Season recap so far

It has been an incredibly challenging first half of the NWSL season for the Chicago Stars. I don’t think a lot of people at the beginning of the season expected this team to have a record of 1-3-9 and a goal differential of -17 and sitting in 13th place in the table. When you looked at this squad in the pre-season there were expectations that this team would be a playoff contender. Those beliefs are still there but it will be an uphill battle for them to earn a spot in the playoffs this season.

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Everyone thought this team would be centered around Mal Swanson, coming off a stellar performance last season and the Olympic gold medal. The team also thought they would have Natalia Kuikka but she unfortunately missed several games due to a knee injury. On the positive side, I don’t believe anyone thought Sam Staab would be available so early in the season after recovering from her Achilles injury last season.

The team has battled through a lot of adversity this season, so far. Numerous players have been in and out of the line up due to injury. Adding in the carousel of coaches to the mix creates a team still trying to find its footing in a league that is full of talent. Having 3 different head coaches in the span of half a season who all have different playing styles and have different expectations for players is incredibly challenging for even the most veteran of players.

The Stars lone win of the season came against Bay FC, in a 2-1 victory. The style of play that got them the win isn’t sustainable in the NWSL though. Playing balls over the top and hoping and praying for your front line to run onto it and score isn’t strategy, it’s luck and timing. This team needs to find it’s identity without Mal Swanson and that identity can’t be forcing Ludmila into Mal’s role. Teams are now just focusing on Ludmila knowing that is where the ball is going every single time. I’d like to see Ava Cook, Ally Schlegel, Shea Groom, Micayla Johnson and Jameese Joseph, when healthy, create more opportunities offensively for the team.

We know what these players are capable of we just need to find the right coach and strategy to unlock the talent. Julia Grosso is fantastic for Canada but sometimes gets lost in the shuffle for Chicago. We have seen glimpses of her brilliance but Chicago’s lack of possession makes it hard for her talent to be utilized properly. With Maitane stabilizing the midfield, players like Grosso, Franklin and Hiyashi can be more creative offensively for the Stars.

New Faces, New Tactics?

I would like to see some changes in the starting line up in the second half of the season. Chicago signed Sam Angel during the midseason break and she played in the Teal Rising Cup games in Kansas City. Chicago also signed, German international, Kathy Hendrich who will be joining the squad now that the Euros are finished. Bolstering the defense wasn’t the expected move from the Stars during this break as they have struggled to score goals and maintain possession but I expect to see Hendrich move into the starting line up once she integrates into the team. It will be interesting to see who that will bump off the backline. Could it be Cari Roccaro who is in the final year of her contract with Chicago? Roccaro brings a veteran presence to the team but the Stars are clearly in a rebuild era and playing your youth as well as longer term players should be the move. The NWSL window for signing players is open until August 25th so more signings could happen. If the Stars were to make more moves I would hope it would be someone to help up top with the loss of Swanson and Joseph has been injured.

With a month off from league play Chicago has had time under interim head coach Ella Masar to work on how they want to play in the second half of the season. This will be Masar’s second stint as interim head coach and you know she wants to prove that she with worthy of a head coaching position in the league. I’m hoping we see more of a focus on offense with Masar at the helm.

The team needs to change tactics from sitting back and absorbing pressure and then trying to get breakaway goals. It’s just not sustainable and if they continue to do this they will be at the bottom of the table at the end of the year. Not only does this strategy not work in the league it’s also not going to help attract players to want to sign with the club. What defender is going to be want to play for a team where they defend for their lives every 90 minutes? On the other side, what offensive player is going to want to defend for nearly the entire game and maybe get 1 or 2 opportunities within 90 minutes knowing you need to capitalize on them for your team? This strategy puts way too much stress on players on both sides of the ball.

Looking towards the second half of the season

Chicago starts the second half of the season against Gotham on August 1st at 7:00 pm on NWSL+. Chicago already played Gotham this year and it ended in a scoreless draw. Chicago is going to need to have another fantastic defensive day to stop players like Esther and Lavelle from scoring. This will be a home game for Chicago, where they have struggled this season. The status of several players who were injured going into the break isn’t known at this time but if they were available it could help bolster the Chicago squad. The loss of Naeher not only as a fantastic keeper but a veteran presence and voice on the pitch has been a massive loss for the team over the last few games. Joseph’s presence at the top of the pitch has also been missed because she helps alleviate some of the pressure off of Ludmila. Hopefully the Stars come out of the break with a rejuvenated energy and urgency to score and earn some points.

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Positive Pressure

Many people would claim you can’t find positives in a loss. I disagree because I think what most Chicago fans want is for the team to compete instead of sitting back. The Chicago Stars have made some minor tweaks in their game play since Lorne Donaldson was fired a couple weeks ago. Mak Hemmi has taken over at the interim coach and you can see how these small changes have made positive impacts for the on the pitch product. Chicago has been high pressing teams more frequently in an attempt to get turnovers. I love that Mak is implementing these changes against top level teams and it seems to be working. Chicago has had very competitive matches now for two straight weeks against Gotham and Washington.

The high press does require players to exert a lot of energy but Chicago does a good job of communicating when they want to press and when they don’t. This pressure has caused teams to not be able to dominate the possession statistic like they had at the beginning of the season. Instead, Chicago has kept pace with teams for the most part and even out shot the Spirit despite the loss. I personally never bought into the narrative that Chicago didn’t have enough talent to compete within the league. I believe they had the talent they just weren’t using the right strategy and it seems like they are now finding their footing.

Julia Grosso has officially found her way in Chicago. Grosso has now strung together a few very nice matches. Grosso has always been an excellent passer because of her vision, she was just struggling to get more touches on the ball. She has now found space to receive the ball and progress it down the pitch to create shots for herself as well as her teammates. I’ve been very impressed with her play over the last several games and how she’s looking more like the player we see on the Canadian National Team. The goal that Grosso scored against Washington was a fantastic shot right inside the 18 that was absolutely drilled and had eyes for the far corner of the goal. I can’t wait to see more Grosso goals for the Stars this season.

The second goal scored by the Stars was started and scored by Staab. Around midfield Staab had the ball and passed it off to the first goal scorer, Grosso. Julia then made a pass to Ludmila who lofted it into a dangerous part of the box with some funky spin. Kingsbury tried to gather the ball but it took a weird hop in front of her and deflected off her glove. While all of this was happening, Staab had made a run into the box opposite of Ludmila and the ball that had deflected off Kingsbury ended up at her feet and she put it away. This is why crashing the goal and finishing your runs is so important. You could see the joy on Staab’s face after getting the goal against her former club.

Fixable Errors

Chicago lost this game because of a few errors they made. I’m not trying to say that Washington’s pressure and offensive prowess didn’t help to cause these issues but I think it’s important to say these things are fixable. Chicago didn’t get “outclassed” in this game by Washington. Instead, Schlegel made an error tracking back defensively trying to clear a cross that ended up as an own goal. When is own goal going to come back to being a Chicago Stars fan like they were a few years ago? I miss those days.

Marking still seems to be an issue for this club as it has been over the last few years. It’s always been confusing that a team that is usually so sound defensively in the run of play struggles with their marking on set pieces and corners kicks. If Chicago could figure out their issue with marking players they could really limit the goals they are giving up because over the last couple weeks they aren’t giving up a ton of shots on goal during the run of play.

Simple communication issues seem to be leading to goals against the Stars. During the Spirit game, both the second and third goals were caused by communication breakdowns of who was responsible for marking players. It’s fairly easy to see when there is a communication breakdown because after a play you will see players coming together and discussing with a lot animated pointing. I feel like we saw that several times in the game against the Spirit.

The second and third goal scored by the Spirit were also created by fantastic balls in from players that made the Stars hesitate or question what they should do defensively and also communication with Naeher. Hopefully as the season goes on the communication can get better and players will have a better feel for where their teammates will be.

Substitution Questions

With an interim head coach you will always have some issues with game management situations. I think Mak Hemmi has waited too long at times to make substitutions and also subbing out the wrong players. Schlegel is a player that usually is subbed out in games because she puts in so much work throughout 60-70 minutes. I think Mak should be subbing Schlegel out a little sooner so a player like Groom or Cook can come in and get more touches and play themselves more into the game.

I’m also perplexed at the consistent subbing out of Joseph this season. Unless Joseph has some sort of minutes restriction due to injury I think Joseph should be getting full 90s this season. Instead of subbing out Joseph, I think Ludmila could be the player subbed out as she is similar to Schlegel in the amount of energy she exudes in 60-70 minutes. I think it would be better to bring in a player like MJ who could bring that same energy Ludmila does in the first 60-70 minutes and create some dangerous chances late in games.

