The Chicago Red Stars? The Chicago Red Stars!

It was only a few weeks ago that fans were beginning to panic, but a fire hose of news has created a reverse in sentiment, and fans have reason to feel good about the club for the first time in years.

Feb 01, 2024

Several weeks ago, I had the outline for a column written about the ups and (mostly) downs of the Chicago Red Stars since their NWSL playoff semifinal victory over Portland in the fall of 2019; the scandal, investigations, fallout, mediocre results, roster turnover, free agent exodus, and everything hitting rock bottom last year. But also the hope of new ownership and a great free agency class, which had started to slowly shift towards panic when the club was doing a whole bunch of nothing.

Karen Leetzow was hired to be the new Club President; certainly that move would be followed by a slew of others, right? Well, not so much. Free agency opened, the team did not have a coach or GM, several key players were reportedly set to sign elsewhere in NWSL and, perhaps most alarmingly, Mallory Swanson remained unsigned despite her staying in Chicago looking like a foregone conclusion.

Well, I’m sure glad I didn’t write that column.

In the weeks since, the Red Stars hired former Jamaican women’s national team head coach Lorne Donaldson (my top choice going into this offseason!) and suddenly hope was renewed. That hope was soon tested as Tierna Davidson signed for Gotham, Casey Krueger signed for Washington Spirit, Biance St. Georges for North Carolina, and Kayla Sharples signed for expansion Bay FC (plus Yuki Nagasato having previously signed in Houston). Arin Wright requested a trade to Louisville to be closer to family, and suddenly the team that had finished bottom of the league last year had more or less no defenders and was threadbare everywhere else.

But then, there was good news. And more. And some more. And even more! So I guess the point of this column is to go through the events that have taken the Red Stars from ‘near panic and fears of relocation’ to ‘holy shit, this team might actually be really good’ at such a speed that you could be forgiven if the G-force had made you pass out; what to know, my thoughts, and where the club stands/what the outlook is as of Wednesday evening when I’m editing this.

December 20: Lorne Donaldson Appointed Head Coach

An absolutely slam dunk hire.

After the fallout of the scandalous end to the 10-year Rory Dames era, the Red Stars needed a safety blanket. That came in the form of Chris Petrucelli, a new coach that the openly feuding players and ownership were both satisfied with. The combination of new ownership and a last place finish made his departure a foregone conclusion .

With new money, new ambition, and most of the old guard of players gone, it was time for a bolder hire to set the tone for what the club hoped to be. Enter Donaldson, 68, who though he’s seven years older than his predecessor immediately brings more energy into the job.

In his most recent job, Donaldson led Jamaica into their second ever Women’s World Cup, where they grounded out 0-0 draws with both France and Brazil in the group, with a 1-0 win over Panama sandwiched in between. They fell 1-0 to Colombia in the Round of 16, but what Donaldson was able to do as the leader of a group of players who have been repeatedly disrespected and ignored by their federation to not only make the trip to Australia anyway but show such team spirit is a huge testament to him as a coach.

He also happens to have coached Mallory Swanson when she was a kid, at Denver-area youth club Real Colorado which he went on to become the president of. The one obvious drawback is that Donaldson does not have any senior-level coaching experience. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to think of a better end to the team’s coaching search.

January 13: The NWSL Draft and Acquisition of Sam Staab

Oh what a lovely day!

With no further updates on who was in the club hierarchy between Donaldson and Leetzow (if anyone), there was uncertainty on who would represent the Red Stars at the 2024 NWSL Draft. But sure enough, there was Donaldson running the show (side note: if he is both Head Coach and also GM/Sporting Director I sure hope they’re paying him accordingly).

And what a show it proved to be, as the Red Stars began the day by dealing the third overall pick to the Washington Spirit in exchange for center back Sam Staab. Staab, 26, made 93 appearances for the Spirit in five seasons, three of which were as an iron woman playing ever minute and a fourth when she played all but 7 total minutes. She has an active streak of 90 consecutive league matches started. Last year, Staab made the NWSL Best XI for the first time. She represented a huge first step in filling the many defensive gaps the Red Stars found themselves with, and will likely partner Tatumn Milazzo at the heart of the Chicago defense.

Elsewhere on draft day, the team selected LeiLanni Nesbeth (Midfielder, Florida State), Jameese Joseph (Forward, NC State), Hannah Anderson (Defender, Texas Tech), Bea Franklin (Midfielder, Arkansas) and Celia Gaynor (Defender, Michigan State). Nesbeth, who was born in Bermuda but grew up in England before school at FSU, projects to be the one player with a chance to make a real impact as a rookie, though the competition in midfield has gotten stronger.

January 16: Malloy Swanson Signs the Most Valuable Contract in League History

Give that woman her money!

The largest sigh of relief this offseason, Mal Swanson isn’t going anywhere. Swanson becomes the first player to take advantage of a new maximum contract length in NWSL: four years plus a fifth year option. The deal will pay her in excess of $2 million over the next four years, according to reports, and that salary puts her among the ten highest paid female players in the world.

2023 was a year of ‘what ifs’ for the star forward, whose play for both club and country in late 2022 and early 2023 firmly put her in ‘best player in the world right now’ conversations. She seemed poised for a monstrous year with a World Cup in her sights. That hope and joy turned to sadness in an instant when she tore her patella tendon while playing for the USWNT in a friendly against Ireland. She missed both the World Cup and entire NWSL season.

