Boston Legacy are out of the 2026 NWSL playoffs. A 2-0 loss to Seattle Reign on Friday ended their postseason hopes — and whatever slim chance existed of joining the short list of expansion clubs to reach the postseason in year one.
The final blow came from Jess Fishlock, who scored twice to become Seattle's all-time leading scorer with 52 goals, surpassing Megan Rapinoe in the process. A historic night for her. A gut-punch for Boston — and the end of their 13-game scoring streak in the same breath.
At 7-14-5, the record reflects exactly what Boston are: a first-year club still figuring out who they are. That's not a failure. It's a schedule.
What the debut year actually showed
The opener told you everything about the potential here. A crowd of 30,207 at Gillette Stadium for their first-ever game — a record for an NWSL expansion debut — made clear that this city was desperate for professional women's football. They held the defending NWSL champions to a 1-0 scoreline while playing a player down for the final 13 minutes. That's not a consolation result. That's a statement.
Brazilian forward Amanda Gutierres and Mali international Aïssata Traoré turned out to be the best signings the club made. Ten goals and seven respectively, in their first NWSL seasons. Neither were household names in this league before the year started. Both are now. Their form is the clearest evidence that general manager Domenec Guasch — formerly of FC Barcelona — and head coach Filipa Patão have an eye for talent.
The problems were predictable. Nineteen-year-old Chloe Ricketts went down for ankle surgery in June before she'd barely got started. Lilly Reale, acquired from Gotham as a direct replacement — a Boston native picking up the slack — showed real quality but was also hampered by injury. You can't build chemistry when your depth keeps breaking down.
There was also the matter of a nomadic home schedule. Losing Gillette Stadium to World Cup preparation mid-season forced the club into an uncomfortable rotation that they'll carry into next year, when Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island becomes their temporary base while White Stadium in Boston is still being built. Expansion growing pains don't get more literal than not having a permanent home.
The final weeks still matter — for the league, and for the odds
Four games remain, and Boston has already shown they can hurt anyone. Back-to-back wins over Utah Royals and Washington Spirit — currently sitting fourth and third in the table — came just weeks ago. The 3-0 win over Spirit at Audi Field on September 13th included a Traoré opener in the 81st minute and a Gutierres stoppage-time brace. That's not a flattering scoreline. That's a dismantling.
With Portland Thorns, San Diego Wave, and Angel City still on the schedule, Boston has every chance of playing spoiler in a tight postseason race. Any team still in contention that underestimates them has already forgotten what happened to Washington. That's a live pricing issue for anyone tracking late-season NWSL markets.
Patão said at her inaugural press conference: "This city deserves strong women's football and this is why I'm here, because I know this project is ambitious." A 7-14-5 debut season doesn't contradict that. It just means year two starts with something to build on.