Overall, I have liked the selection of players who are getting subbed into games since Mak took over as the interim coach. I think Chicago just needs to make those subs a little earlier so they can impact the game more. Chicago seems to be finding their stride as a club under Mak and I’m really enjoying the product on the field in the last two games. Credit to the coaching staff and players for coming together after such a change and looking stronger and more unified. Prior to the coaching change, Chicago seemed to play a more disjointed and individualized brand of soccer that seemed to lack trust in teammates. Over the last two games, players seem more trusting of knowing where their teammates will be on the pitch and play as a unit rather than singularly.

What’s Next?

Next up the Chicago Stars will play the North Carolina Courage on Saturday, May 17th, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The game will be at 4:00 pm and you can catch it on NWSL+, Paramount+, FOX 32, or Marquee. North Carolina is a team that is similar to Chicago this season having struggled to score goals at times. North Carolina has also struggled to possess the ball but really gave Orlando a run for their money when they played. This game will be a tough task for the Stars to try and shut down the talented midfield that North Carolina deploys. If Chicago can win the midfield battle against the Courage they should be able to utilize their speed on the frontline against the defense of the Courage. The Courage also have Casey Murphy in goal who is a solid keeper but has made some unusual errors this season. Getting shots on target in this game will be key and following up on any loose balls like Staab did against the Spirit.

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The day after announcing the dismissal of Chicago Stars FC head coach Lorne Donaldson, GM Richard Feuz faced the media in a press conference to answer questions related to the dismissal and the future of the club’s on-field product.

The overall tone of the press conference was one of attempting to reassure the staff and players that the club is in stable condition, while also trying to assure fans that the club will be better in the coming weeks. Obviously, the jury’s still out on if that will be the case.

Feuz also wanted to drive home the fact that he sees Donaldson as a great person who established the right environment and brought “joy” and “self confidence” back to the locker room at the beginning of the rebuild.

He emphasized that the decision to remove Donaldson was one based on performance and nothing else.

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Press Conference with Richard Feuz

All quotes included in the article are attributed to Chicago Stars General Manager Richard Feuz

Decision to dismiss Lorne Donaldson

“Soccer is related to performance, and when I talk about performance it’s not only the results on the pitch but also about the progress that the team is doing. At some point we judged that the team needed to take another direction.”

“The contribution of Lorne from the beginning here in helping the club and the organization to rebuild, to bring those kinds of things that was missing in this club, meaning joy, energy, culture, that was something priceless. And we again thank him for that.”

“We tried to make the best decision for the club and the future of the club. It’s never about ego… It’s a difficult decision when you have to take those decisions with good people and a good human being like Lorne is.”

Relationship with Lorne Donaldson

“When I signed my contract here, I knew he was hired. Everything has been always pretty clear from the board and the president. So everything was clear. My relationship with Lorne was and is still good. I think I have to just reiterate that he's a good man. The decision is solely made on performance… When we have to make some choice, I think the fact that sometimes we can disagree, I think, in a soccer club is something pretty healthy. I want people who disagree with me around me. I don't want just people to agree on everything I say. That's the only way to go forward.”

“We built a strong support committee, formed by the head coach, the assistant coach, my assistant Babette, and our chief scout, where we basically meet every week talking about the player we want to recruit the way we want to develop the club. No player is signed to this club without the [consent] of all these people. Because that's the way we want to build this club. I never believe a coach or players work for the GM. We all work together for an organization and that's the only way to be to be successful. I work for my head coach as much as he work for the organization.”

Head coaching search

“We didn’t set any timeline.”

“We’re starting the hiring process. We want to take our time to find the best fit, not only on the principle and methodology we want set for this club, but to also make sure we get the best fit in terms of person, in terms of human… We’re not just talking about soccer players and staff members. We’re talking first about a human being.”

“…in the future, we’re going to look at first of all bringing in a tremendous human being, as Lorne is, and I thin that would be the first priority of this club. Obviously, having someone who shares the values, not only on the pitch but off the pitch, of this club and their ambition. And part of it will also be their playing style and identity that we’re going to give to this team, not only in the next couple of months but in a couple of years. Because we want to build something with identity… but we want to build something that when people see our team playing, they’re going to be able to say “that’s the Stars playing” because we have a strong identity on the pitch.”

Coaching staff moving forward

“It’s not new in soccer when you have to part ways with a coach, it’s not only about one individual. Every single person in the organization has to look into the mirror in those moments, reconsider everything, [raise] their standard, be united together…”

“We decided to keep those four [people] in the coaching staff, meaning Mak (Masaki Hemmi), Ella (Masar), Karina (Baez), and Brendan (Saylor), because we truly believe in them… I trust those four [people], and I trust my full roster to get back on track in the next couple of weeks.”

“I think the decision on bringing Mak, Masaki Hemmi, to the interim head coaching position was good for us… we have one of the strongest assistant coaching teams in the country. We have potentially three people, talking about Ella, Mak, and Karina, that could already be head coaching other teams…”

“We already had a hierarchy set with the coaching staff. [Hemmi] was the first assistant coach, and we thought at this moment that he was the one knowing the culture that Lorne and I wanted to set in this team, even if the culture is built by everyone, not only by two [people]. I believe he is deeply trusted by the locker room. That was something for me that was important the moment you make this decision… I think Mak has this ability to lead and to communicate properly with everyone, not only players but staff too.”

“We want [Hemmi] to be the captain of this coaching staff, but we count of the [entire coaching staff] to flip the situation.”

Thoughts on current roster structure

“I truly believe in this roster… We know some of them are young players… [There’s a] balance between use and development of a player to bring this club forward. But that doesn't mean we don't expect performance right away.”

“The only stars here are the name of the club and the four that we have on our flag. I think [we have tremendous] players on this roster, we talk about them, you know them. But I always want to talk about the collective.”

“We are Chicago… we cannot expect any or try to sell any transition year. I believe in this roster. I believe in the people I have in this locker room… We still have 20 more games in this regular season and we want to do something this season.”

“Our aim is to build a club around the team, supported by the players. Not the opposite.”

Future play on the field

“Obviously we aim to have more possession, more control, I think we’re a team who aim to be proactive on the pitch and off the pitch… We work with humans but data never lies and we can also see that, in terms of data, we’re not controlling the games… Sometimes we're basically passive on the pitch. And with the players we brought in, I think we’re able to control more of the game, to control more action, to have more control over pace during the game...”

“We need to get more in front of the box. We need to get more [player] inside the box. We need to get more shots. We have been progressing a bit in xA and xG in the last couple of games, in our opinion not enough.”

Recruitment of future players

“We’re looking first of all at our own market, the American market… [secondly] we’re never looking at any flag on the passport, anything like that when we want to recruit someone. We want to bring people that want to fight for Chicago, fight for this club, and make this club better… We want to reflect the city, and this city is a multicultural city and we have to go forward like that.”

Mentions of Mallory Swanson and other absences

“We know that we had a lot of absences at the beginning of the season. You know the names and obviously it’ll never be an excuse. But at some point we know we also expected more progression from the team on the way to play and the way to control the game and the way to be more proactive on the ball.”

Reports of Lorne Donaldson “losing the locker room”

“Discussing about losing the locker room is always like a sensitive answer to give. I think it’s difficult to say someone loses respect when you have in front of you a good person and a good human. So, in that regard I will answer no [to Lorne losing the locker room]. We know something in this locker room is gong on. I’ve never seen a good atmosphere like that with a team even losing.”

Full Press Conference

What Now?

Chicago will play their first match under interim head coach Masaki Hemmi on Sunday at 12pm CT.

The club has made it clear that no timeline has been set to find a replacement for Lorne Donaldson. Don’t be surprised if the next several matches are an audition for Hemmi to earn the permanent role as head coach.

I wouldn’t expect much to change when it comes to the team’s play on the field. It’s not easy to implement a new style of play with just a few training sessions under a new coach. Look for some changes though, such as different starters, different rotation players, maybe moments of players progressing the ball in a different way than we saw under Donaldson.

Feuz made it clear that he’s expecting the look of the team to be different on the pitch in the coming weeks, so I wouldn’t expect Hemmi to use the same style as Donaldson, but people can surprise you.

LT’s hopes moving forward

I want to see a head coach come in who can utilize the players to the best of their abilities and not attempt to insert a player into the coaches style of play.

This is a very young roster and at this moment I’d rather see more of the young players see more playing time to further their development. We’ve obviously seen Micayla Johnson utilized often off the bench, but someone like Mana Hayashi shouldn’t be on the bench for a full match (sometimes she’s not even on the match day roster) week in and week out. They signed her to a three year deal for a reason, utilize her.

I also want the club to find a spot for Hannah Anderson in the starting lineup. This is a player who grew tremendously quickly as a starting center back in this league after replacing an injured Sam Staab last season, only to lose her starting spot to Staab once she returned from injury. Why is a young, talented player under a three-year contract sitting on the bench? Find a way to get her into matches, even if it has to be at outside back.

I think the club has finally found something in the midfield with Bea Franklin and Maitane, at least the best combination of players they’ve played there in several years. Their ability to clog the middle of the pitch and stop the momentum of the opponents in the last couple of matches has been impressive. They now need to work more on progressing the ball forward.

