CHICAGO, Il. – For the first time this season, the Chicago Red Stars (0-3-2) will take on the Western New York Flash (2-2-1) in Rochester, N.Y. The match comes after twelve much-needed days of recovery following a nine-day, three-game stretch, where the Red Stars suffered losses against the Boston Breakers and Portland Thorns FC and tied New Jersey’s Sky Blue FC.
Of the last three home matches the Flash have played, the team has taken away two wins against Sky Blue FC and FC Kansas City—both of whom had been previously undefeated— and a loss against the Boston Breakers.
Notable Flash players include USWNT allocations Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd, who just returned to action May 10th after recovering from a shoulder injury.
The Red Stars will be without the services of two defensive midfielders in Shannon Boxx, who is still recovering from knee surgery earlier this month, and Co-Captain Leslie Osborne, who has remained in Chicago to nurse a minor MCL sprain suffered in the May 12th match against Portland. Goalkeeper Erin McLeod has travelled but will be a question-mark entering the match, after suffering a fractured metacarpal in her right hand back on May 4th in Boston.
Friday’s competition will be a rematch of the 2012 WPSL Elite finals, where the Red Stars fell to the Flash last season after overtime and PKs. The current Red Stars roster features many players that were a part of that 2012 squad, including Lori Chalupny, Lauren Fowlkes, Ella Masar, Alyssa Mautz, Jackie Santacaterina, Julianne Sitch and Michelle Wenino.
The Red Stars, who have not seen a win this year, hope to improve their ranking as the season continues. Head Coach Rory Dames recently expressed concerns about the Red Stars’ demanding schedule and overall team allocations, but has stated that the Red Stars “are a team that wants to win this league.”
The Red Stars received reinforcements this week with the addition of German internationals Sonja Fuss and Inka Grings, who have finally arrived after finishing out their contracts with FC Zurich of Switzerland. While neither are travelling to Rochester, both players are expected to be cleared in time for next weekend’s trip to Portland, where the Red Stars will meet Thorns FC.
This game will mark the first of 3 meetings between Chicago and WNY this season, with the next two matches coming in Chicago on June 19th and July 4th.
Red Stars vs Flash kicks off Friday at 7:05pm ET (6:05pm CT) at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., and will be streamed live, for free, online. Fans can also follow the Red Stars Twitter account for live in-game updates: @chicagoredstars.
Stay tuned to www.chicagoredstars.com for further details or follow the team on twitter @chicagoredstars and on facebook.com/chicagoredstars.
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