Boston Legacy FC took an important step toward its debut in the National Women’s Soccer League next year: It signed its first player.
An agreement with Annie Karich, a 21-year-old defensive midfielder from Surfside, Calif., was announced by the team on Wednesday morning. Karich, who is currently playing in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, spent the last two seasons with Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga team SC Freiburg and was signed by Boston as a free agent.
“I want to grow by developing my overall game as a player and by learning how to adapt again into a new city, new team, and everything, and I’m really excited to do that here in Boston,” Karich said in a team news release.
The Legacy said Karich’s deal runs through the 2027 season with an option for 2028.
Karich played college soccer at Santa Clara for two seasons and was the West Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 and the WCC Freshman of the Year in 2022. She has also played for the US national team at multiple levels, including the under-23 team.
“We’re very excited to welcome Annie Karich to Boston,” Legacy general manager Domè Guasch said. “Annie is a midfielder that brings a unique blend of technical quality and tactical awareness. In her time at SC Freiburg, she has also proved her competitiveness and maturity on the field. Annie has the potential to make a real impact in our team. We’re looking forward to supporting her development within our environment.”
Karich scored two goals and had two assists as a sophomore at Santa Clara in 2023. Her player page on Santa Clara’s athletics website listed her personal interests as surfing and spending time with family and friends.
At SC Freiburg, she appeared in 36 games.
The Legacy will begin play in the NWSL in March of 2026, with home games at Gillette Stadium next season before a move to White Stadium in Boston, which is being rebuilt.
The team recently announced Filipa Patão of Portugal as its first coach. Patão told the Globe recently she wanted Legacy players to be aggressive.
“It’s impossible to have players afraid to take risk. This is the style I want to see,” Patão said. “I want to see brave players, who want to play beautiful football, challenge themselves, go one-v-one if necessary.”
Karich is expected to join Legacy FC in January, when it begins to prepare for its inaugural season.
Matt Pepin can be reached at matt.pepin@globe.com.