Obviously, absences of players like Mallory Swanson or Natalia Kuikka have been felt, and fans can use it as an excuse for why the team is playing so poorly, but the club can’t use that as an excuse. It’s an insult to their own players that were recruited for their talents. Those players now need to prove that they can win matches under a new coach and system by stepping into those roles that have been left (hopefully temporarily) vacant.

The front line of Jameese Joseph, Ally Schlegel, and Ludmila (with Julia Grosso falling into that line at times) was not working out in Donaldson’s style of play. Either it’s time to see how a player in that group does coming off the bench or Hemmi needs to come in and find a way to build connections between those players or the players in the midfield to the players up top.

Overall, I’m just looking to see rotations of players and different combinations of lineups to see who the best players are when it comes to starters and off the bench. The club has struggled late in matches with substitutions that didn’t bring much off the bench in recent matches. A strong bench can help hold a lead or take the lead late in a match, you just have to find the best players for the job, and some of those players may currently be starters.

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The Chicago Stars announced today that the club has parted ways with Head Coach Lorne Donaldson 2 months into his second season with the club.

First assistant coach Masaki Hemmi will take over as interim head coach while the club searches for a permanent replacement.

"We are grateful to Lorne Donaldson for the culture, respect and sense of self-belief he helped build within our squad. We appreciate his work and wish him the best for the future," said Chicago Stars General Manager, Richard Feuz.

Donaldson joined the club in 2024 after serving as the assistant and then head coach of the Jamaican Women’s National Team, helping lead them to two consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments. During his stint as head coach, Donaldson lead the team to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, where Jamaica defeated Panama and were competitive against teams like Brazil and France. The team became the first Caribbean nation to advance to the round of 16 of the tournament.

What Happened in 2024?

After the team finished 12th and last in 2023, the club spent the offseason attempting to replace a head coach, hire a general manager, and sign players to a roster that had lost key players such as defenders Casey Krueger and Tierna Davidson in free agency. Donaldson was hired in December of 2023 just prior to the 2024 NWSL draft and came in while negotiations were already under way with free agent players.

47 days after the announcement of Donaldson’s hiring, the Chicago Stars announced the hiring of Richard Feuz to fill the club’s vacant general manager position in February of 2024. (You’d think you’d want a GM to hire their own head coach, no?)

Prior to Feuz, the GM duties were put upon assistant general manager Babett Peter.

During her stint at the helm, the club had re-signed defender Taylor Malham, midfielder Cari Roccaro, and forward Mallory Swanson. The club also traded their 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft for defender Sam Staab, and drafted Leilanni Nesbeth, Jameese Joseph, Bea Franklin, Hannah Anderson, and Celia Gaynor with their remaining picks. The club also signed defenders Natalia Kuikka, Camryn Biegalski, Maxi Rall, and midfielders Shea Groom and Chardonnay Curran, as well as goalkeeper Sydney Schneider to contracts during the offseason.

With Feuz assuming command of the helm in February of 2024 and Donaldson in charge of the on-field product, the club signed preseason non-roster invitees Nadia Gomes and Ally Cook to contracts, as well as four of their five draft picks. The club also released Jill Aguilera and Sam Fisher prior to the start of the 2024 season.

During the 2024 NWSL season, the club announced contract extensions to long-time goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defender Sam Staab, rookie defender Hannah Anderson, and forward Jenna Bike. The club also signed two international players, Canadian midfielder Julia Grosso and Brazilian forward Ludmila.

The club also traded forward Penelope Hocking to Bay FC for a $350,000 in cash to be paid out over two season. This money likely helped secure the contracts of Ludmila and/or Julia Grosso.

Now, onto the play on the field. In his first season with Chicago, Donaldson’s squad finished 8th on the table with a 10-14-2 record and claiming the final spot in the NWSL playoffs. The Stars were eliminated from the playoffs in a 4-1 loss to the future NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride. While the club never dipped below the playoff line in 2024, the team’s final 4 matches of the year were all losses, including that loss in the opening round of the playoffs.

The second half of the season was also highlighted by the loss of Sam Staab, who sustained an achilles injury during the Summer Cup in July.

The loss of Staab saw the rise of Hannah Anderson’s development at center-back, but the club’s woes in the midfield were the biggest stain on their season. Donaldson’s choice to bench midfielder Julia Bianchi, who lead the team in assists and produced consistent goal-scoring chances with her ability to take stellar free kicks and corners. The constant rotation of starting players was also indicative of the coaching staff’s inability to find consistency in player chemistry.

The club played relatively well at times and earned a handful of wins against clubs that did not end up making the playoffs in 2024, while only earning 8 points off playoff-bound teams (wins against Bay FC and Portland Thorns, and one draw against both Orlando Pride and KC Current).

Overall, the season looked fine on paper for a club that just lost star players, hired a new GM, and appointed a new head coach. But the results in the second half of the season exposed a lot of poor decision-making by the coaching staff, whose vision on the field didn't seem to align with the from office’s player signings.

What Happened in 2025?

Chicago’s offseason was highlighted by the elimination of the NWSL Draft after the league and the NWSLPA signed a new collective bargaining agreement. This left the front office with only their skills of selling Chicago as a desirable destination to free agents and college players looking to go pro.

A couple of factors that clubs can utilize to draw in free agents, and now college players, include training facilities, the product on the field, stadium atmosphere and location, and of course money, all of which are things Chicago has fallen behind in when you look at the rest of the league.

The Stars just became the primary tenants of Seat Geek’s training facilities this season, which helps the club in some ways, but the tools that facility provides are lacking compared to the newly built ones around the league.

The club’s on field product also leaves much to be desired when it comes to attracting top free agents. The on-field tactics are boring, outdated for this league, and have players out of their natural positions on a weekly basis. I can’t see why top talent would subject themselves to that style of play where the idea is to play defense first and then transition down the field as quickly as possible. That used to work in this league, but not anymore.

Chicago has also had one of the worst locations for a stadium and attendance at said stadium’s matches for several years now. The club’s leadership has of course stated they are looking to build a soccer-specific stadium of their own, but without details on that plan’s future, it’s hard to use as a selling point.

Now, when it comes to how the club performed in the area of signing players for the 2025 season, they were able to bring in a former NWSL Champion defender/midfielder Maitane, signed Santa Clara’s Mana Hayashi, 17-year old Micayla Johnson, and goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz. Not the biggest of splashes for an offseason, but with the club having already added top international talent in Grosso and Ludmila in the middle of last season, but a huge contract extension for Swanson, I’m not sure how much they could offer to top-tier free agents around the league or overseas. Obviously, we don’t know who they tried to sign and why those players, if any, decided to go elsewhere. The club also signed collegiate players Justina Gaynor and Catherine Barry after being invited into camp as non-roster invitees.

The club parted ways with free agents Tatum Milazzo, Julia Bianchi, Maxi Rall, Sydney Schneider, Ally Cook, and Sophie Jones, while retaining Sarah Griffith, Nadia Gomes, Alyssa Naeher, and Camryn Biegalski.

The offseason moves and the beginning of training camp was overshadowed by the announcement that Mallory Swanson would not be joining the club due to personal reasons at the start of training camp and has not made an appearance for the club since that announcement. Swanson was coming off a season where she produced seven goals for the club, but had just lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. Her absence has been felt, as the team has only amassed three goals over the course of six matches this season.

The club started off 2025 with a 1-5 record, which has lead to the departure of Lorne Donaldson. The team continued to struggle with finding an identity under Donaldson. While the team chemistry off the field looked great, it didn't seem to translate to on the field play early on. The season started with a 6-0 thrashing by the defending NWSL Champions in Orlando. The team was without Ludmila, due to suspension, and Natalia Kuikka after she was injured during the international break. The match saw Nadia Gomes, a short-term contract player, start over players will full contracts in Ludmila’s absence. Midfielder Bea Franklin was also converted to center-back in the absence of the injured Sam Staab, who was brought into the match later as a midfielder. Sound like confusing decisions yet?

The rest of the season has been marred by a lack of goal-scoring, more players playing out-of-position, and substitutions which were deemed “tactical” that never worked out. This has been the case under Donaldson’s tenure. Just look at the most recent tactical substitutions and you can formulate your own opinion on if they made sense or not.

To his credit, Donaldson had some of these players playing better defense than we’ve seen out of this club in a while, but the amount of defending having to be done over a sustained 90+ minutes was always too much for these players to handle. The more an offense is pressuring your backline, they’re bound to score eventually, while the offense could never get anything going to give defenders a break from the onslaught of pressure.

The club’s only win this season came from a 2-1 win over Bay FC, who cut the 2-0 lead to one in the second half on a penalty kick. Chicago has conceded five PKs and four own goals during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Both statistics usually come from the defense being put under too much pressure.

The club has also lost 12 of their 16 home matches during Donaldson’s tenure. The inability to win on your home pitch is not easy for fans to watch. Prior to 2023, Chicago had been in the top 5 for home wins in the league dating back to the founding of the league in 2013.