However, that injury only interrupted the massive expectations for her future, and at still just 25 years old she has plenty of time to continue to build her legacy. She scored 11 goals in 13 games in 2022 (a year also curtailed by injury but still by far her highest scoring club season to date), and the Red Stars attack will likely go as far as she carries it.

Howdy, ya’ll!

Last year, the Red Stars struggled mightily to create chances from midfield (with the entire burden basically falling on an aging and playing-out-of-position Yuki Nagasato), and the group generally lacked any sort of dynamism with Julia Bianchi (who actually led the team in assists) and Cari Roccaro usually rounding out the group.

Shea Groom should go a long way to solving that problem. After college at Texas A&M, Groom was a stalwart for FC Kansas City/Utah Royals for 3 years before brief stints with Sky Blue and the Seattle Reign. She then become a key player for the Houston Dash, playing in over 20 games in both 2021 and 2022 before tearing her ACL in the first game of the 2023 NWSL season. At 30, coming off an injury like that does present some risk but it’s worth the veteran presence and bite she’ll bring to a team in search of a new identity.

January 18: Natalia Kuikka Is Next Through the Door

A left back! A real left-footed left back!

Speaking of veterans who will also bring some bite, welcome to Chicago from Finland via Portland, Natalia Kuikka!

“What drew me to Chicago is their focus on rebuilding trust with the fans and culture across the organization.”

Hell yeah. Kuikka, 28, played 63 games over the last 3 years in Portland where she won the 2022 NWSL Title, the same year she was named Finnish Footballer of the Year (she is the 4-time defending winner of ‘Finnish Female Footballer of the Year’). Kuikka is a defend-first fullback who should create a lock-down left side of the Red Stars defense alongside Staab. Just a really good, smart acquisition. And to convince a player to leave a perennial juggernaut for the worst team in the league last year says something about what the Red Stars are selling to new recruits.

January 22: Red Stars Fill Out the Defense With Maximiliane Rall (and also sign Camryn Biegalski)

Guten Tag! Another new defender!

If Kuikka is a defense first fullback on the left, Rall is the complete opposite on the right. With 15 goals over her last 2 full seasons for Bayern Munich, the nine-times-capped German international is a fully modern attacking fullback who should provide thrust not unlike St. Georges did but has proven to be an attacking threat at a higher level. After 6 seasons as a regular Bundesliga starter (4 with Hoffenheim, 2 with Bayern) the 30-year-old found herself on the bench and the Red Stars pounced on the opportunity. You can bank on a Rall-Milazzo-Staab-Kuikka backline for the season opener. Also, the club brought back former draft pick Camryn Biegalski as depth at fullback after two years with Washington Spirit.

Other Notes:

- The NWSL Schedule was announced! The Red Stars open the season at Utah Royals on Saturday, March 16^th and play their first home game a week later against Seattle Reign (March soccer at SeatGeek, bring your layers, blankets and handwarmers!).

- Among the Red Stars non-roster invites to preseason is Nadia Gomes, who scored 17 goals in 15 games in the USL W League last year after 4 years away from soccer. She has 2 caps for Portugal, a name to keep an eye on.

- Sydney Schneider has been signed as a backup goalkeeper after a year spent playing in the Czech Republic. She previously was a reserve in NWSL and was at one time Jamaica’s #1.

- Goalkeeping Coach Rade Tanaskovic (who also served as an emergency interim after the Dames resignation) departed the club for family reasons. Alyssa Naeher should be able to cover coaching her fellow keepers until a permanent replacement is hired.

Ok so…now what? Expectations? Outlook?

With a month and half until the season kicks off, there is plenty of time for the roster to continue to change before a ball is kicked. The European transfer window closes February first, but that only applies to players going to Europe; players could still be signed by NWSL clubs. NWSL preseason camps run through next week, at which time clubs will have to trim down their rosters to size. There are still several unsigned free agents, and trades could still happen.

The obvious remaining need for the Red Stars is another top-quality attacker. Right now, it looks like it might be another year where Swanson has to score almost every game to have the Red Stars in the top half of the standings (Ella Stevens, who signed as free agent with Gotham, led the team with just 4 league goals last year). Shea Groom is curiously listed as a forward on the team’s preseason roster, but expect her to be more of an attacking midfielder. Ava Cook, Sarah Griffith and Penelope Hocking have all shown promise at times but are yet to prove themselves as NWSL starter quality.

Red Stars Report have done a great job of keeping track of the roster, which at last update looks like this (courtesy of (at)RedStarsReport on Twitter)

As for a predicted XI, it’s hard to say what Lorne Donaldson will do especially in forward areas. Jamaica used three different formations in four World Cup games, so there’s nothing to go on there either. That all said, my best guess would be:

Naeher; Rall, Milazzo, Staab, Kuikka; Bianchi, Roccaro, Groom; Hocking, Cook, Swanson

When it comes to this team, I’m not fully a fan but I’m not fully media either. I really want to see this team succeed, and believe that if successful the Chicago soccer community (and Chicagoland more broadly) will support it. I am genuinely optimistic, which would have seemed an insane thing to say only a couple of weeks ago. If the new kit is good (assuming there is one), the hype will launch into orbit. Here’s hoping the 2024 season is one of new beginnings and growth, with plenty of fun (and goals and wins, please) along the way.