Red Stars defender and Chicagoland native, Casey Krueger, was voted the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Bud Light Player of the Week for the first time in her illustrious career, the league announced today.  

In the Red Stars’ match versus the Houston Dash Saturday, August 5, Krueger made history by becoming the first Chicago Red Star to make three assists in a single match, in any competition. The hometown player also became the first NWSL player to record three assists in a UKG Challenge Cup match. With that one performance, Krueger became the league leader in assists in Challenge Cup play.  

In addition to Krueger’s assists, the defender took two shots, led the team in crosses attempted (8) and ranked second among all players in recoveries (13), showing that the Naperville native not only created offense for the Red Stars, but also got back to defend to earn the team a clean sheet. Krueger alone had more touches (80), won possession more times (13) and created more chances than any player from the Houston side.  

Following the match on Saturday, Coach Petrucelli commented on Krueger’s performance saying, “When you think about all the great players that have played here that’s pretty cool…She was dangerous from the first moment [of the match] and she is a big piece to what we’re doing.” 

The Red Stars had not scored a goal in the tournament leading up to the match against Houston, but with the assistance of Krueger, the team scored three goals against the Dash; a brace from rookie Penelope Hocking in the first half and one by Yuki Nagasato in the second half. The Red Stars’ next home match at SeatGeek Stadium is September 17 against Angel City FC and also serves as the team’s “World Cup Welcome Home” match that will feature six players from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit chicagoredstars.com.