Jameese Joseph and Ludmila have been the only players to produce goals, scoring a combined three over six matches this season. Joseph assisted on both of Ludmila’s goals in her brace against Bay FC. These goals came from Donaldson’s offensive style of getting the ball over the top of the defense to speedy forwards who can put the ball in the back of the net. While this style worked in the NWSL for a long time, goals like these are not sustainable over the course of an entire season. The Stars being shut out four times this season is all the evidence you need to see that.

LT’s Expanded Opinion

I think the removal of Lorne was inevitable this season. His vision for the club on the field never seemed to line up with the front office’s vision for the club. Bringing in a head coach before hiring a GM to build the rest of the team was already a flawed plan. Not to mention that the assistant GM had already began building a team of their own before brining in someone to be their boss and without a head coach to collaborate with until the draft in 2024.

Lorne will now be seen as a transitional coach. One who came in at a time where the club needed positive energy and a healthy environment. Now, the front office can hire someone whose vision aligns with their own, or at the very least, bring someone who can compliment the styles of the players currently on the roster.

What’s Next?

The Chicago Stars have begun their search for a new head coach, while naming first assistant coach Masaki Hemmi to the interim head coaching position.

Hemmi joined the Stars from the United Soccer League club, New Mexico United, where he served as director of player personnel and first assistant coach. In 2021, Hemmi joined INAC Kobe of the WE League in Japan as an associate head coach to help with player development prior to the Tokyo Olympics. He also started his coaching career at Real Colorado, where he worked with Lorne Donaldson, which is likely why he was selected to be Donaldson’s first assistant coach.

Choosing Hemmi to replace Donaldson in the interim is interesting due to their connection, but we’ll have to wait and see just how much different a Hemmi Stars squad looks compared to Donaldson’s. Ella Masar was tapped to be Chicago’s interim head coach when the club fired head coach Chris Petrucelli prior to the conclusion of the 2023 season. Masar remains on staff, as far as we are aware.

Front Office

General manager Richard Feuz is meeting with the media Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned to redstarsreport.com or our Discord Community for quotes from the press conference.

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Chicago Stars FC came out with the same starting XI as their win against Bay. This was not surprising since they had success and why mess with that? I still don’t agree with this starting XI because I believe Hannah Anderson should be starting alongside Sam Staab at the center back position. It does not make sense to bench a talented young player like Hannah Anderson and not allow her to learn and grow from a player like Sam Staab. I think Cari Roccaro is a wonderful veteran leader on this team I just think that Hannah Anderson has proven herself in the center back position and if Chicago is trying to rebuild, playing Anderson next to Staab makes the most sense.

The start of this game held a lot of promise. Chicago continues to have pretty solid starts to games by pressing their opponents and turning them over. Chicago just struggled to find the back of the net in this game by only registering one shot on target. Utah Royals also only registered one shot on target but theirs was a PK. I think both teams left this game disappointed in their offensive performances. Only giving up a single shot though shows how both teams struggled to connect passes.

The lone goal of the game came in the 100th minute due to a foul in the box on Roccaro. Both players were lunging for a ball just inside the box and Dana Foederer’s foot landed on the ground just before Roccaro’s and unfortunately Cari’s foot landed on top Foederer’s. This led to a VAR review that confirmed the penalty. Ally Sentnor took the PK and Naeher guessed right but the ball was well struck and just out of Naeher’s reach.

It was interesting that this particular call went to VAR when in the first half of the game, Pogarch fell in the box on top of the ball and the ball ended up between her arm and her body, clearly touching her hand. I was actually fine with this particular situation not getting called hands but what happened immediately after she fell is where the issue for me is. Pogarch didn’t just try to move away from the ball or not touch it with her arm/hands. Instead, during the replay it was clear that Pogarch used her arm to move the ball away from her body and the box. This was a clear violation and should have been buzzed down to the center referee for a penalty kick. I just ask for consistency from officials. I think the foul on Roccaro could have not been a penalty kick since they ignored the blatant hands violation on Pogarch or I would have been fine with both of them being called a PK.

Offensive Struggles Continue

It’s the same thing week after week with the Chicago Stars. The team can’t seem to find any sort of rhythm offensively. The playing style that Chicago deploys causes issues both offensively and defensively. The team likes to sit back and defend which puts a ton of pressure on the defense constantly and requires them to be perfect for an entire 90 minutes while they are bombarded by the other team. Offensively, Chicago gets so few chances they feel like they have to be perfect with each opportunity they get and sometimes they over think it and make too many passes or take an ill-advised shot. The current strategy deployed by the coaching staff puts way too much pressure on both sides of the ball due to our lack of possession. Chicago only had 38% possession for this game. For the defense to only give up 1 shot on goal when Utah had that much possession shows how talented our players are defensively.

Ludmila had a few opportunities in this game to score. Unfortunately, she just didn’t have a great finishing touch to get the ball into the back of the net. A turning point in the game for Ludmila was in the 44th minute when she received a yellow card. The referee in this game was definitely letting players be physical on both sides of the ball. Ludmila had a breakaway attempt and McGlynn came out to the edge of the 18 to contest and sprawled on the ground in front of Ludmila. Ludmila tried to toe poke it around McGlynn but the ball ended up going right into McGlynn’s body and Ludmila landed on the outstretched leg of the keeper.

This was a tough yellow for Ludmila to get after all of the physical play in this game. Yes protecting the keepers is important, but I also think offensive players should be giving a landing place when they having momentum moving forward. I’m just not sure what else Ludmila was supposed to do in this situation. This yellow card changed the trajectory of Ludmila’s play for the rest of the game. Ludmila didn’t have the same ability to be as physical on the ball or aggressive running onto passes because of the worry about picking up a second yellow. Ludmila was clearly frustrated with the referee for the rest of the game and numerous times tried to have conversations with them. I just once again am asking for consistency with the officials as there were numerous players that should have received cards in this game that didn’t.

Game Management

Substitutions and game management seem to be an issue with this club. During the Bay FC game it felt like subs should have come on sooner and used in stoppage time to waste time sooner than they happened. In the game against Utah, it felt as though the substitutions were planned rather than decisions being made in real time given the situation happening on the pitch. Ludmila was sitting on a yellow already and several times could have received a second for fouls or dissent. Instead of subbing out Ludmila first, the coaching staff decided to take out Joseph and Schlegel.

The 17 year old Micayla Johnson came in for Joseph and Leilani Nesbeth came in for Schlegel. Then 4 minutes later Gomes came on for Ludmila. Ludmila should have been the first sub of the day given the card situation and how the interactions with the officials were going. I do like seeing Micayla be one of the first players off the bench. MJ brings a spark to the offense. It would have been nice if Joseph could have stayed on the pitch with MJ to help bolster the attack. Unless Joseph has some sort of knock I don’t see why she can’t play a full 90. Anderson subbed in for Staab in the 80th minute. I still don’t like Anderson coming in for Staab but it’s so great to see Staab regaining fitness to get back to full 90s soon.

The Return of Ava Cook

After 370 days, Ava Cook made her return for Chicago in this game. Cook subbed in for Grosso in the 79th minute. Cook will bring a grit and presence on the field that Chicago has truly missed. It’s always a question about a player returning from an ACL injury if they will play with the same aggressiveness as they did before and that question was immediately answered by Ava with a slide tackle to break up play and multiple aerial duels. Even in the short time Ava was on the pitch, her kit was covered in grass stains like we are all used to. Even though Chicago ended up losing in heart breaking fashion it is always a good day when a player returns from such a serious injury.

What’s Next?

Chicago Stars FC will return home on Saturday, April 26th, when they take on San Diego Wave FC at 6:30 on ION. San Diego is coming off a big win against Racing Louisville, beating them 4-1. Chicago is going to need to have some stingy defense on Cascarino, Dali and Leon in this game who all seem to be finding their way in San Diego. McCaskill has always been a solid player and has been a good distributor for San Diego so far this season. Chicago can hopefully capitalize on the mistakes made by the young back line of the Wave. Sheridan also sometimes makes mistakes by holding the ball too long at her feet so players like Ludmila and Joseph should try to keep some pressure on her to see if they can force a turnover.

I am going into this next week feeling confident about Chicago’s chances against the Wave. I think if the Stars choose to play a chip and chase offense like they did against Bay they could create a couple opportunities against the Wave’s defense. I also think players should keep their head up when receiving the ball as Sheridan sometimes likes to play a little higher than most keepers and there could be some opportunities over the top.

San Diego is a very different team from last year. If you asked most people around the league they would say San Diego is out performing expectations for this season so far. If Chicago can somehow break through their first two lines and get to their defense they should be able to create some shots. Ludmila and Joseph could utilize their speed to play through balls to beat the back line of the wave. I also would like to see Grosso work some of her passing magic in this game and become more of an offensive threat. This would be a big confidence booster for Chicago to get a win against the 7th place Wave.

