Stars close 2026 season in last place for the third time in four years
By Lesley Ryder
To say the Chicago stars have been challenged in these last two seasons would be an understatement.
After two last place campaigns, the Chicago Stars front office finally woke from whatever trance they were under by former GM, Richard Feuz, and showed him the door. Martin Sjogren, the team’s fifth head coach in a calendar year, soon followed.
Through all of the changes on the bench, in the front office, and on the injury list, the Chicago Stars players have held together in a united locker room. After the final home match of the season against the Houston Dash, defender Sam Staab, and team captain Alyssa Naeher spoke to the media. The veteran Stars shared how the challenges of the last few seasons shaped them as leaders, and bonded the team together.
“Do you want the short answer, or the long answer?” Sam Staab asked. “Honestly, like in every way possible: mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, everything.” After a miraculous 7-month recovery from a 2024 achilles tear, Sam Staab has anchored the Stars at center back. But this season, with injury, and inconsistent managerial vision, the defensive personnel around her seemed to change every single match.
A team simply can’t build chemistry through constant lineup changes. “Trying to connect with people when it's a very different team is also really hard,” Staab explained. The constant losses, and lopsided scorelines don’t help. “I think it was challenging, and I think I've grown a lot in ways that I didn't really want to have to.”
The third-year Star offered plenty of praise for team captain, Alyssa Naeher. “Alyssa is the ultimate leader and captain and everything, and I'm sure this season not going the best way probably puts a lot of stress on her.”
Through all the changes, Alyssa Naeher was the most consistent voice on the field for Sam Staab. “I think obviously Alyssa is one of the greatest goalkeepers like ever, and I always trust her wisdom and experience.” On the field, the two take their moments to check in, and compare notes on what they’re seeing. Off the field, the two have become good friends. “Like, I forced her to be my friend at first, and now every second of the day I'm like, ‘Alyssa, what do I do when the refrigerator is making this noise?’ Like it's not even just soccer stuff.”
But the stoic Stars goalkeeper sent the praise right back. “I think it's been fun and enjoyable to see Sam step up into a bigger leadership role this year. You can tell she is not shy about being vocal, which is I think a good thing.” Naeher said, eliciting a cheeky grin from Staab. “That's the mentality you want in a teammate. That's the mentality you want in a leader of a team. And I think it's been fun to watch.”
“You can tell she is not shy about being vocal, which is I think a good thing.”
As one of the last remaining original NWSL players, Alyssa Naeher has seen her share of difficult seasons playing for the Boston Breakers earlier in her career, and more recently in Chicago. “Obviously a lot has happened this year, to say the least, and I think it's pushed a lot of people.” The season’s challenges presented a trial by fire for the young players new to the league, and a lesson in adaptability for others. “I think it's been a lot of soul searching for a lot of people and [taking on] different roles and different responsibilities.”
After two seasons of poor results, it’d be easy to throw in the towel early. But this team keeps showing up for each other. “They continue to put the work in, on and off the field, of trying to problem solve, trying to make things better,” Naeher told reporters. “Unfortunately, it hasn't been able to translate into results. But I give a lot of credit to every person that’s continued to come in and try to make it work.”
But even the strongest leader, and the most resilient collection of players alive could understandably have trouble finding their identity under their sixth head coach since the beginning of the 2024 season. “That's not on any one person or any group,” Naeher clarified. With Vlatko Andonovski coming in to guide the team’s rebuild, she’s hopeful this team will find its way.
For Naeher, It’s difficult to see all the work in training miss the scoreboard on match day. “I think that's what makes me feel frustrated and bad for the team. It's like we don't get to then see some of the fruits of the labor that are being put in behind the scenes,” said Naeher.
Alyssa Naeher could be playing in her last match against the Washington Spirit. The longest-tenured Star will be a free agent this offseason. As in past years, Alyssa Naeher has told the media she won’t be making any decisions about her future until this season is complete.
On the other hand, Sam Staab is certain to be a key piece of Vlatko Andonovski’s rebuild. The club’s new chief of soccer name-dropped Staab as a player who gave him hell in Chicago’s matches with the KC Current. After two seasons of chaotic lineup changes, the hope now is for some stability in the defensive corps.
When the Stars 2026 season comes to a close tonight, the Chicago Stars will look to the promising future ahead. It won’t be the first time we’ve heard this promise, but with any luck, and a lot of institutional support for new soccer chief Vlatko Andonovski, we won’t have to hear it again.