Red Stars Preview: Is this finally the year?

Red Stars looking to go at least one step further after four straight semifinal losses.

Last season, the Chicago Red Stars made history by reaching the NWSL Playoffs four straight seasons. Unfortunately, they have also lost at the semifinal stage four straight seasons. Last year, they were outclassed by eventual champion North Carolina Courage (Saturday’s opening opponent in Cary).

Before that loss in Portland, the Red Stars drew more than they won (9-5-10), but a seven-match unbeaten streak and goals by Sam Kerr towards the end of the season vaulted the Red Stars to the playoffs. They also raised their average attendance by 34% over 2017 at SeatGeek Stadium.

It appears everything is in place for the team to succeed in 2019. The squad is mostly unchanged from last season and stalwarts like Sam Kerr, Julie Ertz, Casey Short, and Alyssa Naeher are among the 16 players returning. At the NWSL College Draft, they picked up the #1-overall pick (acquired in the Christen Press trade with Utah) in defender Tierna Davidson from Stanford and traded another first round pick to pick up Mexican international Katie Johnson from Sky Blue FC. Another Mexican international, Maria Sanchez, also looks to impress after two assists in the preseason after being drafted in the second round by the Red Stars.

The three hopes for the Red Stars are this:

1.  Sam Kerr continues her golden boot form from not just last NWSL season, but also from the W-League where she scored a league-best 13 goals for Perth Glory.
2. The team as a whole can be a year better in addition to being a year older. Having Morgan Brian for a full year could help.
3. They can turn some of last season’s draws into wins and challenge the Courage for the Shield.

Of course, the one fear would be that a prolonged winless streak near the start of the season–like the seven-match one that occurred between late April into late May–could put them behind the eight ball and into a chase for fourth rather than a chase for possibly a home semifinal at least.

The Red Stars have the looks of a team that can make the playoffs for a fifth straight season with just about its entire core returning and a top draft pick in Tierna Davidson adding to that squad. The challenge this year is to go at least one step further and at last make the NWSL Championship Match on October 26th.