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FINALLY, after opening the season 0-0-3 the Chicago Stars earn their first points of the season with a 2-1 victory over Bay FC. This score line really shouldn’t surprise anyone. In the 3 times these teams have ever played the score line has been 2-1. In typical Stars fashion, the win occurred away from home in the Bay. I don’t like to use the term “must win” so early in the season because there are still so many games to be played but for players, as well as fans confidence, this win felt like it was much needed.

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Ludmila was absolutely on fire to start this game. Ludmila found the back of the net in the 5th minute from a fantastic ball from Jemeese Joseph. Ludmila timed her run perfectly and the weight of the pass by Joseph allowed Ludmila time and space between the back line of Bay and the keeper to run onto the ball. The finish was the best part of the play though. After the keeper tried to make a play on the ball and wiffed Ludmila had an open net that Abby Dahlkemper was rushing to try to cover. Ludmila made the incredibly smart play of shooting behind the sprinting Dahlkemper who had no chance of blocking the shot due to her momentum. Ludmila celebrated with a backflip and it was very reminiscent of former Red Star Sam Kerr.

Later in the first half, the front line linked up again with Joseph feeding a ball into Ludmila again. Ludmila used some fancy footwork inside the 18 to make the Bay defenders miss and slotted the ball home to make the score 2-0. Chicago seemed to be fond of a chip and chase strategy against Bay for most of this game and it worked multiple times to create dangerous chances. Unfortunately, Chicago still struggled to get shots off this game and only mustered 9 in total with 6 being on target. I don’t think this particular strategy is one the club should lean on against most teams in the league because it won’t be successful.

For the first time this season, Maitane started for Chicago. Maitane signed with Chicago this offseason after playing with Gotham. You could tell throughout this game what a presence Maitane is on the pitch. It felt like Chicago actually had a midfield that was functional. Maitane’s ability to hold down the defensive midfield without the help of a double pivot freed up players like Bea Franklin and Julia Grosso to move further up the pitch to help with the offensive attack. It feels like over the next few games when more chemistry is built with Maitane in the line up we will see even more success and hopefully more goals! Other than the unfortunate handball that resulted in the PK that Bay scored on, Maitane had a solid performance for her first start with the club.

Camryn Biegalski was one of the unsung heroes of this game. Yes, Chicago won the game but they did not possess the ball much at only 32%. The defense had to lock down Bay and they did several times. Biegalski won tons of duals and really locked down the right side of the pitch for Chicago. It was nice to see Biegalski have a solid game after a couple shakier performances to start the season.

Starting line up shake ups

Head Coach Lorne Donaldson has consistently changed up line ups this season due to a variety of factors. Some players are coming back from injuries and others just haven’t performed as well as hoped so there have been some moving parts. I think it’s hard for a team to build chemistry with constant starting line up changes but I also think it’s important to try and get your highest performing players on the pitch at the same time.

The back line has been the area with the most changes this season. With Natalia Kuikka out injured and Sam Staab still trying to regain fitness, of course this is to be expected. What I didn’t expect was for a player like Hannah Anderson to get removed from the starting line up now a couple times because of how successful she was in her rookie season. Anderson had a very solid rookie season that earned a 3 year contract extension from Chicago. It is confusing to me that a player the club felt confident enough in to extend is now getting benched for players who are not playing their natural position at center back. Anderson is a second year player trying to learn the game at the professional level. Why would you sub her in for one of the best center backs in the league rather than letting her play along side that player? I have a lot of concern that Chicago is more worried about making sure veteran players are in the starting line up than growing the young talent they have signed to extended contracts.

At this point in the season, I think the outside back positions are still up for grabs. Biegalski and Taylor Malham have had some good games so far this season but they have also struggled at times. We’ve also see Justina Gaynor get some minutes in that role. It will be interesting once Kuikka returns to the team from the 45 day list to see who will start on the other side. I think Chicago is a bit of a ways off from having a solidified back line that won’t have changes week to week.

Up Next

The Chicago Stars will take on Utah Royals April 18th on NWSL+ at 8:30 pm. This will be a quick turnaround for Chicago as they played the final game of the weekend in the league on Sunday and now will be headed to Utah for a game on Friday. This should be an interesting game. Utah has yet to win a game this season and Chicago is coming off their first win of the year. Each team struggles to keep clean sheets and Utah hasn’t won a game in their last 6 going back to last season. It will be important for Chicago to keep tabs on the lethal Ally Sentnor who has a rocket of a shot. Chicago will also see a familiar face in Bianca St Georges for Utah who is a hard nosed player. Tanaka was injured during the international break and didn’t play this last weekend so it’s hard to say if she will be available for Utah but they definitely missed her skill against Portland.

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On January 24th, 2025, the Chicago Stars signed 17-year-old Micayla Johnson to a three-year contract. MJ became the first under-18 player the Chicago Stars had signed in club history. MJ plays well beyond her 17 years of age. In the two games she has played for Chicago, you could see the skill that she possesses as well as the confidence. I was immediately impressed by the way she held her own on the field and had no fear taking on players. Getting thrown into your first professional game against a club as talented as the Orlando Pride and showing off tremendous skill while doing so shows what a fantastic signing she is.

This past week, MJ was invited to play in the U-17 CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games that were held in Trinidad & Tobago. The U-17 World Cup is an annual tournament and Johnson played in the 2024 World Cup that was in the Dominican Republic. The team ended up finishing with a bronze medal in that tournament. All players born in 2008 will be eligible for the 2025 World Cup that will take place on October 17th through November 8th in Morocco. All 21 players on the CONCACAF qualifying team will be eligible for the tournament later this year.

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Opening Group Stage Match

The U.S. opened the group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with a match against the host country of Trinidad & Tobago. The US completely dominated this game from start to finish with a staggering 83% possession. The U.S. struggled to get past the low block of T&T in the first half and did not score. The U.S. had a total of 45 shots but only 13 of them ended up on target because of blocks and deflections from the pesky T&T defense. Ashlyn Anderson ended up breaking the stalemate in the 63rd minute. In the 78th minute MJ finally opened up her campaign with a goal.

The body control that MJ showed to receive the header from Pearl Cecil and wrap her foot around the ball not facing the goal and put it in the upper corner was impressive. Chloe Sadler finished the game with a goal in the 90th minute and the U.S. won 3-0. I can’t say enough about the composure that MJ showed in this game and her willingness to try to break down the low block of T&T. The entire team remained patient and unselfish trying to find paths through the low block. This is a tall task for most senior level national teams and I was amazed at how composed the team was, especially during the first half.

Honduras

Once again, the U.S. couldn’t seem to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net until the end of the first half against Honduras. They continued to dominate possession this time with 83% and 88% pass accuracy. The U.S. also took 38 total shots with 14 of them on target compared to Honduras who only took 1 total shot and it was also on target. The U.S. remained patient in this game and continued to make runs to try to open up spaces in the low block.

Kimmie Ascanio, of the San Diego Wave, opened up the scoring in this game with a goal in the 45th minute.

Two minutes later MJ got on the board with a beautifully slotted shot past the keeper in the 47th minute. MJ received a pass from Riley Kennedy and had a fantastic touch with her right foot that allowed her to get in on goal. MJ has shown a wonderful ability to position herself to receive the ball in dangerous spaces. I’m so excited to see this translate to the professional level with Chicago. Johnson has already shown such great composure in the limited minutes so far for the Chicago Stars and you would assume with more minutes would come more confidence and success.

Johnson also assisted on the next goal of the game scored by Ashyln Anderson. The flood gates had officially opened then, Pearl Cecil scored in the 56th minute followed by Riley Kennedy in the 60th minute. Jaiden Rodriguez and Ashlyn Anderson rounded out the scoring in the match in the 65th and 74th minutes. The US won the game 7-0 and put themselves in a wonderful position to qualify for the World Cup later this year. All the team needed to do was get a win or draw against El Salvador in the final group stage game.

Final Group Stage Game

The United States didn’t wait long to get a goal in this one. In the 11th minute, MJ used some crafty footwork to navigate her way through the El Salvador defenders and then rocketed a shot near post past the goalkeeper. Johnson has shown flashes of her foot skills in her short time in Chicago and I’m sure we will see her make a few defenders look silly as the season progresses. Johnson also scored a PK in this game in the 55th minute. MJ took the PK with complete confidence even though she had missed a PK in a prior game this tournament.

To recap the rest of the scoring in the game: Scottie Antonucci scored in the 30th minute (assist Nyanya Touray), Ashlyn Anderson in the 47th minute (assist Kimmi Ascanio), Jaiden Rodriguez in the 49th minute (assist Ascanio), Nyana Touray in the 58th (assist Johnson), and Gracie Milam in the 74th minute. Johnson’s pass to Touray in the 58th minute was perfectly placed and weighted for Touray to run onto the ball. I’ve been impressed not only with MJ’s scoring but also her passing to her teammates. She shows a great ability of knowing when to pass or when to rip a shot.

