The Identity Crisis of the Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are going through an identity crisis. It has left them with a record that places them tenth out of the twelve teams, the worst goal differential in the league at negative fourteen, and remnants of a once successful team.
The Red Stars have endured multiple hardships, from the firing of an abusive coach to a change in ownership to a string of injuries and player absences. Even though the front office changes were necessary—and past due–the team now lacks a strong identity and struggles not only to find wins but to compete with other teams.
Past Success
The Red Stars are one of the oldest teams in the NWSL, with roots that go back before the league’s inception. The Red Stars began competing in the WPS in 2009 and then the WPSL in 2011. This was when Rory Dames started coaching the team. The NWSL formed in 2012, and the Red Stars joined as one of the original eight teams the following year.
Additionally, Chicago is one of the most successful teams in the league. Although they have never found a championship title, they hold the longest playoff streak in the league–since 2015. Before the pandemic, they consistently finished above fourth place in the standings.
The 2021 Season
In 2021, Chicago finished fourth in the NWSL, meaning they qualified for the playoffs. They beat Gotham FC 1-0 in the first round. In the semifinal against the Portland Thorns, goals from Katie Johnson and Sarah Woldmoe gave the Red Stars the 2-0 victory. However, forward Kealia Watt went down with an injury in the first half, later confirmed as an ACL tear.
After losing a starting forward in Watt, the Red Stars headed into the final against the Spirit. The Spirit opened the scoring in the first half, but Chicago leveled it in stoppage time with an exciting goal from Rachel Hill. However, in the end, the Spirit won the game in overtime.
After the 2021 season is when things imploded for the team. On November 22, 2021, coach Rory Dames resigned. And later that day, the Washington Post revealed that before his resignation, the publication had approached the team’s front office with claims and allegations about Dames’ abusive coaching. Some claims went as far back as 2014.
That entire fall was a reckoning for coaches around the league, as systemic abuse was uncovered across the NWSL. These exposed findings about Dames and his resignation came after coaches Richie Burke, Christy Holly, and Paul Riley were all fired for verbal and sexual abuse.
The 2022 Season
Rory Dames had coached the Red Stars since 2011. Although Dames needed to be gone, that long of a tenure leaves a mark on a team. Ten years under his coaching, these players knew how to win games under his system.
So, entering the 2022 season, they were no longer facing abusive coaching, yet the team was facing a new chapter–one that still wouldn’t be easy on the players. During the offseason between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the Chicago Red Stars traded many key players.
First, they traded attackers Mackenzy Doniak, Katie Johnson, and Kelsey Turnbow to San Diego ahead of the Expansion Draft. Then, they traded iron woman Sarah Gorden and the rights to Julie Ertz to Angel City. Nikki Stanton, who made 54 appearances for the team across three seasons, was also traded. And lastly, they traded their backup keeper, Cassie Miller, to the Kansas City Current.
The loss of Sarah Gorden could have been the team’s biggest hit in terms of defense, as she was instrumental to their defense from 2016 to 2021.
The team did regain Yuki Nagasato, who had previously been with the team from 2017 to 2020, and she only returned because of personal ties to the city. However, staple players like Kealia Watt, Sarah Woldmoe, and Casey Krueger were out because of pregnancy. And USWNT member Tierna Davidson tore her ACL at the start of the season.
In 2022, the team didn’t have many of its seasoned players but still managed to finish sixth in the standings.
The 2023 Season
Near the end of the 2022 season, the team called for the owner, Arnim Whisler, to sell the team because of his role in the 2021 NWSL abuse scandal. Whisler had been shared the abuse claims against Dames years prior, routinely defended the former coach, and also allowed him to resign despite his contract being terminable.
Whisler announced that he was selling the team on December 5, 2022, but still, no buyer has been found. This long, drawn-out sale can affect the entire team’s morale.
However, in some ways, 2023 looked like a real fresh start. The club was heading into its second season under head coach Chris Petrucelli. Some players who couldn’t appear during the 2022 season due to pregnancy or injury were returning, like Krueger and Davidson. Mallory Swanson was performing better than ever on the national stage.
But at the same time, another group of players left the team. Midfielder Sarah Woldmoe retired at the end of 2022, defender Zoe Morse signed with Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA WSL, midfielders Danielle Colaprico, Vanessa DiBernardo, and Morgan Gautrat left for other NWSL teams, and forwards Rachel Hill and Sarah Luebbert also left the team.
Notably, Colaprico, DiBernardo, and Gautrat had each been with the Red Stars for four years or more.
The loss of so many players, and so many veteran, identity-building players, was a brutal hit to the Red Stars ahead of the regular season.
To worsen the situation, Mallory Swanson tore her patellar tendon and was placed on the season-ending injury list. Swanson had been with the team since 2021 but was the team’s leading scorer and the heart of the attack.
The Red Stars Rebuild
With the loss of a long-time coach, a change in ownership, and the absences or transfers of more than ten key players over the course of, essentially the last year and a half, it’s no wonder that this team is struggling. Especially after Swanson’s injury, they no longer have a face to their team.
The Chicago Red Stars may not have the star power of the San Diego Wave or the Portland Thorns, but the talent is there; the potential for success is still there.
The team retained Alyssa Naeher and Arin Wright, who’ve both been with the team for more than five years. Plus, the young players and rookies are a bright spot. Penelope Hocking, Ava Cook, Ally Schlegel, and Sarah Griffith are all attacking-minded players who could be the next generation of core players for the Red Stars.
The team has already tied its number of losses from last season, and it is only halfway through this season. Despite the defense looking lost, the team never really gives up more than 55% of possession, and they’re capable of scoring goals. 2023 might be a long year for the team, and it might take a lot of time for the Chicago Red Stars to get back to their Championship-contending ways, but if its one thing we know about the team, it’s that they’re hungry and hopeful for growth.
Featured image via Daniel Gray
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