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Chicago Stars FC

Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Chicago Stars were a founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league under the name the Chicago Red Stars. They have played in the NWSL since 2013. The Stars play their home games at SeatGeek Stadium. They have reached the NWSL Championship twice, losing each time in 2019 and 2021.

The team played in WPS in 2009 and 2010. After leaving WPS in December 2010 due to the club's financial issues, the club joined the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) for the 2011 season. In 2012, the Red Stars co-founded and played in Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL-E): a one-year league which bridged the WPS and the NWSL. The club became a founding member of the NWSL, which was financially supported by the United States Soccer Federation, in 2012. In October 2022, they held the record for the longest active playoff streak (2015–2022) in the NWSL.

It was announced on August 15, 2023 that a group of Chicago business leaders led by Laura Ricketts had agreed in principle to purchase the Chicago Red Stars. On September 1, 2023, it was announced that the club had been acquired for $60 million by the group led by Ricketts.

On October 23, 2024, the team announced a name change to "Chicago Stars Football Club" to take effect during the 2024–25 offseason.

In 2006, it was announced that Chicago would field a team in a new women's professional soccer league. The team joined six others (Washington Freedom, Boston Breakers, Los Angeles Sol, FC Gold Pride, Sky Blue FC, and Saint Louis Athletica) in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) for the league's inaugural season in 2009. Marcia McDermott, former head coach of the Northwestern University women's soccer team and the Women's United Soccer Association's Carolina Courage, was named as the Red Stars' general manager.

On June 3, 2008, the "Red Stars" name was announced at a Toyota Park ceremony. The name refers to the four six-pointed red stars on the flag of Chicago. Each star represents a landmark event in Chicago history: Fort Dearborn, the Great Chicago Fire, the 1893 World's Fair, and the 1933 World's Fair. Other names considered were Progress, Towers, Union, Blues, 1871, and Wind. "Red Stars" was chosen by popular vote in a two-month fan poll.

The Red Stars won their first game of the season, 1–0, at Saint Louis Athletica. They followed with two ties (1–1 at Washington Freedom and 0–0 hosting Sky Blue FC) and a 4–0 shutout of the Boston Breakers at Toyota Park. This was the best starting record of any team in the league except season champions Los Angeles Sol, seeming to live up to preseason predictions.

The team was then winless for its next nine games (with three away draws), including a 451-minute scoring drought. The Washington Freedom, scored first in their next game, indicating that the streak would continue. However, the Red Stars came from behind to win 2–1. They defeated last-place FC Gold Pride 3–1 in their next game before losing four of their last five games, eliminating them from the playoffs and ending the season in sixth place. The Red Stars finished second in league attendance in 2009, behind the LA Sol.

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