Boston Legacy FC signed striker Aïssata Traoré to a three-year contract through the 2028 NWSL season on Friday.
The deal makes Traore, 27, the expansion club's first international signing and the league's first player from Mali.
Aïssata Traoré is joining the Legacy 🇲🇱
— Boston Legacy FC (@NWSLBoston) July 10, 2025
The Mali forward becomes the first-ever player from her country to sign in the NWSL.
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Aïssata Traoré rejoint la Legacy 🇲🇱
L'attaquante malienne devient la première joueuse de son pays à signer en NWSL. pic.twitter.com/QAt6LKzIXq
Traore will remain on loan with French club FC Fleury 91 before joining Boston for its first preseason in 2026.
Traore has nine goals and four assists in 20 matches since joining Fleury in 2024, after stints at France's Guingamp (2019-24) and Turkey's Besiktas (2019).
Internationally, she has been a fixture in the Mali lineup since 2018 when she helped the team reach the semifinals at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Last week, Boston signed ts first player in club history, midfielder Annie Karich on a free transfer from Germany's SC Freiburg.
Boston will begin playing in the NWSL next year as an expansion team, kicking off alongside a new team in Denver to bring the league to 16 teams.
Boston and Denver are the first NWSL expansion teams in history that must build their rosters without player drafts.
The NWSL granted them additional money for salaries and the transfer market to help with roster construction.
They and other NWSL teams can also loan players within the league, which is a new development.
The NWSL's summer transfer window, including official free agency, opened last week.