Stars FC Year-in-Review: Changes and Challenges

Photo: Leslie Smith

To say that this season was a challenge for Chicago Stars FC would be an understatement. By the time the final whistle blow at SeatGeek Stadium on November 2nd, they had four head coaches with a fifth coming next season, played at three different venues for home games, had a multitude of injuries and other absences, and finished with the wooden spoon.

It’s said that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. They started going astray before the opening kickoff when Mallory Swanson stepped away from the club and later announced she was on maternity leave. Between the start of the season and the summer break, the Stars were an abysmal 1-9-3. Lorne Donaldson was sacked six matches in and neither Masaki Hemmi went 0-4-3 before leaving. Ella Masar would lead the club to three straight draws when it was announced that Martin Sjögren would be the head coach starting in 2026 while new assistant Anders Jacobsen would take the helm until the rest of this season

On September 3rd, the Stars announced that they would play their home games at Martin Stadium on the campus of Northwestern University for the 2026 season moving out of SeatGeek Stadium at season’s end. The Stars got a chance to try out their future digs and got their first win since April 14th. Apart from being the first half of a doubleheader at Soldier Field, that game was the highest attended for the Stars at 10,127. There would only be one more win after that, and that would be in the season finale against Angel City netting their first win at Bridgeview in over a year where the crowds had not come.

The 3-12-11 record was enough for the club’s second wooden spoon in three seasons. Though the team did play better after the summer break (2-3-8), the team clearly lacked the offensive prowess of Swanson and the defense was sorely lacking at times. Swanson is expected back in 2026; but several players such as Alyssa Naeher, Ally Schlegel, Ava Cook, and Bea Franklin are free agents.

The question for Laura Ricketts and general manager Richard Feuz is how many of those players they want back and what do the prioritize in order to climb back up the ladder again? Clearly, next season in Evanston is a one-off as Ryan Field is expected to be completed in time for Northwestern football to move back. Ideally, the Stars want to have a place of their own. However, there are a multitude of issues that need to be addressed on the pitch and they will need to show progress in Evanston next season to show that their move North goes with the proverbial arrow going North as well.