Draw 2-2 with Utah with debut goals from Chacón and Johnson
By Lesley Ryder
Chicago Stars FC erased a late two-goal deficit to save a point against a surging Utah Royals side. Mina Tanaka scored a brace for the Royals, as they extended their undefeated streak to eight games.
Chicago came out to a strong start, returning to their midfield press that helped drive their unbeaten run through August. The sustained pressure brought multiple scoring chances for Ally Schlegel, but Royals keeper Mandy McGlynn denied each one to keep the game scoreless at halftime.
In the second half, Chicago continued to push for an opening goal. But in the 59th minute, it was Mina Tanaka who opened the scoring. The Utah forward intercepted a clearance from Taylor Malham, and dribbled past Bea Franklin to launch a strike past Alyssa Naeher. In the 66th minute, Utah was awarded a penalty for a Chicago handball. Tanaka stepped up for the spot kick, and converted to make it 2-0.
Down late in the second half, the Stars turned to their bench to spark a comeback. Jameese Joseph, Ivonne Chacón, Micayla Johnson, and Manaka Hayashi came on to freshen up the attack. In the 82nd minute, the Stars kept a corner kick play alive. Manaka Hayashi sent a pass in to the chaos in front of Utah’s net. Kathrin Hendrich backheeled the ball to Micayla Johnson, who tried to poke the ball on net. It fell to Ivonne Chacón, who finished the play to net her first goal.
Four minutes later, Julia Grosso forced a turnover deep in the final third. She recovered the ball and passed to Micayla Johnson, who sent a low shot to McGlynn’s right for her first professional goal.
Utah responded with pressure, trying to save their playoff hopes, but the Stars held on for their 10th draw of the season.
After the match, Johnson could only attempt to summarize her feelings around her milestone goal. “Just super excited. I don't even know what to say, I’m speechless! Like I still can't believe it.”
Johnson’s goal caps off an exciting week for the rookie. On Tuesday, she was named to the U.S. U-17 World Cup roster. “It's really, really cool seeing Michaela, her growth and just maturity as a younger player, being around our team. I'm sure we're not always easy on her,” said Stars midfielder Bea Franklin. “It's because we felt a huge amount of faith in her, and we know that she can make a big impact in our game… and we could not be more excited for her.”
The match was fiercely contested by both teams. They combined for 24 fouls, and 5 yellow cards. Tensions spilled over at the full time whistle as both head coaches began to verbally spar. Stars assistant coach Ella Masar got between them to calm the fracas.
Both coaches addressed the incident in their respective post-match press conferences.
Notes from the field
- Ally Schlegel celebrated reaching 50 caps for the stars. Schlegel is a free agent, and her future with the club is unknown.
- Micayla Johnson became the first teenager to score a goal for the Chicago Stars
- The Chicago Stars have not won at SeatGeek stadium since October 4, 2024. They’ll have one last opportunity at the season finale at home against Angel City on November 2nd.
Photos: Gretchen Schneider/Chicago Stars FC