Previous Result
SD: San Diego lost to the eventual champions, Portland Thorns, 2-1 in the 2022 NWSL Semifinals
CHI: The Chicago Red Stars fell to San Diego Wave FC 2-1 in the 2022 NWSL Quarterfinals
New Look Red Stars
The end of the 2022 season brought about the start of free agency in the NWSL, and brought a lot of change for the Red Stars during the offseason. After saying goodbye to some key, fan-favorite players, the club was proactive in finding talented players to fortify the roster and keep the Red Stars competitive for 2023. Jenna Bike, Julia Bianchi, Addie McCain and Cari Roccaro, all joined the Red Stars during the offseason and bring different levels of experience from the time spent with their previous NWSL or international clubs. Also, during the offseason, the club brought in three promising draftees selected during the 2023 NWSL Draft. Penelope Hocking, Sophie Jones and Ally Schlegel all made their marks in college and are now hoping to start their NWSL careers on the right foot. This week, prior to the start of the season, the Red Stars also signed midfielder, Taylor Malham. Malham spent her rookie season with Racing Louisville FC and played college ball at the University of Arkansas.
Quarterfinals Rematch
The Red Stars and Wave played a hard-fought battle in the 2022 NWSL Quarterfinals that lasted 120 minutes and saw the Red Stars fall by a score of 2-1. Now the teams meet at the start of a new NWSL season as headliners on the NWSL’s opening night. Despite the Wave only playing one season in the NWSL so far, the two clubs have faced each other three times, with San Diego winning all three matchups. Going into Saturday’s match, the Red Stars will look to not only start the season off with a win, but also hope to record their first win against San Diego. To add to the teams’ familiarity with one another, Danielle Colaprico and Rachel Hill, two former Red Stars, will be facing off against their former club for the first time this season.
This Time, It Counts
After a long preseason, the Red Stars are ready to start the season and earn some points. During the preseason, the club faced off against Racing Louisville FC, the Kansas City Current and NJ/NY Gotham FC. Against Louisville, the Red Stars got off to a strong start with two goals from Jenna Bike and Penelope Hocking, but ultimately fell 3-2. The team then hit the road and faced off against Kansas City and Gotham at IMG academy. After a 1-1 draw with Kansas City, the Red Stars played three 45-minutes periods against Gotham and ended the game with a 3-1 score in favor of the Red Stars. Now, as the season kicks off, the team looks to start the season on a positive note. The Red Stars are 1-3-3 when playing on the regular season’s opening weekend. Will the club add another win to that stat line? Tune into CBS Sports Network Saturday, March 25, to find out.
