# 2024 Chicago Red Stars season

The 2024 Chicago Red Stars season was the team's sixteenth as a professional women's soccer team, and eleventh in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. The Red Stars finished the season in eighth place, qualifying for the NWSL playoffs, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the top-seeded Orlando Pride.

## Background
### Hirings

On December 20, 2023, the Red Stars hired former Jamaica women's national football team head coach Lorne Donaldson to be the club's head coach.
On February 5, 2024, the Red Stars hired Servette FC chief executive officer Richard Feuz to be the club's general manager.

### Kit changes

NWSL apparel sponsor Nike redesigned all of the league's home and away kits for the 2024 season. The Chicago Red Stars primary kits were a patchwork of striped blue and white patterns emanating from the club's secondary crest with its traditional four six-pointed stars on its lower front corner. The club's secondary kits consisted of diagonally divided fields of dark and darker blue. The club's front-of-shirt sponsor was Wintrust Financial.

## Stadium and facilities

The Red Stars continued to play in SeatGeek Stadium, their full-time home since the team's 2016 season.

## Team
### Staff

    As of October 20, 2024.
style="text-align:left"|Front office :
| President | Karen Leetzow |
| Director of operations | Michelle Henstock |
style="text-align:left"|Soccer operations :
| General manager | Richard Feuz |
| Assistant general manager | Babett Peter |
| Head coach | Lorne Donaldson |
| First assistant coach | Masaki Hemmi |
| Assistant coach, development | Ella Masar |
| Assistant coach, goalkeeping | Brenton Saylor |
| Assistant coach, analytics | Karina Báez |
| Soccer operations manager | Victoria Buonanni |
style="text-align:left"|Performance staff :
| Director of high performance and medical | Ellie Somers |
| Head of performance | Jimmy Haley |
| Head athletic trainer | Shayna Lewis |
| Chief medical officer | Dr. Joshua Blomgren |

### Players

    As of September 18, 2024.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | Alyssa Naeher (captain) | United States |
| 3 | DF | Sam Staab | United States |
| 4 | MF | Cari Roccaro | United States |
| 5 | MF | Julia Bianchi | Brazil |
| 7 | FW | Ava Cook | United States |
| 8 | FW | Jameese Joseph | United States |
| 9 | FW | Mallory Swanson | United States |
| 10 | MF | Shea Groom | United States |
| 11 | MF | Chardonnay Curran | United States |
| 12 | DF | Natalia Kuikka | Finland |
| 13 | MF | Leilanni Nesbeth | Bermuda |
| 14 | FW | Ludmila | Brazil |
| 15 | FW | Sarah Griffith | United States |
| 16 | MF | Sophie Jones | United States |
| 19 | GK | Mackenzie Wood | United States |
| 20 | MF | Bea Franklin | United States |
| 21 | MF | Julia Grosso | Canada |
| 23 | DF | Tatumn Milazzo | United States |
| 24 | FW | Jenna Bike | United States |
| 26 | FW | Nádia Gomes | Portugal |
| 28 | DF | Maximiliane Rall | Germany |
| 30 | DF | Camryn Biegalski | United States |
| 32 | DF | Taylor Malham | United States |
| 33 | FW | Ally Cook | United States |
| 34 | FW | Ally Schlegel | United States |
| 37 | GK | Sydney Schneider | Jamaica |
| 41 | DF | Hannah Anderson | United States |

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 6 | Portland Thorns FC | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 34 | Playoffs |
| 7 | Bay FC | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 34 | Playoffs |
| 8 | Chicago Red Stars | 26 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 31 | 38 | −7 | 32 | Playoffs |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 28 | |
| 10 | San Diego Wave FC | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 35 | −11 | 25 | |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: November 3, 2024. 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 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | W | D | L | W | L | L | W | W | L | L | L | D | L | W | W | L | L | L | W | W | L | W | L | L | L |
| Position | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |

### Playoffs

The Red Stars finished the regular season in 8th place and qualified for the NWSL playoffs as the lowest-seeded of eight teams.

#### Matches
### NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup

The Red Stars finished second in Group D and did not advance to the tournament semifinals.

#### Group stage standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NYJ | CHI | WAS | GUA |
| 1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 8 | Advances to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Chicago Red Stars | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| 3 | Washington Spirit | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | | 0–1 | 2–3 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Guadalajara | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — |

#### Group stage matches
## Statistics

    As of Match played November 9, 2024

### Appearances

    As of match played November 9, 2024; only players who have made appearances are listed.
Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | NWSL | NWSL | Playoffs | Playoffs | Summer Cup | Summer Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | USA | Alyssa Naeher | 25 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | GK | USA | Mackenzie Wood | 5 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 37 | GK | JAM | Sydney Schneider | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 3 | DF | USA | Sam Staab | 17 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | FIN | Natalia Kuikka | 26 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | USA | Tatumn Milazzo | 19 | 0 | 13+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | GER | Maximiliane Rall | 10 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | USA | Camryn Biegalski | 9 | 0 | 3+4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | USA | Taylor Malham | 23 | 0 | 16+3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | DF | USA | Hannah Anderson | 20 | 0 | 15+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 4 | MF | USA | Cari Roccaro | 29 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | BRA | Julia Bianchi | 21 | 1 | 9+8 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | USA | Shea Groom | 21 | 0 | 3+14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Chardonnay Curran | 14 | 0 | 0+11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | BER | Leilanni Nesbeth | 22 | 1 | 10+8 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Sophie Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | USA | Bea Franklin | 20 | 1 | 12+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | CAN | Julia Grosso | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | USA | Ava Cook | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | USA | Jameese Joseph | 27 | 4 | 9+14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2+1 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | USA | Mallory Swanson | 25 | 7 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | BRA | Ludmila | 7 | 3 | 6+1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | USA | Sarah Griffith | 9 | 1 | 3+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 1 |
| 22 | FW | MAR | Rosella Ayane | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | USA | Jenna Bike | 27 | 2 | 15+8 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 26 | FW | POR | Nádia Gomes | 12 | 0 | 3+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | USA | Ally Cook | 16 | 0 | 1+13 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 34 | FW | USA | Ally Schlegel | 26 | 7 | 19+3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for the club but left during the season: ||||||||||||
| 55 | FW | USA | Penelope Hocking | 14 | 4 | 12+1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

### Goals

| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Playoffs | Summer Cup | Total |
| 1 | 34 | FW | | Ally Schlegel | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 9 | FW | | Mallory Swanson | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 55 | FW | | Penelope Hocking | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | 8 | FW | | Jameese Joseph | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 14 | FW | | Ludmila | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | 24 | FW | | Jenna Bike | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | MF | | Julia Bianchi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 7 | FW | | Ava Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 20 | MF | | Bea Franklin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 13 | MF | | Leilanni Nesbeth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 28 | DF | | Maximiliane Rall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | 3 | DF | | Sam Staab | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | 15 | FW | | Sarah Griffith | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 31 | 1 | 3 | 35 |

### Assists

| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Playoffs | Summer Cup | Total |
| 1 | 9 | FW | | Mallory Swanson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | 10 | MF | | Shea Groom | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 8 | FW | | Jameese Joseph | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | 24 | FW | | Jenna Bike | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 32 | DF | | Taylor Malham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | DF | | Sam Staab | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | 41 | DF | | Hannah Anderson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 33 | FW | | Ally Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 15 | FW | | Sarah Griffith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 55 | FW | | Penelope Hocking | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 12 | DF | | Natalia Kuikka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | 13 | MF | | Leilanni Nesbeth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 20 | 0 | 2 | 22 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Playoffs | Summer Cup | Total |
| 1 | 1 | | Alyssa Naeher | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | 19 | | Mackenzie Wood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | NWSL | NWSL | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Summer Cup | Summer Cup | Summer Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| 3 | DF | | Sam Staab | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | | Cari Roccaro | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | | Julia Bianchi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | | Ava Cook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | | Jameese Joseph | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | | Shea Groom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | | Chardonnay Curran | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | | Natalia Kuikka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | | Leilanni Nesbeth | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | | Ludmila | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | | Sophie Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | | Bea Franklin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | | Tatumn Milazzo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | | Jenna Bike | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | | Taylor Malham | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | FW | | Ally Schlegel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | DF | | Hannah Anderson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | FW | | Penelope Hocking | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 1 |

## Transactions
### Draft selections

Draft selections are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2024 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2024, in Anaheim, California.
style="text-align:left"|2024 NWSL Draft selections, by round :
| Round | Pick | Pos. | Nat. | Player | College | Status |
| 1 | 10 | MF | BER | Leilanni Nesbeth | Florida State University | Signed to a three-year contract on March 6, 2024. |
| 2 | 15 | FW | USA | Jameese Joseph | North Carolina State University | Signed to a three-year contract on March 8, 2024 |
| 3 | 31 | DF | USA | Hannah Anderson | Texas Tech University | Signed to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year on March 12, 2024. |
| 3 | 41 | MF | USA | Bea Franklin | University of Arkansas | Signed to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year on March 13, 2024. |
| 4 | 45 | MF | USA | Celia Gaynor | Michigan State University | Not signed. |

### Contracts

style="text-align:left"|Contract expirations :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes | Ref. |
| November 20, 2023 | FW | AUS | Chelsie Dawber | Contract option declined. | |
| November 20, 2023 | FW | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | Contract option not exercised. | |
style="text-align:left"|Contract re-signings :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| November 20, 2023 | MF | PUR | Jill Aguilera | Contract option exercised. |
| December 5, 2023 | DF | USA | Taylor Malham | Re-signed to a two-year contract. |
| December 8, 2023 | DF | USA | Cari Roccaro | Free agent re-signed to a two-year contract. |
| January 16, 2024 | FW | USA | Mallory Swanson | Free agent re-signed to a five-year contract. |
| March 22, 2024 | DF | USA | Sam Staab | Re-signed to a three-year contract. |
style="text-align:left"|Waivers :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| February 26, 2024 | DF | USA | Amanda Fick | Released. |
| February 26, 2024 | MF | USA | Addie McCain | Released. |
| March 9, 2024 | MF | SLV | Samantha Fisher | Released. |
| March 11, 2024 | MF | PUR | Jill Aguilera | Released. |
| September 16, 2024 | DF | USA | Sami Feller | Mutual contract termination. |

