By Lesley Ryder
Multiple sources have confirmed news this morning that Ludmila will sign with San Diego Wave FC. The transfer fee is not yet known. The Brazilian striker posted on her Instagram page “Thank you very much for this [year and a half]. A lot of experiences lived in this amazing city.”
The move comes as a surprise, as Ludmila was a key player on the Stars’ attack. She scored 10 goals last season, tying for 4th league-wide with Racing Louisville’s Emma Sears.
Last summer, Ludmila was left off of Brazil’s CONMEBOL roster and became a player reborn. When the NWSL resumed play in August, she scored 5 goals in 3 games to win NWSL Player of the Month. She was the first Chicago player to win this award since Sam Kerr in 2019.
Ludmila will be immortalized in Chicago Stars history for her hat trick against the North Carolina Courage. Down 2-0 late in the match, Ludmila put the game on her back. She shook the upper right corner of the net with right foot, and beat a diving Casey Murphy with her left. When Jaedyn Shaw seemingly broke the Chicago comeback with a go ahead goal, Ludmila responded with the equalizer off a header. Her sub 10-minute hat trick was the fastest in league history.
Now what?
Ludmila’s trade comes at a time where Chicago once again faces a rebuild year. The offseason transfer moves have brought new blood into the club, but even combined, they cannot match the offensive output Ludmila brought to the Stars in her short tenure. Ludmila’s goals often came from herculean individual effort.
If the Stars want to score goals, they’ll have to do more than hope for someone to pull something out of nothing. For the better part of the last two years, they’ve struggled to show who they are on the pitch, and play as a cohesive unit. Injuries, and players on leave contributed to their problems, but it’s universal to the league. The best clubs plan, and adapt. The Stars don’t appear to be capable of doing either right now.
Last week, Chicago announced their exciting plans for a new facility, and their hopes for a short-term home in Evanston. But it’s long been time for the team’s on-field ambitions to match. General Manager Richard Feuz’s three-year plan for a stable, sustainable, and successful club has yielded one early playoff exit, five head coaches, and a wire-to-wire last place finish.
Martin Sjogren has assumed head coaching duties, but has yet to be publicly introduced. If the Stars have a vision for the future of the club on the field, it’s time for them to share it with the class.