Stars receive $750,000 in exchange for the forward
By Lesley Ryder
Chicago Stars FC announced this morning that Jameese Joseph has been transferred to the Utah Royals for $750,000 in intra-league transfer funds, to be delivered incrementally. After almost three seasons in Chicago, the Maryland native will take the next step in her career to a team in the heart of the 2026 NWSL Shield race.
"Jameese is an amazing person and we’re proud of her development during her time as a Star,” said Chicago Stars FC President Karen Leetzow in the team’s release. “Her rise from joining our club as a rookie to earning opportunities with the U.S. Women’s National Team has been inspiring, and we wish her success as she embarks on this new opportunity in Utah.”
Jameese Joseph joined the Chicago Stars in 2024 after the team selected her in the second round out of North Carolina State University. She impressed early on, signing a three-year contract after preseason. She finished her rookie campaign with three goals and two assists, including a goal against the Orlando Pride in the first round of the playoffs.
By the end of Jameese Joseph’s rookie year she caught the attention of the USWNT. Head coach Emma Hayes named Joseph to the Futures camp in January, and continued to call her in for the the U-23 team.
Perhaps buoyed by the call-up, Joseph started her sophomore year on the Stars by scoring in the team’s first match. With star striker Mal Swanson out on maternity leave, Joseph stepped up to finish the season second in scoring with four goals.
At the end of the 2025 season Joseph earned her first call to the USWNT. Her first goal with the senior team came in January 2026 in a 5-0 win against Chile. Joseph’s star continued to rise at the National Team while Emma Hayes pondered the program’s depth at the 9 position, earning a call to the team’s SheBelieves Cup roster. Joseph’s tenacity on the ball and clinical finishing impressed the gaffer. “I think she's got a combination of things that that we look for in terms of her ability to hold up the play really, really well and stretch, and she can do both of them.” Hayes told media at a SheBelieves pre-match presser. “It’s the highest level, you're not going to get a lot of opportunities, and you got to take them. I felt she was clinical in what she did, and I want to see more of her in that position, knowing we have to develop.”
Success could not follow from country to club for the Stars 2026 season. The Chicago Stars began their season with Martin Sjogren at the helm, their fifth head coach in a full calendar year. Injuries and confounding transfer market moves only added to the chaotic carousel of Chicago Stars soccer.
Goals have been few and far between for the Stars as they’ve struggled to progress the ball far enough down field to put their attack in action. Jameese Joseph’s lone goal on the season against Racing Louisville was the team’s 10th goal in a painstaking 20-game journey.
With a move to Utah, Jameese Joseph will be reunited with former Chicago Star Tatumn Milazzo as the Royals pursue the NWSL Shield from six points back on the league table. Where the Stars struggle, the Royals thrive-twelve different players have scored this season, and Canadian veteran Cloe Lacasse has tied the league record with ten assists. There will be no shortage of opportunity for Joseph to make her mark on the upstart Royals.
“I’m very grateful to the Chicago Stars for their belief in me over the past several years,” said Joseph in the team’s press release. “Chicago gave me the opportunity to make my dreams of being a professional athlete a reality, and this city, the fans, and everyone who has supported me has truly made an impact on my life. This farewell is bittersweet and I’m excited for this next chapter.”
Photo: Chicago Stars FC