Qualified For Morocco

The US U-17 women’s team is now qualified for the World Cup later this year in Morocco. This will be the 5th consecutive time the U-17 team has qualified for the tournament and 7th overall. It is important to note that players like Micayla Johnson and Kimmie Ascanio, if selected for the World Cup squad, will miss the end of the NWSL season.

Johnson will now return to Chicago and continue her rookie season. Micayla scored 4 times this tournament. Hopefully she will bring back that offensive confidence to Chicago who has struggled to score this season with only 1 goal so far. MJ brings so much energy for club and country and I hope we can see some goal celebrations from her in a Chicago Stars FC kit.

The Chicago Stars return to action on April 13th against Bay FC. The game will be at 6pm on ESPN 2.

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Positive Pressure

Following a two-hour weather delay, the Chicago Stars once again started the game with a more offensive mindset. The Stars looked to be in a 4-4-2 with Justina Gaynor earning her first career start at outside back and Hannah Anderson returning to the starting line up at center back alongside Sam Staab. These moves allowed for Bea Franklin to move into the midfield and Julia Grosso to move higher up the pitch into a more familiar role.

Chicago had some very good movement in the first 10 minutes of the games. Taylor Malham was getting higher up the pitch and into dangerous areas. At times Chicago seemed to be moving into a three-back to create more attacking options. Creating overloads by pushing Malham higher which created more scoring opportunities and forcing Louisville into mistakes. The Stars were possessing the ball and making some great runs but unfortunately could never capitalize on any of them. Anderson had a fantastic opportunity in the match from a beautiful ball in from Staab that hit the crossbar. This was by far Chicago’s best chance of the game.

After the first 10 minutes, the momentum shifted to Racing’s side and Chicago sat further back on the pitch in a more defensive shape. Anderson tried to pass into traffic to Julia Grosso and it got intercepted by Racing’s Taylor Flint, who tapped it forward to Emma Sears who rocketed a shot by Alyssa Naeher in the 27th minute. Building out of the back continues to be a problem for Chicago this season as their passes become too predictable and easily intercepted by their opponents. Naeher has never been known for her excellent foot skills as a keeper so this strategy is baffling to me. Chicago also has a fairly young back line currently with a limited Staab and Natalia Kuikka currently out with an injury. Playing out of the back has a time but now isn’t it.

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Offensive Woes Continue

The Chicago Stars continue to not be able to get shots off against their opponents. Against Racing Louisville, Chicago was able to take 11 shots and only three of those were on target. To be fair, it wasn’t a very offensive game for either team. Chicago did a solid job defensively only allowing 16 shots and four of them were on target. The continued issue for the Stars is the midfield. Chicago consistently loses the midfield battle against their opponents and it was the same song and dance as always against a Racing Louisville. Chicago needs to stop regressing into a defensive shape 10-20 minutes into games. The Stars get off to such great starts to halves but then the pressure and success fades into a depressing “defend for your life” strategy. There has to be a happy medium they can find if they want to compete with teams this season. The coaching staff have to find a way to utilize the personnel on their team. Doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Jameese Joseph has been a bright spot this season for Chicago. Joseph has scored the only goal for the club and seems to have put in a lot of work during the offseason. I have really enjoyed watching Joseph’s movement on and off the ball. The Stars just need to find more ways to get the ball to her feet so she can make some magic happen. Ludmila hasn’t found her footing yet this season but hopefully she will soon. The style of play for Chicago is tough on the forwards because they so rarely get the ball in the offensive part of the field they feel like they have to be perfect. The players seems to be looking for the perfect pass or shot rather than playing freely.

What’s Next?

Micayla Johnson was unavailable for the game against Racing Louisville due to U-17 USWNT games. MJ and the U.S. will be attempting to qualify for the upcoming U17 World Cup in Morocco. Joseph received a call up to the U-23 USWNT camp that will run concurrently with the senior USWNT during the upcoming international break. This will be more great experience for Joseph and hopefully will help her build more confidence when she returns to Chicago. Ella Masar will also be joining Joseph at the USWNT camp as a member of Emma Hayes’ coaching staff. Masar was drafted by Hayes to Chicago in 2009. This will be a wonderful opportunity for Masar to learn from the USWNT coaches and players.

Stephanie Sparkowski, who was an NRI keeper for Chicago in the preseason, received a call up for the U-23 USWNT camp as well.

After the international break, the Chicago Stars will return to action against Bay FC on April 13th on ESPN 2. Bay FC is currently 1-1-1 on the season and looking to rebound from a 2-0 loss to Washington. This will be the first time the clubs have played since Chicago traded Penelope Hocking to Bay. Chicago will need to be sound defensively to slow down the speedy Oshoala and crafty Kundananji. Chicago Stars fans know that Hocking brings a lot of speed to the front line of Bay as well.

Bay likes to possess the ball so that won’t be an issue against Chicago. Chicago is also used to teams having more possession than them. Chicago will need to capitalize on winning aerial duels against Bay and utilizing their speed up top to beat the defensive line of Bay. This is a winnable game for Chicago if they can use the pressure they have to start the last two games to create scoring opportunities and cash them in.

Ally Schlegel could be a big factor in this game for her defensive abilities and fearlessness in the air. If Chicago plays Franklin in the midfield again look for her height to play a big factor in winning balls. I will be looking for a bounce back game for Anderson, who seemed to struggle in the game against Racing Louisville. Anderson had some uncharacteristic giveaways and I expect to see her sharper against Bay. Chicago needs to maintain its shape rather than falling back into a more defensive formation against Bay. Keeping pressure on Bay will force turnovers and Silkowitz is in her first year as a starting keeper in the NWSL. Chicago should get shots off as much as possible to test the keeper and look for potential rebounds.

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Positive Pressure

The Chicago Stars started off the second match of the season on the front foot against Houston. Just a couple of lineup changes with the insertion of Sam Staab and Ludmila back into the starting lineup. Nadia Gomes and Hannah Anderson were moved to the bench. This meant that Bea Franklin started at center back for a second game. Starting the match off, Chicago looked like a completely different squad from the Orlando game. The pressure they applied to Houston caused several turnovers and Chicago possessed the ball and moved it forward more fluidly than they had in the prior game.

The pressure applied by Chicago led to the opening goal of the match. Franklin played a long ball over the top that Houston’s Paige Nielsen struggled to corral and Jameese Joseph pounced on the ball and slotted it near post, past a sprawling Campbell. Joseph seems to have a knack for being at the right place at the right time when defenders and keepers make even the slightest error in their touch. Unfortunately for Chicago, this was the only goal they scored in the game.

Struggles Continue

Houston leveled the score 3 minutes later off a corner kick. Chicago has struggled over the last few seasons with their marking in the box and this was another case of that. Nielsen gained inside position and got a touch on the ball and past Alyssa Naeher. The Dash scored a second goal in the 2nd half on slip pass to rookie Maggie Graham, which caught the Stars’ defense out of position. Marking has to be something addressed by the coaching staff if the Stars are going to fall into a low block throughout this season. You can’t choose to play a defensive strategy and not be excellent at marking. There looked to be multiple times in this game where players were having lengthy discussions after marks were missed.

The outside backs continue to struggle this season being able to connect passes with the midfield. The pressure from Houston seemed to cause them to want to move the ball as quickly as possible into whatever space they could find, regardless of a teammate being there or not. I’d like to see the outside backs gain a little more confidence and hold the ball for another beat to find the open outlet. This also will require the midfield players to do a better job at becoming outlets for their defensive line. This issue stems from the midfield players dropping back so far they aren’t available as outlets when the defense does regain possession. The Stars are going to have to revamp their plans in the midfield or move to a different outlet strategy on the backline if they want to handle the press. Another change could be to have the outside backs become outlets for the center backs instead of trying to constantly jam the ball up one side of the pitch over and over without success.

The Stars continue to struggle at getting shots off. Against Orlando, Chicago only had 8 total shots. Against Houston, Chicago ended up with 11 shots. I would like to see Chicago getting 15 or more shots per game. I’m hoping as the season progresses we see players gain more confidence to take shots from outside the 18. Set pieces also seem to be a bit of a mess to start this season as well. Grosso is taking some good corners but Chicago have yet to get players into the proper position to score from them. I also believe our free kicks have struggled and nothing dangerous has comes from them so far. With the return of Staab this hopefully will change as she usually provides excellent service into the box from free kicks.

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Positives Moving Forward

The way the Stars started the game gives hope that the team is capable of pressing other teams and maintaining some possession. The front line of Ludmila, Ally Schlegel, and Joseph did a great job of pressuring the defense of Houston but at times it did seem disjointed and not everyone was on the same page. If they work out some of the kinks, this could be a great strategy for the team to incorporate. Joseph ended up with a goal because of the pressure applied to the back line so we are already seeing positives. Micayla Johnson continues to be a wonderful addition to the Stars roster. The 17-year-old brings a spark off the bench as well as a fearlessness to take on defenders with her foot skills.

