An overdue piece on the Red Stars Rookie Standout
By Lesley Ryder
The Red Stars’ Jameese Joseph has earned a call-up to the USWNT Futures camp, taking place alongside the USWNT January Camp in Carson, CA. Joseph was recently named Chicago’s Rookie of the Year, and winner of the team’s Chicago Grit Award. This camp mark her return to the National Team program. Joseph got her first international experience at the youth level when she was called to the U-20 camp in May of 2022.
“It’s such an honor to represent the US at this level and I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity to learn, grow and compete with some of the best!” Joseph said in a statement to Gal Pal Sports.
During her rookie campaign, she scored 2 goals and 2 assists, and scored in the team’s first-round playoff exit to the future NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride.
Joseph was called with the Red Stars’ first pick in the second round of the 2024 Draft. She could not have imagined it happening any other way. “I didn’t want to commit to a 9-to-5 job” she said in an interview with Gal Pal Sports. “If I could continue playing soccer after College, that was gonna be my first option.” She quickly worked her way to the team’s starting XI, and was a mainstay during the season.
‘Meese, as her teammates call her, got on the scoreboard for the first time against San Diego Wave FC. She slid a pass to an open Mal Swanson for an assist, and added her own goal later in the match. She pressed Abby Dahlkemper and recovered the ball, streaking in alone on Sheridan before scoring. After the match, Swanson praised her growth as a rookie.
“I saw something special with Meese early on, just in her ability to take people on, the finesse she showed tonight with her goal and on the assist. It was a perfect ball, and if i didn’t finish, I think I would’ve been really mad at myself. It’s an evolution to come into this league—it’s not easy, but I think she’s handled it with so much grace. She takes what we tell her, and she applies it. I think that sets her apart.”
Though often humble and reserved in team media availability, Joseph is expressive on the pitch. She makes creative runs to beat defenders, and fights for every loose ball in her grasp. She plays in a way that may not always show up statistically, at least not yet, but her tenacity in the press allows her to be a magnet in the midfield, and her instincts tend to bring her to the right place, at the right time.
Of course any rookie campaign will have a welcome to the league moment. For Joseph, her first start came with a matchup against USWNT defender, Casey Krueger. “I felt a lot of pressure to keep my composure, and play really well, but I feel like the battle between us went both ways” she said after the team’s match against the Washington Spirit in April. “It was honestly amazing. It showed me I could keep up with her and run with her. It gave me a little boost of confidence.”
Joseph embraces these learning opportunities, and isn’t afraid to seek counsel from the team’s veterans. “I remember Jameese came up to me in the locker room and asked ‘ is it ever not nerve-wracking after awhile?” Chicago midfielder Shea Groom said in an interview with Gal Pal Sports. “Just the most wholesome question and I just appreciated it a lot. Something that helped me early in my career is really asking questions and paying attention to the older players. I think it’s a great sign.”
The Red Stars concluded their 2024 campaign with a playoff loss to the Orlando Pride. It was a lopsided match from the beginning, with Orlando leading 3-0 at halftime. But Jameese Joseph gave the squad a glimmer of hope in the second half. In the 60th minute, Orlando keeper Anna Moorhouse misplayed a slow-rolling ball, and Joseph pounced. She intercepted Moorhouse’s clearing attempt, putting the ball in the back of the net. She coolly fished the ball out from behind the future NWSL Keeper of the Year candidate, and ran the ball to the center circle. Though the team eventually fell 4-1, Joseph made her mark as the youngest-scoring player in playoff history.
Joseph’s rookie season would not end in Orlando. She joined a stacked roster at the NWSL’s Skill Challenge during the championship weekend festivities in Kansas City. Joseph showed off her dribbling skills in the gauntlet challenge, besting a ring of defenders with her tight quick turns.
“It's unreal. You know, I'm super grateful to be invited to this amazing event. It was so fun, especially getting to network and meet players from other teams that you're playing against all season. So it was really nice to, like, finally get to know them.” Joseph said in an interview with Gal Pal Sports after the competition.
The skills challenge marked a terrific ending for Joseph’s rookie season, but she has her eyes on a longer playoff run next season with the Chicago Red Stars. “Obviously you know me and my team wanted to go further, but there’s always next year. So hopefully next year, that will be the case for us.”
Next year starts now for Jameese Joseph. She’ll report to the USWNT Futures Camp January 14-21, and begin her sophomore campaign at Red Stars preseason camp at a date to be determined.