Last month, Boston Legacy FC unveiled its new crest featuring a swan as its central symbol. Last week, the National Womens’ Soccer League team announced the hiring of Filipa Patão as the team's first head coach pending approval of a visa.

Patão, a 36-year-old Portuguese soccer coach and former player, will join the Legacy from the Portuguese club Benfica, where she has coached the women’s senior team that has won the Campeonato Nacional, Portugal’s top flight, five years in a row.

Patão also led Benfica to the quarterfinals of the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League. It was the first Portuguese club to advance that far. In the 2024-25 season, her team made it to the second round of the UWCL and Patão was nominated for the Ballon d'Or's first Women's Coach of the Year award.

Prior to her time with the senior team, Patão coached at the youth level and with Benfica’s U-15, U-17, and U-19 women’s teams.

“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 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.”

FC controlling owner Jennifer Epstein noted that “Filipa demonstrates all of the qualities that personify this club and the way we want to play: with passion, grit, and style. 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.”

In March, general manager Domè Guasch told The Reporter that the green and black not only wanted to create a team that was “adaptable” and “flexible,” but also to “build a legacy club that will be for years to come.” Guasch thinks Patão can help the team do just that.

“Boston is a club where we want to develop both technical identity and have a clear style of play, “he said, but also we want a coach who thinks about more than just winning games. “Filipa is a coach I believe can help us build a great culture where players understand they will come here to grow and learn.”

A Boston Legacy roster has yet to be released, but one thing is set: Patão and her team will begin play at Gillette Stadium next year.