Chicago Stars FC
Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League. The Chicago Stars were a founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer league under the name the Chicago Red Stars. They have played in the NWSL since 2013. The Stars play their home games at Martin Stadium. They have reached the NWSL Championship twice, losing each time in 2019 and 2021.
The team played in WPS in 2009 and 2010. After leaving WPS in December 2010 due to the club's financial issues, the club joined the Women's Premier Soccer League for the 2011 season. In 2012, the Red Stars co-founded and played in Women's Premier Soccer League Elite : a one-year league which bridged the WPS and the NWSL. The club became a founding member of the NWSL, which was financially supported by the United States Soccer Federation, in 2012. In October 2022, they held the record for the longest active playoff streak in the NWSL.
It was announced on August 15, 2023 that a group of Chicago business leaders led by Laura Ricketts had agreed in principle to purchase the Chicago Red Stars. On September 1, 2023, it was announced that the club had been acquired for $60 million by the group led by Ricketts.
On October 23, 2024, the team announced a name change to "Chicago Stars Football Club" to take effect during the 2024–25 offseason.
History
Women's Professional Soccer
Establishment
In 2006, it was announced that Chicago would field a team in a new women's professional soccer league. The team joined six others in Women's Professional Soccer for the league's inaugural season in 2009. Marcia McDermott, former head coach of the Northwestern University women's soccer team and the Women's United Soccer Association's Carolina Courage, was named as the Red Stars' general manager.On June 3, 2008, the "Red Stars" name was announced at a Toyota Park ceremony. The name refers to the four six-pointed red stars on the flag of Chicago. Each star represents a landmark event in Chicago history: Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire, the 1893 World's Fair, and the 1933 World's Fair. Other names considered were Progress, Towers, Union, Blues, 1871, and Wind. "Red Stars" was chosen by popular vote in a two-month fan poll.
2009 season
The Red Stars won their first game of the season, 1–0, at Saint Louis Athletica. They followed with two ties and a 4–0 shutout of the Boston Breakers at Toyota Park. This was the best starting record of any team in the league except season champions Los Angeles Sol, seeming to live up to preseason predictions.The team was then winless for its next nine games, including a 451-minute scoring drought. The Washington Freedom, scored first in their next game, indicating that the streak would continue. However, the Red Stars came from behind to win 2–1. They defeated last-place FC Gold Pride 3–1 in their next game before losing four of their last five games, eliminating them from the playoffs and ending the season in sixth place. The Red Stars finished second in league attendance in 2009, behind the LA Sol.
Agreeing to see the Red Stars through their first season, Peter Wilt stepped down as CEO at the end of 2009 to become general manager of the Milwaukee Wave. General manager Marcia McDermott assumed many of Wilt's responsibilities, although he continued to support the team on the league's board of governors and as president of the Chicago Red Stars Charitable Foundation.
2010 season
The Red Stars began their second season with high hopes and new faces. They lost their first game at Sky Blue FC 1–0, after dominating much of the game. A 1–1 home tie in their second game earned the Stars their first point of the season. After a successful season, the team left WPS on December 13 because they were unable to meet the league's funding requirements for the 2011 season; the league folded in 2011 for financial and legal reasons.2011 Women's Premier Soccer League season
The Red Stars joined the Women's Premier Soccer League in 2011. They played their home games at Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, in west-suburban Chicago.The roster consisted of players from the women's national team U-20 and U-23 pools and collegiate players. The first players announced included three with WPS experience, including two from the Red Stars' 2010 squad. The team was coached by Chicago native Rory Dames, and continued their activity in the Chicago soccer community through their soccer camps.
The Red Stars finished the regular season with a 10–1 record, hosting the playoff semifinals and championship matches. Defeating Tampa Bay Hellenic 2–1 in their semifinal, they lost in overtime by the same score in the final to the Orange County Waves.
2012 Women's Premier Soccer League Elite season
In 2012, the Red Stars joined the former WPS Boston Breakers and Western New York Flash to found the WPSL Elite League. Five other former WPSL teams joined the league: ASA Chesapeake Charge, F.C. Indiana, New England Mutiny, New York Fury, and Philadelphia Fever.The Red Stars finished fourth in the league, making the playoffs. They advanced to the final, where they lost to the Flash in a 2–4 penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time. Red Stars Ella Masar and Lori Chalupny were injured on the same play in the 33rd minute. WNY scored the equalizer in regulation with a 40-yard goal in the 97th minute to reach overtime. The Red Stars won the 2012 National Women's Cup with half their roster, since the cup final was played at the same time as their final WPSL Elite regular-season match against the eventual third-place New York Fury.
