Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Boston Breakers Crash Back to Shore

The Boston Breakers will be back for a return engagement in 2008 when the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), which originally folded in 2003 due to financial constraints, returns next year after a five-year hiatus. Tonya Antonucci, CEO of the Women's Soccer Initiative, Inc. announced the return of the Boston-based franchise on Wednesday.

The Breakers, one of the original WUSA franchises back in 2001, featured notable US Women’s National Team stars, such as current captain Kristine Lilly – a native New Englander – in addition to Angela Hucles and Shannon Boxx.

The WUSA has tabbed other locales such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Dallas as part of its reincarnation.

The Breakers originally played its home matches at Boston University’s Nickerson Field, which has a total seating capacity close to 10,000. The Breakers were among the league leaders in fan attendance during their initial run, drawing an average of 7,674 per match during the course of their three-year run in Boston.

Joe Cummings, the original president of the Breakers franchise, will once again reclaim his former role with the team. No official announcement has been made regarding the club’s potential home field, players, or coaches, although it would seem likely that Lilly, the hometown hero, would be an ideal candidate to play up front for the Breakers in ’08.

No comments: