# 2023 Chicago Red Stars season

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.

### 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

    As of June 7, 2023.
style="text-align:left"|Technical staff :
| Head coach | Chris Petrucelli |
| Assistant coach | Ella Masar |
| Goalkeeper coach | Rade Tanaskovic |
style="text-align:left"|Performance staff :
| High performance director | Jake Roy |
| Sports scientist and data analyst | Jimmy Haley |
| Head athletic trainer | Emily Fortunato |

### Players

    As of June 7, 2023.
First-team roster :
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Name | Birthday (age) | Since | Previous team | Notes |
| 1 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | (1988-04-20)April 20, 1988 (aged 34) | 2016 | Boston Breakers | |
| 19 | GK | USA | Mackenzie Wood | (2000-07-04)July 4, 2000 (aged 22) | 2023 | Northwestern Wildcats | IRP |
| 21 | GK | USA | Emily Boyd | (1996-07-25)July 25, 1996 (aged 26) | 2018 | California Golden Bears | |
| 3 | DF | USA | Arin Wright | (1992-12-25)December 25, 1992 (aged 30) | 2015 | Kentucky Wildcats | |
| 6 | DF | USA | Casey Krueger | (1990-08-23)August 23, 1990 (aged 32) | 2016 | Avaldsnes IL | |
| 12 | DF | USA | Tierna Davidson | (1998-09-19)September 19, 1998 (aged 24) | 2019 | Stanford Cardinal | |
| 23 | DF | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | (1998-04-17)April 17, 1998 (aged 24) | 2021 | South Carolina Gamecocks | |
| 28 | DF | USA | Kayla Sharples | (1997-06-17)June 17, 1997 (aged 25) | 2019 | Northwestern Wildcats | |
| 31 | DF | USA | Amanda Kowalski | (1998-09-01)September 1, 1998 (aged 24) | 2022 | Butler Bulldogs | |
| 2 | MF | USA | Samantha Fisher | (1999-08-26)August 26, 1999 (aged 23) | 2023 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |
| 4 | MF | USA | Cari Roccaro | (1994-07-18)July 18, 1994 (aged 28) | 2023 | Angel City FC | |
| 5 | MF | BRA | Julia Bianchi | (1997-10-07)October 7, 1997 (aged 25) | 2023 | Palmeiras | INT |
| 13 | MF | USA | Addie McCain | (1999-08-28)August 28, 1999 (aged 23) | 2023 | Kansas City Current | |
| 14 | MF | PUR | Jill Aguilera | (1998-01-05)January 5, 1998 (aged 25) | 2022 | Arizona Wildcats | |
| 16 | MF | USA | Sophie Jones | (2001-07-17)July 17, 2001 (aged 21) | 2023 | Duke Blue Devils | |
| 18 | MF | GER | Sandra Starke | (1993-07-31)July 31, 1993 (aged 29) | 2023 | VfL Wolfsburg | INT LOAN |
| 22 | MF | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | (1997-07-28)July 28, 1997 (aged 25) | 2019 | West Virginia Mountaineers | INT |
| 29 | MF | USA | Sami Feller | (2000-04-04)April 4, 2000 (aged 22) | 2023 | Denver Pioneers | D45 |
| 32 | MF | USA | Taylor Malham | (1999-05-20)May 20, 1999 (aged 23) | 2023 | Arkansas Razorbacks | |
| 7 | FW | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | (1987-07-15)July 15, 1987 (aged 35) | 2022 | Racing Louisville FC | INT |
| 8 | FW | USA | Ella Stevens | (1997-12-11)December 11, 1997 (aged 25) | 2020 | Duke Blue Devils | |
| 9 | FW | USA | Mallory Swanson | (1998-04-29)April 29, 1998 (aged 24) | 2021 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | SEI |
| 15 | FW | USA | Sarah Griffith | (1999-04-30)April 30, 1999 (aged 23) | 2022 | Purdue Boilermakers | D45 |
| 20 | FW | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | (1993-11-10)November 10, 1993 (aged 29) | 2023 | Racing Louisville FC | |
| 24 | FW | USA | Jenna Bike | (1998-06-01)June 1, 1998 (aged 24) | 2023 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 25 | FW | USA | Ava Cook | (1997-06-17)June 17, 1997 (aged 25) | 2021 | Michigan State Spartans | |
| 27 | FW | AUS | Chelsie Dawber | (2000-01-12)January 12, 2000 (aged 23) | 2022 | Adelaide United FC | INT LOAN |
| 34 | FW | USA | Ally Schlegel | (1997-06-17)June 17, 1997 (aged 25) | 2023 | Penn State Nittany Lions | |
| 55 | FW | USA | Penelope Hocking | (1999-12-29)December 29, 1999 (aged 23) | 2023 | Penn State Nittany Lions | |
* ↑ Injury replacement player
* 1 2 3 4 5 International player
* ↑ On loan from Wolfsburg until June 30.
* 1 2 45-day disabled list
* ↑ On season-ending injury list
* ↑ Loaned out to Norrköping through the end of the 2023 Damallsvenskan season.

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### NWSL Challenge Cup
#### Group stage
#### Central Division standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | KC | LOU | HOU | CHI |
| 1 | Kansas City Current | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Racing Louisville FC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage based on ranking | 3–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Houston Dash | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 6 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4 | | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | — |

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | A | H | H |
| Result | L | L | L | L | D | W |
| Position | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |

### Regular season
#### Regular season standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 30 |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 27 |
| 10 | Houston Dash | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 |
| 11 | Kansas City Current | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 |
| 12 | Chicago Red Stars | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 24 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: October 15, 2023. Source: NWSLsoccer.com

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Stadium | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | L | L | W | L | D | L | L | L | W | W | L | L | L | W | W | L | D | W | D | W | L | L |
| Position | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 |

## Statistics

    As of matches played October 15, 2023.
style="text-align:left"|Goalscorers, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Goals by competition | Goals by competition | Goals by competition | Goals by competition |
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| FW | 55 | USA | Penelope Hocking | 3 | 2 | — | 5 |
| DF | 22 | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | 4 | 0 | — | 4 |
| FW | 8 | USA | Ella Stevens | 4 | 0 | — | 4 |
| FW | 7 | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | 3 | 1 | — | 4 |
| FW | 25 | USA | Ava Cook | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| MF | 34 | USA | Ally Schlegel | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| FW | | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| MF | 4 | USA | Cari Roccaro | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | | USA | Kayla Sharples | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| FW | 9 | USA | Mallory Swanson | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | 3 | USA | Arin Wright | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 25 | 3 | — | 28 |
style="text-align:left"|Assists by player, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Assists by competition | Assists by competition | Assists by competition | Assists by competition |
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| MF | 5 | BRA | Julia Bianchi | 5 | 0 | — | 5 |
| FW | 6 | USA | Casey Krueger | 1 | 3 | — | 4 |
| FW | 15 | USA | Sarah Griffith | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| FW | 7 | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| FW | | USA | Penelope Hocking | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| FW | | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | 23 | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| MF | 34 | USA | Ally Schlegel | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| DF | 22 | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| FW | 8 | USA | Ella Stevens | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 16 | 3 | — | 19 |
style="text-align:left"|Clean sheets by goalkeeper, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition |
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| GK | 21 | USA | Emily Boyd | 2 | 2 | — | 4 |
| GK | 1 | USA | Alyssa Naeher | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 5 | 2 | — | 7 |
style="text-align:left"|Disciplinary cards by player, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | NWSL | NWSL | Cup | Cup | Playoffs | Playoffs | Total | Total |
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | | | | | | | | |
| DF | 22 | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| MF | 5 | BRA | Julia Bianchi | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | 24 | USA | Jenna Bike | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | 55 | USA | Penelope Hocking | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| DF | 23 | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | 7 | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| MF | 4 | USA | Cari Roccaro | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| FW | 25 | USA | Ava Cook | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| DF | 3 | USA | Arin Wright | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| DF | 12 | USA | Tierna Davidson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| MF | 32 | USA | Taylor Malham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | | USA | Kayla Sharples | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| FW | 8 | USA | Ella Stevens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 |

## Awards

    As of June 29, 2023.

### NWSL weekly awards

Player of the Week :
| Wk. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Won |
| 3 | FW | USA | Penelope Hocking | 2nd |
| 5 | DF | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | Nom. |
| 9 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | 2nd |
| 10 | FW | USA | Ava Cook | Nom. |
Save of the Week :
| Wk. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Won |
| 7 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | Nom. |
| 8 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | Won |
| 9 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | 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.
style="text-align:left"|2023 NWSL Draft selections, by round :
| Round | Pick | Pos. | Nat. | Player | College | Status |
| 1 | 7 | FW | USA | Penelope Hocking | Penn State University | Signed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year on March 20, 2023. |
| 2 | 14 | MF | USA | Grace Yochum | Oklahoma State University | Declined to report to preseason training. |
| 2 | 23 | FW | USA | Ally Schlegel | Penn State University | Signed to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year on March 20, 2023. |
| 4 | 43 | MF | USA | Sophie Jones | Duke University | Signed to a two-year contract on March 20, 2023. |

### Contracts

style="text-align:left"|Contract expirations :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| December 1, 2022 | MF | USA | Danielle Colaprico | Free agent declined new contract. |
| December 1, 2022 | MF | USA | Morgan Gautrat | Free agent declined new contract. |
| December 1, 2022 | FW | USA | Rachel Hill | Free agent declined new contract. |
| January 8, 2023 | DF | USA | Zoe Morse | Contract expired; new contract offer declined. |
style="text-align:left"|Contract re-signings :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| November 11, 2022 | FW | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | Re-signed to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. |
| November 15, 2022 | DF | USA | Arin Wright | Re-signed to a two-year contract. |
| November 16, 2022 | DF | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | Contract option exercised. |
| November 16, 2022 | FW | USA | Ella Stevens | Contract option exercised. |
| November 16, 2022 | DF | USA | Kayla Sharples | Contract option exercised. |
| November 16, 2022 | DF | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | Contract option exercised. |
| November 16, 2022 | GK | USA | Emily Boyd | Contract option exercised. |
| December 13, 2022 | DF | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | Signed new two-year contract with an option for an additional year. |
style="text-align:left"|Waivers :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| November 16, 2022 | MF | USA | Channing Foster | Waived. |
| November 16, 2022 | DF | USA | Mikenna McManus | Waived. |
| June 28, 2023 | FW | USA | Brenna Lovera | Released. |

### Loans

style="text-align:left"|Loans in :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| April 16, 2023 | MF | GER | Sandra Starke | VfL Wolfsburg | Loaned through June 30. | |
style="text-align:left"|Loans out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| October 31, 2022 | FW | AUS | Chelsie Dawber | Adelaide United FC | Loaned until May 4, 2023; recalled on March 2, 2023. |
| October 31, 2022 | FW | USA | Sarah Griffith | Newcastle Jets FC | Loaned until April 6, 2023. |
| March 2, 2023 | FW | AUS | Chelsie Dawber | IFK Norrköping | Loaned until the end of the 2023 Damallsvenskan in November. |

### Transfers

style="text-align:left"|Transfers in :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Former club | Fee/notes |
| January 9, 2023 | MF | USA | Addie McCain | Racing Louisville FC | Acquired via waiver wire and signed to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. |
| January 11, 2023 | FW | USA | Jenna Bike | Racing Louisville FC | Acquired via waiver wire and signed to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. |
| January 25, 2023 | MF | USA | Cari Roccaro | Angel City FC | Acquired in exchange for $65,000 in allocation money. |
| January 25, 2023 | MF | BRA | Julia Bianchi | Palmeiras | Signed to a two-year contract. |
| March 20, 2023 | MF | USA | Taylor Malham | Racing Louisville FC | Acquired via discovery after being waived and signed to a one-year contract. |
| March 25, 2023 | FW | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | Racing Louisville FC | Free agent signed to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. |
| March 25, 2023 | DF | USA | Sami Feller | Denver Pioneers | Preseason trialist signed to a three-year contract with an option for an additional year. |
| March 25, 2023 | FW | USA | Brenna Lovera | Selfoss | Preseason trialist signed to an injury replacement contract for Addie McCain. |
| March 25, 2023 | GK | USA | Mackenzie Wood | Northwestern Wildcats | Preseason trialist signed to an injury replacement contract for Emily Boyd. |
| April 7, 2023 | GK | USA | Meagan McClelland | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Signed to a national team replacement contract for Alyssa Naeher. |
style="text-align:left"|Transfers out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| December 13, 2022 | FW | USA | Sarah Luebbert | Club América | Transferred for an undisclosed fee. | |

### Retirements

| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Ref. |
| December 7, 2022 | MF | USA | Sarah Woldmoe | |
| October 15, 2023 | FW | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | |

### Preseason trialists

| Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club |
| GK | USA | Meagan McClelland | Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
| GK | USA | Morgan Messner | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| MF | USA | Abby Boyan | Georgia Bulldogs |
| MF | USA | Meg Brandt | MSV Duisburg |
| MF | USA | Meghan Cavanaugh | Puerto Rico Sol FC |
| MF | USA | Sami Feller | Denver Pioneers |
| MF | USA | Carlee Giammona | Pepperdine Waves |
| MF | USA | Brenna Lovera | Selfoss |
| MF | USA | Brenna Ochoa | MSV Duisburg |
| FW | USA | Bayleigh Chaviers | UMF Valur Reydarfjördur |
| MF | USA | Taylor Malham | Racing Louisville FC |
| FW | JAM | Cheyna Matthews | Racing Louisville FC |