National Women's Soccer League
In November 2012, the Red Stars co-founded and was one of the original eight teams in a yet-to-be-named women's professional soccer league in concert with United States Soccer Federation, the Canadian Soccer Association, and the Mexican Football Federation. The league began competition in spring 2013.2013 season
All NWSL teams received an allocation of USWNT players, and the Red Stars received Shannon Boxx, Amy LePeilbet, and Keelin Winters; only Boxx had limited playing time that season. The Red Stars began the season with two draws and four losses. The mid-season arrival of Germans Sonja Fuss and Inka Grings revived the team somewhat, but not enough to qualify for the playoffs. The Red Stars played 22 matches with eight wins, six draws, and eight losses to finish the season in sixth place.2014 season
In 2014, the Red Stars finished in fifth place. The club was waiting for United States international player Christen Press to join after completing her commitment to a European club, and the Canadian international player Melissa Tancredi to gain full fitness after college. The team signed two other internationals, Abby Erceg and Emily van Egmond, in May. Despite the late arrival of international stars, at the end of May the team had six wins, one draw, and two losses; its performance was aided by rookies Julie Johnston, Vanessa DiBernardo, Hayley Brock, young players Jen Hoy, Rachel Quon, veterans Lori Chalupny and Michelle Wenino, and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. With a mid-season slump, the team did not qualify for the playoffs and was edged out by head-to-head results with the Washington Spirit.2015 season
The Red Stars began the 2015 season with three home games: a 3–2 win over the previous season's Supporting Shield winner Seattle Reign FC, a 2–2 draw with Portland Thorns FC, and a 1–0 win against Sky Blue FC. Christen Press scored four of the club's first five goals, and was named the April Player of the Month. Red Stars who were also members of the national team were training for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup during weeks five and six. Rookie Sofia Huerta scored multiple goals in two matches, and was named the NWSL Player of the Week for weeks five and six and the May NWSL Player of the Month. The team was in first place from week four to week 13 of the regular season, ultimately finishing second. In the playoffs, they lost the semi-final to FC Kansas City.2016 season
The team ended the regular season in third place, and advanced to the playoffs. They played the semi-final at Boyds, Maryland against the Washington Spirit on September 30, losing 2–1. The Red Stars returned to Toyota Park for home games for the first time since their 2010 WPS season.2017 season
For the third consecutive season, the Red Stars made the post-season playoffs. They were eliminated in the semi-final, losing 1–0 to the North Carolina Courage in Cary with a goal in the 89th minute.2018 season
For the team's tenth season and sixth in the NWSL, the team qualified for the fourth consecutive year for the playoffs and lost 2–0 in the semifinal to the North Carolina Courage.2019 season
The Red Stars made the finals for the first time in NWSL history, clinching their fifth consecutive playoff spot on September 21, 2019, after defeating the Washington Spirit 3–1. Forward Sam Kerr scored her 18th goal of the season in that game, breaking the record for goals scored in an NWSL season which she had set with Sky Blue FC in 2017. The Red Stars defeated the Portland Thorns 1–0 in a semifinal home game, and lost 4–0 to the North Carolina Courage in the final. Their season record was 14 wins, two draws, and eight losses.2021 season
Chicago ended their season in fourth place, becoming the first team in the NWSL to make the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. At the end of the regular season, the Red Stars named defender Sarah Gorden the team's first Iron Woman, an honor awarded for playing every minute of the season. The Red Stars faced the Washington Spirit at the NWSL Championship, held in Louisville, but lost 2–1 on overtime.On Monday, November 22, 2021, just after midnight, the Red Stars announced that head coach Rory Dames had resigned effective immediately. Later that day, The Washington Post sports reporter Molly Hensley-Clancy reported that prior to resigning, The Post had approached the Red Stars Front Office with allegations from players, both previous and current, of abuse by Dames. The Post also provided documentation of reports made to United States Soccer Federation by players such as Christen Press as far back as 2014, detailing abuse, harassment, and inappropriate use of his power as head coach to manipulate players. “Three former Red Stars players, including one who played on the team at the time of the investigation, told The Post that they had wanted to speak to U.S. Soccer investigators but had never heard from them,” reported Hensley-Clancy. “Two had left the team because of Dames's abuse, they said.”