### Loans

style="text-align:left"|Loans in :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| August 31, 2024 | FW | MAR | Rosella Ayane | Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | Loaned through the end of the 2024 NWSL season. | |
style="text-align:left"|Loans out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| February 6, 2024 | GK | USA | Mackenzie Wood | Stade de Reims | Recalled from loan. | |

### Transfers

style="text-align:left"|Transfers in :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Former club | Fee/notes |
| January 4, 2024 | MF | USA | Chardonnay Curran | Kansas City Current | Acquired via waiver wire and signed to a two-year contract. |
| January 12, 2024 | DF | USA | Sam Staab | Washington Spirit | In exchange for the 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. |
| January 17, 2024 | MF | USA | Shea Groom | Houston Dash | Free agent signed to a two-year contract. |
| January 18, 2024 | DF | FIN | Natalia Kuikka | Portland Thorns FC | Free agent signed to a three-year contract. |
| January 22, 2024 | DF | USA | Camryn Biegalski | Washington Spirit | Free agent signed to a one-year contract with a mutual option for a second year. |
| January 22, 2024 | DF | GER | Maximiliane Rall | FC Bayern Munich | In exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee and signed to a one-year contract with a mutual option for a second year. |
| January 29, 2024 | GK | JAM | Sydney Schneider | AC Sparta Prague | In exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee and signed to a one-year contract with an option for a second year. |
| March 7, 2024 | FW | POR | Nádia Gomes | San Francisco Glens | Preseason trialist signed to a one-year contract with an option for a second year. |
| March 13, 2024 | FW | USA | Ally Cook | UCLA Bruins | Preseason trialist signed to a one-year contract with an option for a second year. |
| July 8, 2024 | MF | CAN | Julia Grosso | Juventus FC | Signed to a three-year contract. |
| July 29, 2024 | FW | BRA | Ludmila | Atlético Madrid | Signed to a three-year contract. |
style="text-align:left"|Transfers out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| January 2, 2024 | DF | USA | Tierna Davidson | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Free agent signing. |
| January 8, 2024 | FW | CAN | Bianca St-Georges | North Carolina Courage | Free agent signing. |
| January 10, 2024 | DF | USA | Casey Krueger | Washington Spirit | Free agent signing. |
| January 11, 2024 | FW | JPN | Yūki Nagasato | Houston Dash | Free agent signing. |
| January 12, 2024 | DF | USA | Arin Wright | Racing Louisville FC | In exchange for the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and $125,000 in allocation money. |
| January 22, 2024 | FW | USA | Ella Stevens | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Free agent signing. |
| August 31, 2024 | FW | USA | Penelope Hocking | Bay FC | In exchange for a $350,000 transfer fee. |

### Preseason trialists

| Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club |
| FW | USA | Ally Cook | UCLA Bruins |
| MF | FIN | Jenny Danielsson | KIF Örebro DFF |
| FW | USA | Mia Fontana | California Golden Bears |
| FW | POR | Nádia Gomes | San Francisco Glens |
| GK | USA | Erin McKinney | Wisconsin Badgers |
| DF | USA | Bridget Rieken | Washington State Cougars |
| FW | USA | Paige Webber | Indiana Hoosiers |

## Awards
### NWSL monthly awards
#### Best XI of the Month

| Month | Pos. | Player |
| March/April | GK | Alyssa Naeher |
| March/April | DF | Sam Staab |
| May | DF | Sam Staab (2) |
| June | FW | Mallory Swanson |

### NWSL weekly awards
#### Goal of the Week

| Wk. | Player | Won |
| 1 | Ally Schlegel | Nom. |
| 5 | Mallory Swanson | Nom. |
| 12 | Mallory Swanson | Nom. |
| 14 | Mallory Swanson | Won |
| 15 | Mallory Swanson (2) | Won |
| 16 | Jameese Joseph | Won |
| 21 | Ludmila | Nom. |

#### Save of the Week

| Wk. | Player | Won |
| 1 | Alyssa Naeher | Won |
| 4 | Tatumn Milazzo | Won |
| 5 | Tatumn Milazzo (2) | Won |
| 6 | Natalia Kuikka | Nom. |
| 6 | Alyssa Naeher | Nom. |
| 13 | Alyssa Naeher | Nom. |
| 14 | Alyssa Naeher (2) | Won |
| 14 | Tatumn Milazzo | Nom. |
| 18 | Natalia Kuikka | Won |
| 24 | Alyssa Naeher (3) | Won |