Staab returning to the starting line up and playing for a half in the second game of the season is incredible. There aren’t enough words to express what Staab means to this team and the leadership she brings. Staab being 90 minutes fit will be a game changer for the squad as the season progresses. I did wonder what the reasoning was behind the decision to bench Anderson with Staab returning to the line up. I found the choice interesting just because of how well Anderson played as a rookie last season and Franklin is transitioning from midfield. I do think Franklin has looked steady on the backline and I hope to see her continue to grow into the role. Franklin last season seemed to possess good vision of the pitch and it would be great to utilize that from the backline.

Who’s Next?

The Chicago Stars will take on Racing Louisville at home next Sunday at 3pm CT on CBS Sports Network. Chicago’s midfield struggles are going to be a big concern with the tall presence of Taylor Flint for Racing. Chicago is going to need to somehow neutralize Flint in the midfield as she was one of the best in the league last season. I believe Chicago’s best strategy is to attempt to press like they did at the start of the Houston game to try to force Louisville into turnovers. Chicago can then use the width of the pitch and speed to their advantage to attempt to beat the Louisville backline. Micayla Johnson was called into the U17 US camp so she will be unavailable for the game, so hopefully someone else can become the spark the club needs off the bench. This is a winnable game for Chicago if they choose to come out of the low block and not allow Flint and company to hold the ball without pressure.

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Hi everyone, it’s LT, from the news side of things at Red Stars Report. What you’re about to dive into is our first opinion piece on the website from our very own Liz. Liz is my Co-Host on the Red Stars Report Podcast. “Liz’s Recaps” may become a weekly fixture on the site to pair with our news content. Enjoy the first edition with Liz’s thoughts on the match against Orlando and what to look for in the Houston match this weekend!

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What went wrong?

Chicago started the 2025 season off in what looked to be the much-desired formation change to a 4-3-3, which unfortunately lost its shape into a five-back for most of the match. The team simply couldn’t handle the onslaught of attacks from the Orlando Pride and lost to the reigning champs 6-0. Orlando’s ability to use the width of the pitch by having Marta and Barbara Banda on opposite sides really caused problems for the Stars.

After spending the 2024 season in the midfield, Bea Franklin was asked to start the season in the role of center back. Given the current injuries to Natalia Kuikka and Maitane Lopez, and the pending return of Sam Staab to the defensive line, the role fell to Franklin. She was paired with another second year player, Hannah Anderson, who really impressed last season as a rookie. The center back pairing was flanked by Taylor Malham and Cam Biegalski. The talent of Orlando’s front-line just overwhelmed the back line of Chicago to the point of them being bombarded repeatedly by the Pride attack, anchored by Barbara Banda. 

Chicago chose to sit back in a lower block this match in an attempt to absorb some of the offensive pressure from Orlando and then counter down the pitch to their own attacking players. This sort of tactic is extremely tough to do against a team that is so offensively gifted. This playing style is something Chicago fans are used to from the previous season. In this particular match, they couldn’t possess the ball enough to make any sort of progression down the pitch to sustain any momentum. The Pride boasted a whopping 89% pass accuracy, according to Fotmob, against the Stars. That high of a passing accuracy and the high level of talent on Orlando’s roster is a recipe for disaster against a team that is attempting to keep a low block formation together.

Too many times the Chicago midfield was dropping back to the back line to help cover. This created a multitude of problems on both sides of the ball. When players were bailing out and dropping back during the Orlando offensive pressure it was creating gaps around the top of the 18 and opening up space for the Orlando attackers to utilize. You can’t give players like Banda and Marta that much room to work or you will pay and Chicago certainly paid for it.

When Chicago did regain possession on the back line it was a struggle for them to progress down the pitch. When your midfield is dropping all the way back that creates a large gap between your back line and front line. That’s why it felt like every time there was any sort of loose ball in Orlando’s offensive half of the pitch they were getting to them. Next week against Houston, I’m hoping to see less bailing out in the midfield and more attempts to regain possession and movement down the pitch.

After the match, Head Coach Lorne Donaldson stated that “Orlando is just better.” While Orlando is a very talented team, losing a game 6-0 is more than a team being better than you. Bringing Sam Staab into her first game post Achilles injury and playing her at central defensive midfielder was a perplexing move. That was one of several changes that didn’t make sense to me. 

Tactically, something has to change for the Stars to be able to compete. This means things have to systemically change from the coaches all the way down through the players. If the tactics are to sit back and absorb pressure with a young and inexperienced back line you are setting players up to fail and they did. The coaching staff has to “be better.” 

Orlando is an incredibly talented team that won the shield and championship last year, and played in the Challenge Cup against Washington Spirit the week before, which allowed them to be a little more in-form. So it was a tough task going against them in the first match of the season.

Bright spots

As mentioned, Franklin started as a center back for Chicago in the opener, alongside Anderson. I think they both played well for what was being asked of them. Banda did get the  best of Franklin a few times but, as someone who is less experienced in the center back role, I give her credit for how well she did. Banda didn’t score until the 80th minute in the match. Much more experienced center backs have given up goals to Banda much earlier in matches. Prior to the season starting, I believed Anderson was going to be an integral part of the team this season and we would see her progressively get better from what she did her rookie season. Anderson was the anchor of the defense against Orlando and did a fairly decent job against the high octane pressure.

There were very few bright spots offensively for Chicago in this game but 17-year-old Micayla Johnson came off the bench and impressed in the minutes they played. Known as “MJ,” Johnson seems to bring a lot of energy, excellent footwork, and plays well beyond their years. One play in particular stuck out to me during the game when MJ was dribbling the ball between several Orlando players weaving around and even got a shot off around the 18. The amount of area they covered with the ball at her feet while being swarmed by Orlando defenders was impressive. 

After 233 days, Sam Staab returned to the pitch. She came off the bench for the first time in her seventh year as a pro.

What’s next?

Chicago returns home against Houston next week, which will hopefully provide a friendlier match up for them. Against Houston, I am hoping to see the Stars possess the ball more and actually be able to stay in a 4-3-3 formation and not bail out to the back line. If Chicago can maintain a 4-3-3 shape, I believe Grosso should be the catalyst to progress the ball down the field using her nifty passes and excellent vision. Ludmila will also return from suspension, which will give the Stars a boost of speed up top. 

Ally Schlegel and Jameese Joseph should also play bigger roles offensively in the game against Houston. When your team has less than 40% possession it’s hard for your attackers to get involved in games. The team seems to be missing a player like Mal Swanson, for a variety of reasons, but one thing Swanson does that sticks out is she comes back and demands the ball to move it down the pitch. Chicago doesn’t seem to have a player with that mentality at the moment.

The overall hope is Chicago doesn’t continue to play as defensive minded against Houston. Being able to possess the ball and gain confidence will help this young squad. Utilizing the width of the pitch with Ludmila and Joseph could also help Chicago exploit some of the defensive weaknesses of Houston. Hopefully the home crowd can boost the Stars to their first win under the rebrand. 

Chicago Stars vs. Houston Dash kicks off at 2 p.m. CT. If you can’t make it to the home opener in person, the match will be streaming on Paramount+ and NWSL+. The match will also be broadcasted on Fox 32 in Chicago. 

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Before we get into the news about the Chicago Stars ahead of Friday’s match, we must address what you are seeing. Red Stars Report (LT & Liz) are now including written content to the brand’s portfolio to give those who aren’t fans of podcasts a chance to get the latest news from us without having to listen to our voices! How exciting is that?

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News of the Week

The Chicago Stars open the 2025 NWSL season tonight against the reigning NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride, at 7pm CT on Amazon Prime.

Now, this isn’t going to be a preview of the match tonight, but a comprehensive look into this week’s news that you may have missed alongside important information related to the match.

Sam Staab activated off season-ending injury list

The biggest news of the week came as a bit of a surprise to some, as defender Sam Staab was activated off the season-ending injury list and is available for selection tonight against Orlando.

Staab mentioned during the club’s media day last month that she was not quite at 100% yet, but she was feeling good.

Yesterday, Stars Head Coach Lorne Donaldson spoke about Staab’s return to the pitch ahead of Friday’s match.

“It's nice to have Sam Staab back in the mix. Even if she's not, she's around the players. Her leadership and her knowledge of the game, especially helping out our young defenders has been… it’s something that, you know, you can't put money on that. But it's nice to have Sam Staab back.”

It’s still a question mark whether Staab will see minutes on the pitch against Orlando, but if she’s ready, she’ll be out there.

Midfielder Justina Gaynor signs with the club, switches position to Defender.

The club announced on Wednesday the signing of Michigan State University midfielder Justina Gaynor.

The Michigan native will join Chicago on a one-year contract through 2025 with an option for 2026. This comes after she spent the preseason with the Stars on a training camp invite.

Move to outside back

The most interesting aspect to this signing was the fact she will be signing as a defender and not a midfielder. Gaynor, who played as a midfielder in college, will be making a position change to outside back on the defensive line when the season begins.

