ABOUT US
The Chicago Red Stars are one of the oldest and winningest pro women’s soccer team in the country, demonstrating a standard of grit and continued success for over a decade. Established in 2007, the Red Stars were a founding member of the former Women’s Professional Soccer and would later become one of the original eight teams to form the National Women’s Soccer League in 2013. The Red Stars have made the playoffs in six seven consecutive years from 2015-2021, appearing in the NWSL Championship in 2019 and 2021 as well as appearing in the NWSL’s Challenge Cup Final in 2020.
The Red Stars play at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, one of few soccer-specific stadiums with an all-grass practice and playing surface in the league. Throughout the team’s storied history, the Red Stars’ have had a star-studded roster featuring some of the greatest players to have played for the United States such as Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Kate Markgraf (Sobrero), Lindsay Tarpley, Lauren Chalupny, Christen Press, and Shannon Boxx, while currently boasting a roster with USWNT stars such Julie Ertz, Casey Short, Alyssa Naeher, Tierna Davidson, Mallory Pugh and Morgan Gautrat. The Red Stars have also been home to national team players from Australia (Sam Kerr), Canada (Karina LeBlanc and Bianca St-Georges), Germany (Inka Grings), Japan (Yuki Nagasato) Mexico (Katie Johnson and Maria Sanchez), Brazil (Christiane Rozeira and Formiga) and Puerto Rico (Jill Aguilera) at different points in the team’s 11-year history.
● CRS buys the rights to the name and club assets from WPS and plays 1 year in WPSL making it to the Championship game, narrowly losing in overtime to the California Waves
2019
2007
2008
2009
2011
2012
2013
● Chicago is awarded a team, joining six other teams set to join the WPS’s inaugural season in 2009.
● The name "Red Stars" is announced in a ceremony at Toyota Park after a lengthy naming contest.
● NWSL is launched with only 4 months of preparation for all teams in the league
● CRS beats Portland Thorns FC 2-0 for the franchise’s first-ever NWSL victory on June 1
● CRS beats Saint Louis Atletica 1-0 in the franchise's first-ever game during the inaugural WPS season on April 4
● Local 134 is formed – originally seated in section 134 of SeatGeek Stadium but later renamed as the Neighborhood End (2020).
● CRS founds WPSL Elite league with two other former WPS clubs (Boston and Western New York) and recruits 5 other teams to play
● CRS beats New York Athletic Club 3-2 to win the 2012 National Women's Cup on July 22
● CRS loses on PKs in the championship of the WPS-Elite to the WNY Flash (now the Carolina Courage)
● CRS works with Boston owner and USSF to conceive of and construct NWSL and recruit the founding teams
● CRS hosts a 17,388 sellout crowd at SeatGeek Stadium during a 2-1 win over North Carolina Courage on July 21
● Defeated Portland Thorns FC 1-0 on October 20th to advance to the team’s first-ever championship game
2020
● CRS participates in the NWSL Challenge Cup becoming part of the first professional domestic contact sports league to return to action following months of Covid-19-related shutdowns
● CRS defeats Sky Blue FC 3-2 on July 22nd to advance to their second consecutive championship game
2021
● Chicago defeats the Portland Thorns 2-0 to advance to the NWSL Championship, the club’s second appearance