The 2023 Chicago Red Stars season was the team's fifteenth as a professional women's soccer team, and tenth in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
Background
Team sale
On October 3, 2022, the United States Soccer Federation published the Yates Report detailing the 2021 NWSL abuse scandal. The report detailed alleged abuses experienced by players from coaches and staff, and included reports of abusive behavior by former Red Stars head coach Rory Dames, who resigned in November 2021. The Yates Report indicated that Red Stars majority owner Arnim Whisler was aware of the allegations and either declined to take action or actively defended Dames, and a report in The Athletic described a letter sent by minority owners to all Red Stars investors and board members as early as January 3, 2022, that detailed allegations of abuse by Dames and complaints against Whisler over poor player housing conditions and his continued influence over club operations.
On October 5, Whisler stepped down as the team's representative to the NWSL's board of governors. Later that day, the Red Stars board of directors voted to remove Whisler from the club's board of directors. The team transitioned to being managed by its board with Kim Vender Moffat as its chairwoman.
On October 10, Chicago Red Stars players released a joint statement asking Whisler to sell his stake in the team. Red Stars chief business officer Vicky Lynch resigned the same day, and the club named Mike Ernst as her interim replacement.
On December 5, Whisler confirmed his intent to sell his stake in the club through investment bank Inner Circle Sports. On December 15, the club's board released a statement confirming the sale process.
Hirings On November 3, 2022, assistant coach Morinao Imaizumi left the Red Stars to become assistant coach of NWSL competitors Washington Spirit. On January 11, 2023, the Red Stars hired former Red Stars player and Kansas City Current assistant coach Ella Masar as the club's new assistant coach.
On January 19, 2023, the Red Stars promoted associate general manager Michelle Lomnicki to general manager. On May 5, the Red Stars announced that the team had fired Lomnicki on May 4 due to a "lapse in judgment to not share important information with club leadership". Lomnicki had not informed the club of the hiring of former Red Stars assistant coach Craig Harrington by Chicago Empire FC, a Chicago-area youth soccer club formerly affiliated with the Red Stars where Lomnicki's husband serves as sporting director. Harrington had been banned for two years by the NWSL following the publication of the league's joint investigation with the NWSL Players Association into the 2021 NWSL abuse scandal, which implicated Harrington in allegations of inappropriate behavior around players.
Kit changes Chicago released a new primary kit, named the Foundation Kit, on March 15, 2023. The black kit features a connected offset pattern of gray six-pointed stars around the team's traditional Flag of Chicago motif of four red stars at the center.
Summary
Offseason On December 23, 2022, the Red Stars announced that defender Tierna Davidson would train during the offseason with German club VfL Wolfsburg, which had agreed to become strategic partners with the Red Stars during the 2022 season.
The team traveled to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for its preseason training camp.
March/April
May On May 27, the Red Stars faced the Orlando Pride at home. In the match's 22nd minute, Yūki Nagasato scored her 20th career regular-season goal, becoming the 12th player to be credited with 20 goals and 20 assists in a regular-season NWSL career. The goal held up as the match winner in a 1–0 shutout. In the 49th minute, Naeher recorded her 518th regular-season career save, breaking the NWSL career record previously held by Ashlyn Harris. After the match, the Red Stars honored Naeher's 150th regular-season career NWSL appearance and the 100th regular-season NWSL appearance of Cari Roccaro.
June The Red Stars won their second consecutive regular-season match for the first time in the 2023 season on June 6, defeating Angel City FC on the road 2–0 behind an 11-minute brace by Ava Cook in the first half. The match also marked the 100th NWSL appearance for defender Casey Krueger, all with Chicago, making her the sixth player in league history to record 100 regular-season appearances with the same club.
On June 30, the league issued a one-match suspension to midfielder Julia Bianchi for major game misconduct, for an offense committed in 63rd minute of the June 25 match against NJ/NY Gotham FC, and fined head coach Chris Petrucelli an undisclosed amount of money for comments "detrimental to the league" on social media on June 26. Petrucelli had tweeted "When do the charters start in this league?" during a four-hour delay returning home from the June 25 match against Gotham FC.
Stadium and facilities The Red Stars continued to play in SeatGeek Stadium, their full-time home since the team's 2016 season.
Broadcasting On April 26, 2023, the Red Stars announced the continuation of its local broadcast agreement with WCIU-TV ("The U"), including matches broadcast on WMEU-CD and WCIU-TV. Broadcast talent included play-by-play announcer Dan Kelly and color commentators Erica Ayala and former Red Stars player Jackie Santacaterina Manny.
