Boston Breakers

As a Revolution season-​ticket holder, the Breakers have something that we don’t yet, and Bob Kraft being what he is, maybe never will – a stadium you can take the T to.
Not that Harvard Stadium’s great for soccer, but given that you do get to see top-​notch women players, including many who’ll play in the World Cup next year, for cheap, and on a whim, without getting in a car, it’s pretty great.
There’s a noticeable gulf, technically, between the international stars and the other players on the teams, but the game moves fast and there’s plenty of tenacity to go around. The lines for concessions are predictably long, and of course there are plenty of kids there who are more interested in cotton candy than what’s on the field, so it’s pretty laid back. On the bright side, if you have kids, the stone bleachers are pretty great to climb and run around on.
Let’s hope that this incarnation of the women’s soccer league is run a bit more responsibly and sticks around a while.

After a half-​dozen trips to Harvard Stadium to see the Breakers during their inaugural season, I bought a pair of season tickets before the season was even over — I couldn’t be happier that I did. The reasons are endless, thus 5 stars.
1. Great soccer — the women’s game has a certain beauty to it that is undeniable and WPS is world class.
2. Great price — inexpensive tickets to be up close, inexpensive parking which is easy to get in and out quick, and inexpensive top notch concessions.
3. Great for kids — I’m the father of 3 girls under the age of 13. It’s a great atmosphere for fans. The players are incredible role models and their accessibility after the games is great for the kids.

Attending a Breakers game is the most affordable way to see a sporting event in Boston, a rare occassion compared to Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics tickets.
The location is highly accessible at Harvard Stadium, perfectly placed for food and drink after the game in Harvard Square.
These women are some of the best soccer players in the world, and the roster is full of National Team and International Team talent. Kristine Lilly was on the 1999 World Cup team and at 40 is still amazing. Kelly Smith from England is just unstoppable, words can’t even describe. If you think a Revs game is better, think again. Mens soccer in the U.S. isn’t great compared to the rest of the world but the U.S. women players rule the world of women’s soccer. Plus, the Revs play all the way out at Gillette.
It’s also nice to be a part of something new and help it grow. You can tell the club and players are much more humbled than other athletes and franchises and more willing to give their time and heart to the game.

Best sports bargain in town. Cheap tickets, high-​energy soccer (the women’s game is still early in its development, but the passing game in WPS has gotten good), samba drums, and reasonable concessions. The team is laden with stars– World Cup winner Kristine Lilly, supermodel defender Heather Mitts, England stars Kelly Smith and Alex Scott to name a few, and there have been breakout players like Ali Lipsher and Amy LePelibet.
The Breakers can’t quite compete with the Revs for sheer excitement in my book, but on the other hand they’re in the city, while the Revs play way the hell out in Foxboro. I saw four or five games this season, and will probably jump for season tickets for next year.

The Boston Breakers are Boston’s own professional women’s soccer team, and play at Harvard Stadium during the summer. The breakers didn’t make the playoffs in this first year of the WPS league, mostly because we had some injuries and Kelly Smith left us for international duty for a long time. Straight up, though, despite the no-​playoffs, the Breakers rule. This is the best opportunity to see high-​level soccer in Boston (significantly better than the Revs), and for cheap, too — tickets usually run between $ 13 and $ 25 or so. And the hot dogs are cheap, too.
The captain, Kristine Lilly, is total boss, even though she’s almost 40. Most of the stars of the league are solid U.S. or international players, and it shows. The product on the field is hot.
The atmosphere in Harvard Stadium is pretty cool, too — if you like giant concrete horseshoes, which I happen to love. Tickets are technically for specific sections of the stadium, but if you actually worry about sitting where you’re supposed to, you’ve clearly never been to a game. Stupid non-​fans who come to the games because they think it will boost their 5-​year old daughters’ self-​esteem tend to be the sticklers for sitting in the «right spot.» Also, because the stadium is just a giant open concrete U, it gets windy and cold at times, and rocky. If you don’t have a giant ass like I do, you might want to bring something to sit on so your butt cheeks don’t fall asleep.
The only downsides to the breakers are the HUGE number of tweens in the stands. Because the WPS doesn’t think that high-​level female soccer can stand on its own as a sporting product (and unfortunately they are probably right), they’ve marketed the league really heavily as a method of building up young girls’ sporting talents and confidence. I don’t have a problem with that per se, but the mass of screaming 12 year-​old girls who don’t really know anything about the game gets irritating after a while. On the other hand, I’m a cantankerous bastard who hates children.
Also, Harvard Stadium has football lines on the field. It’s an unnecessary blemish, but it is kind of funny watching international players who’ve never dealt with an American mixed-​use stadium try to figure out where the end lines are.
The samba band that plays at the games is solid, the soccer is hot, our captain is a storm trooper (in the Star Wars sense: she’s scary), and it’s easy to get to on the 86, 66, 70 and 70a buses, or the red line. If you like good soccer, this is the place to check some out.