Karina Baez will serve as interim head coach, Lorne Donaldson returns
By Lesley Ryder
The Chicago Stars announced they have parted ways with head coach Martin Sjogren, and assistant coach Anders Jacobson. The decision comes exactly one year after the pair’s hiring last summer.
After 18 matches, the Stars once again sit in last place on the league table, 11 points out of a playoff position. Their 2026 campaign has been marred by injury, and inconsistent results. Lineups have been shuffled more times than a Vegas poker deck, and players have been plugged into unfamiliar roles to limited success. The team has scored a league-low 9 goals on the season, contributing to a league-worst -24 goal differential.
The coaching pair’s firing comes a month after the club parted ways with GM Richard Feuz. It’s hard not to see this moment as a hard reset in the team’s rebuild nearly three year in to the Laura Ricketts ownership era.
What comes next?
Karina Baez will take the reins as interim head coach. She joined the Stars as an assistant coach in 2024 after serving as a scout for the Mexican Women’s National Team. She’ll be joined by other interim staff hires Kate Cohen, and Garga Caserta. Cohen has worked in scouting and analytics at the international level with the USWNT and the Matildas, and in the NWSL with the KC Current. Caserta also spent time at the USWNT and the KC Current as a high-performance coach.
Between the changes this season, and last season’s coaching carousel, the Stars are a team in dire need of consistency. The club hopes to change that by bringing in a familiar face. Former Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson has signed on for the remainder of the season working as the interim director of coaching overseeing all technical and analytical aspects.
“This is a group of players I truly care about, and I’m very happy to return to the Chicago Stars for the next several months,” said Donaldson in the team’s press release. “I'm excited to reunite with some familiar faces, for the opportunity to meet new players, and I look forward to working together with the staff to earn some wins in the final stretch of the season.”
The Stars also announced a new assistant coaching hire in Nicole Lukic. She comes to the club after serving as head coach with Spokane Zephyr of the USL. Lukic also served as director of talent identification at the US Youth National Team. In the club believes she will play a key part in the individual development of players. It’s a role that is sorely needed as young players Micayla Johnson and Elise Evans have spent most of their time with the club on the bench.
With these changes to the technical staff, the Stars are hoping to restore the team’s culture, and improve the on-field product. "We are determined to make our club a serious contender in the NWSL and have a plan in place to do so beginning now and leading into the 2027 season,” said Chicago Stars FC President Karen Leetzow in the team’s press release.
It’s an uphill, 11-point climb to playoff position, and with only 12 matches to play, their runway is shrinking. But with a strong finish, the Stars can at least set the table for a better beginning in 2027. They’ll begin their charge on Friday night against Seattle Reign.