I've been in this league long enough to know that's what it takes. I see a lot of potential in our group.”