Team
Staff
+ Technical staff
+ Performance staff
Players
+ First-team roster Name Previous team Notes 1 GK 2016 Boston Breakers 19 GK 2023 Northwestern Wildcats IRP 21 GK 2018 California Golden Bears 3 DF 2015 Kentucky Wildcats 6 DF 2016 Avaldsnes IL 12 DF 2019 Stanford Cardinal 23 DF 2021 South Carolina Gamecocks 28 DF 2019 Northwestern Wildcats 31 DF 2022 Butler Bulldogs 2 MF 2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4 MF 2023 Angel City FC 5 MF 2023 Palmeiras INT 13 MF 2023 Kansas City Current 14 MF 2022 Arizona Wildcats 16 MF 2023 Duke Blue Devils 18 MF 2023 VfL Wolfsburg INTLOAN 22 MF 2019 West Virginia Mountaineers INT 29 MF 2023 Denver Pioneers D45 32 MF 2023 Arkansas Razorbacks 7 FW 2022 Racing Louisville FC INT 8 FW 2020 Duke Blue Devils 9 FW 2021 NJ/NY Gotham FC SEI 15 FW 2022 Purdue Boilermakers D45 20 FW 2023 Racing Louisville FC 24 FW 2023 NJ/NY Gotham FC 25 FW 2021 Michigan State Spartans 27 FW 2022 Adelaide United FC INTLOAN 34 FW 2023 Penn State Nittany Lions 55 FW 2023 Penn State Nittany Lions
Competitions
Preseason
Non-competitive friendlies
NWSL Challenge Cup
Group stage
Central Division standings
Results by matchday
Regular season
Matches
Regular season standings
Results summary
Results by matchday
Statistics
+ Goalscorers, per competition Player Goals by competition Name Total FW 55 3 2 — 5 DF 22 4 0 — 4 FW 8 4 0 — 4 FW 7 3 1 — 4 FW 25 3 0 — 3 MF 34 2 0 — 2 FW 1 0 — 1 DF 1 0 — 1 MF 4 1 0 — 1 DF 1 0 — 1 FW 9 1 0 — 1 DF 3 1 0 — 1 Total 25 3 — 28
+ Assists by player, per competition Player Assists by competition Name Total MF 5 5 0 — 5 FW 6 1 3 — 4 FW 15 2 0 — 2 FW 7 2 0 — 2 FW 1 0 — 1 FW 1 0 — 1 DF 23 1 0 — 1 MF 34 1 0 — 1 DF 22 1 0 — 1 FW 8 1 0 — 1 Total 16 3 — 19
+ Clean sheets by goalkeeper, per competition Player Clean sheets by competition Name Total GK 21 2 2 — 4 GK 1 3 0 — 3 Total 5 2 — 7
+ Disciplinary cards by player, per competition Player Total Name DF 22 30 20 — 50 MF 5 30 00 — 30 FW 24 20 10 — 30 FW 55 30 00 — 30 DF 23 30 00 — 30 FW 7 20 10 — 30 MF 4 20 10 — 30 FW 25 20 00 — 20 DF 3 20 00 — 20 DF 12 10 00 — 10 MF 32 00 10 — 10 FW 10 00 — 10 FW 10 00 — 10 FW 8 10 00 — 10 Total 250 60 — 310
Awards
NWSL weekly awards + Player of the Week Player Won 3 FW 5 DF 9 GK 10 FW
+ Save of the Week Player Won 7 GK 8 Won 9 Won
Transactions
Draft selections Draft selections are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
+ 2023 NWSL Draft selections, by round Player College Status 1 7 Penn State University Signed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year on March 20, 2023. 2 14 Oklahoma State University Declined to report to preseason training. 23 Penn State University Signed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year on March 20, 2023. 4 43 Duke University Signed to a two-year contract on March 20, 2023.
Contracts + Contract expirations Date Player Notes December 1, 2022 Free agent declined new contract. January 8, 2023 Contract expired; new contract offer declined.
+ Contract re-signings Date Player Notes November 11, 2022 Re-signed to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. November 15, 2022 Re-signed to a two-year contract. November 16, 2022 Contract option exercised. December 13, 2022 Signed new two-year contract with an option for an additional year.
+ Waivers Date Player Notes November 16, 2022 Waived. June 28, 2023 Released.
Loans + Loans in Date Player Previous club Fee/notes April 16, 2023 VfL Wolfsburg Loaned through June 30.
+ Loans out Date Player Destination club Fee/notes October 31, 2022 Adelaide United FC Loaned until May 4, 2023; recalled on March 2, 2023. Newcastle Jets FC Loaned until April 6, 2023. March 2, 2023 IFK Norrköping Loaned until the end of the 2023 Damallsvenskan in November.
Transfers + Transfers in Date Player Former club Fee/notes January 9, 2023 Racing Louisville FC Acquired via waiver wire and signed to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. January 11, 2023 Racing Louisville FC Acquired via waiver wire and signed to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. January 25, 2023 Angel City FC Acquired in exchange for $65,000 in allocation money. Palmeiras Signed to a two-year contract. March 20, 2023 Racing Louisville FC Acquired via discovery after being waived and signed to a one-year contract. March 25, 2023 Racing Louisville FC Free agent signed to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. Denver Pioneers Preseason trialist signed to a three-year contract with an option for an additional year. Selfoss Preseason trialist signed to an injury replacement contract for Addie McCain. Northwestern Wildcats Preseason trialist signed to an injury replacement contract for Emily Boyd. April 7, 2023 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Signed to a national team replacement contract for Alyssa Naeher.
+ Transfers out Date Player Destination club Fee/notes December 13, 2022 Club América Transferred for an undisclosed fee.
Retirements Date Player December 7, 2022 October 15, 2023Cheyna Matthews
Preseason trialists Player Previous club Rutgers Scarlet Knights Penn State Nittany Lions Georgia Bulldogs MSV Duisburg Puerto Rico Sol FC Denver Pioneers Pepperdine Waves Selfoss MSV Duisburg UMF Valur Reydarfjördur Racing Louisville FC Racing Louisville FC
References