CBS News Detroit spoke with Gaynor about the move to the back line.

"They had at the beginning of preseason mentioned the possibility of switching me to more of an outside back. And, I was open for it. Whatever the team needs, that's kind of how I've always been. That's how I was in college. That's how I took the approach, starting this pre-season," said Gaynor, "I learn something new every day there... It's been a good process and I've kind of just welcomed it as it's come."

Training with Alyssa Naeher

Moving from a defensive midfielder to an outside back isn’t a surprise when it comes to Gaynor’s signing, as her versatility in both the attack and defense was key to her success. Now, making a positional change in the pros isn’t easy for everyone, but it’s a good thing she’ll have a two-time World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and 2024 FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year behind her in Alyssa Naeher to help her make the transition.

"Throughout training, playing with Alyssa is honestly, I could have never imagined. I obviously watched her play growing up all the time, and she's just been great. She's a super good coach and obviously a fantastic goalkeeper... I was like a little starstruck... She's such a good voice, a good leader back there. She's definitely also helped make my transition to more of a defensive role, go super smoothly. She's a great player, a great person, and it's been such an honor to play with her so far and to continue playing with her."

Familiar Name

If the Gaynor name sounds familiar to you, it’s because Justina Gaynor’s sister, Celia Gaynor, was drafted by Chicago in the fourth round of the 2024 NWSL Draft. Ultimately, Celia didn’t end up with a contract with the club by the end of preseason came, however, she now plays for Fort Lauderdale United FC in the USL Super League.

Who’s OUT against Orlando?

There were expected names on the availability report heading into Friday, but the list of inactive players is a little larger than one may have hoped.

The obvious name was that of forward Mallory Swanson, who has been away from the club for a few months now due to personal reasons. The club provided media with the same update that they’ve been providing since the announcement of her absence was first released, that she is currently not with the club and it will be up to her when she’s ready to come back.

Chicago Stars Spokesperson: “We are just being supportive of her and giving Mal the space that she needs, and will be ready whenever she's ready to come back.”

Defender Natalia Kuikka was another name expected to be inactive as she was put on the 45-day disabled list this week due to a knee injury she sustained a few weeks ago while she was on international duty with Finland.

“She won't feature in this game,” said Stars Head Coach Lorne Donaldson. “We're hoping that she can come back as soon as possible. But it was one of those things that we can't do anything about.”

Forward Ava Cook, who sustained an ACL tear at the beginning of last season remains on the season-ending injury list to start the season.

The expectation since 2024 was that forward Ludmila would not be playing in the opening match of 2025 due to a red card suspension she received at the end of last season. Ludmila received a red card in Chicago’s October 20th match against Washington, which lead to a three-match suspension that ended up including the club’s regular season finale, the first and only playoff match of 2024, and the first match of 2025.

Forward Jenna Bike and midfielders Leilanni Nesbeth and Maitane will also be inactive against Orlando. Bike is dealing with a hamstring injury, Nesbeth with an illness, and Maitane a calf injury.

The loss of Maitane, who was expected to play a big role for the club to start the season, is significant. She’s listed as a midfielder, but is a Championship-winning center back for Gotham FC in 2023. With the question mark over Sam Staab’s playing time, Maitane was a likely candidate to slot in at center back until her return to the lineup. So, now we will wait for tonight to see who is rotating into that back line.

Another player is moving to the back line

Midfielder Bea Franklin, who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, really made a name for herself in Chicago’s midfield last season, first playing alongside veteran midfielder Cari Roccaro and then new-addition Julia Grosso later in the season when Roccaro was moved to center back.

By the end of the season, Franklin also saw herself on the back line playing as a center back. Now, she’s moving to the back line again for 2025.

“Bea [Franklin] played as a midfield player last season, she's playing in the back now,” said Donaldson. “We made that decision even before we thought players were going to go down. The intention was to pull her back, so she's worked a lot there. She's doing well.”

Watch our interview with Bea

How are the new players fairing?

Over the offseason, Chicago added four players to their roster through free agency and college signings, and made two additions this week.

Micayla Johnson - F

Forward Micayla Johnson, a 17-year-old out of Michigan, joined the club on a three-year contract. Johnson has been heavily featured on the U.S. U17 squads in recent years and decided to de-commit from Florida State University in order to go pro.

At 17, they are youngest signing in club history. Their nickname is MJ and she is going to be wearing #23. Putting that kind of pressure on yourself in the city of Chicago is the kind of confidence you like to see out of a rookie.

Head coach Lorne Donaldson also has confidence in the young rookie. Her playing time now just comes down to whether or not she can earn it.

“Age doesn't matter. It’s her performance, is she mature enough, you know? And I think she's in here, and she shows some maturity… I think you wouldn't know, if you're walking in, that she's a 17-year-old. She acts the part, she looks the part, and she's playing the part. So, it just has come down to what she's deserving, how many minutes she's [deserving]. Is she deserving to start or come off the bench, or just being left out of the roster? She's gotta make that. But along that line, we're helping her with a lot of on-field, off-field decisions. I think she's growing very, very fast.”

Manaka Hayashi - MF

Japanese Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team (Japan U-20 WYNT) captain Manaka Hayashi joined the Chicago Stars on a three-year contract through 2027 this offseason.

The midfielder spent one year at Santa Clara before going pro. In her freshman season at Santa Clara, Hayashi started in all 9 of her appearances for the Broncos, recording ten shots across 719 minutes played.

Manaka is here as a rookie, with only a short year of college under her belt and some youth experience at the international level, but she says she didn’t come here to stay on the bench.

“I’m not aiming to be on the bench. For sure, I’m going to make a play [for] the field, even though it’s my first professional [season].”

Coach Donaldson knows that speed of play is the biggest hurdle rookies have to get over when transitioning into their first season in the NWSL. He believes Manaka will also find that transition challenging, but she’s making the adjustments.

“Speed of play is always going to be a problem for Manaka, but she's adjusting, you know. She's a lovely person, great in the locker room, great presence. We love having her around. She's very, very, very technical, as most Japanese players are, and she's making the adjustments as a pro now… obviously you don't have to ask a Japanese player to work hard. That's a part of their culture. They're going to come in and they're going to grind with everybody. Their mentality is superb, they just want to win, not for themselves, but for the team. I think she's adjusting very well to what we're doing.”

Maitane - MF/D

Maitane joined the Stars this offseason on a two-year contract through 2026. The Spanish international spent two seasons with Gotham FC where the midfielder helped the club win the 2023 NWSL Championship. With Gotham, Maitane made 31 total appearances with 18 starts, and totaled 1,745 minutes across all competitions.

While at Gotham, Maitane mostly played as a center back and is expected to continue that role on Chicago’s back line when healthy. She could also move back to her midfield position depending on the needs of the club.

Maitane is inactive against Orlando while dealing with a calf injury, but Coach Donaldson knows her skills will play an important role when she returns.

“She's good on the ball, she can rotate the ball, she can do stuff with our midfielders in the back. I mean, that's one of the main reasons she's here, because of her experience and her smartness. Very comfortable on the ball.”

Halle Mackiewicz - GK

Goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz joined the Stars on a one-year contract from Swedish side, Trelleborgs FF, where the goalkeeper played and started in 10 matches. Prior to joining Trelleborgs, Mackiewicz played soccer at Clemson University. In the keeper’s final year at Clemson, Mackiewicz recorded 13 shutouts for the Tigers breaking a 24-year-old record of 12 shutouts in a single season. Mackiewicz’s accolades at Clemson include being named an All-American, ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, First Team All-ACC and Top Drawer Soccer Best XI First Team Selection (2023) among others.

While she’s not expected to start or see much playing time with Alyssa Naeher still in the starting role with the club, the opportunity to learn from Naeher is a special one for Mackiewicz.

“It’s been awesome. Just taking it in and learning from her. Obviously, it’s a really special place to be because of who she is and the year she had last year, so I’ve just been taking it all in for that first week.”

Catherine Barry - F

With the amount of injuries the club is dealing with to start the season, they were eligible to sign a player through a roster relief contract. The club chose to sign forward Catherine Barry to a roster relief contract this week.

She joins the Stars from the University of South Carolina, where the forward spent five years and started in 98 of the 101 matches the forward played with the Gamecocks. While at South Carolina, the Massachusetts native scored 51 goals and recorded 27 assists.

What does the rest of the 2025 roster look it?

Red Stars Report has a detailed spreadsheet of the entire 2025 roster. Just click the bottom below to dive in.

Chicago Stars 2025 Roster

Red Stars Report Podcast

You can watch or listen to this week’s Red Stars Report Podcast for a preview of tonight’s match against Orlando.

Watch & Listen Now

Make sure you check out Tuesday’s episode of the Red Stars Report Podcast to hear LT and Liz’s thoughts on the opening match of the season. New episodes of the Red Stars Report Podcast release every Tuesday at 6am CT.