By Lesley Ryder
After a year on the Season-Ending Injury List, Ava Cook is available for selection for the Chicago Stars.
The 18th-overall selection in the 2022 NWSL draft scored one goal in four games last season before tearing her ACL in team training.
Cook credits her teammates support in helping her through her time away from the pitch.
“It makes it easy to want to go back out on the field and work as hard as I can for them, because they supported me so much throughout the journey. So that's probably my biggest takeaway, is just getting out there and wanting to do my best for them, and I know that they're going to do it in return.” Cook said in Saturday’s pre-match availability.
The Chicago Stars forward has been missed from a squad in need of leadership, and attacking threats in Mal Swanson’s extended absence from the team.
“Having Ava back is great, because she’s a big part of what we want to do.” Chicago head coach Lorne Donaldson remarked. “She’s positive and she brings a lot of energy to us.”
Ava Cook returns for selection at a time when the Stars are in dire need of an energy boost. Going back to last season, the team has lost seven straight matches.
The time off during the international break hasn’t slowed the squad down in the slightest. “I think that training coming off of this break has been very competitive and intense, and I think that that is really good for us. We're definitely a team that, you know, wants to get after it, and as soon as we step on the field, we want to make sure that we're on the higher end of things,” said Cook.
Chicago will face Bay FC on Sunday, a team they haven’t played since the record-setting match at Wrigley Field last June. Bay FC is a team with many attacking options, and plenty of goal-scoring potential. Donaldson has emphasized fundamental defense in training this week. “We have to be very ready. We have to make sure that our defensive shape is good, and we just can't give the ball away in in bad areas.”
Sunday’s match will kick off at 6pm central time on ESPN.