Boston Breakers pick up Katie Stengel

The Boston Breakers have claimed 25-year-old forward Katie Stengel after she was waived by the Washington Spirit.

To maintain the 20-player roster cap, the Breakers have waived defender Kylie Strom.

Stengel had 222 minutes over five games for the Spirit and no goals or assists; with the Spirit starting to find their rhythm through the work of Francisca Ordega and Cheyna Williams, and the return of Mallory Pugh hopefully imminent, that didn’t leave much room for Stengel to break in.

But the Breakers have looked a little bit like they might need an impact forward, someone who can pull attention away from Natasha Dowie and give her more space in front of goal. Stengel might be that player for Boston, working as a target forward who not only opens up space but gives the midfield a direct option. With Morgan Andrews and Angela Salem capable of picking out the runner from deep, that’s not the worst idea.

It does raise the question of what Beard is going to do with his group of forwards, which is now Midge Purce, Ifeoma Onumonu, Adriana Leon, Dowie, and Stengel. You could possibly throw Tiffany Weimer in there, depending on formation. That’s a lot of options, so we’ll see how much playing time Stengel gets.

In the meantime, her pickup does add a bit of intrigue to Boston’s upcoming game against the Washington Spirit. It doesn’t feel good to get dropped, and no matter how much you like your former team and teammates, perhaps Stengel will come on as a sub with a real hankering to put the ball in the net - and that’s exactly what Boston needs right now.