I wish I could say that the Red Stars pulled out of their eight game winless streak and defeated the LA Sol yesterday, but instead they dug a deeper hole and lost to LA Sol 4-0. The Red Stars have now been winless in nine matches, and they haven't scored a goal in over 400 minutes. They're last in the league with 11 points, while LA Sol stay at the
top of the table with 34 points, although they have played two more games than the Red Stars have so far this season. But even if the Stars win their next two matches they'll still only have half the total number of points that LA does at 17 points.
Believe me, I'm just as frustrated as you. I'm attempting to get into the habit of writing about the team on a regular basis, promoting them as a fan of the women's game, as a lover of Chicago and Chicago sports, as an interim board member of the Red Stars supporters group (
Chicago Local 134), but how does one find positive words to say when the stats are clearly so negative? How do I, the Red Stars team & staff, women's soccer lovers, thousands of female youth soccer players prove to you that the Red Stars are worth supporting?
The
Red Stars' roster is composed of professional female athletes from six different countries (some with dual citizenship). Seven of these players are or have been members of their national teams. Four of these ladies play for your very own
US Women's National Team.
The Red Stars have the only women head coach (Emma Hayes) in the inaugural season of the WPS. Red Stars head coach, Emma Hayes, was, until recently, the only woman head coach in the WPS. (Sky Blue FC just hired Kelly Lindsey to replace original head coach, Ian Sawyer.) This alone should be motivation to want to stand by them, but there's more...
In the last year I have had the pleasure of becoming aquatinted with staff, players, coaches and even the owners of the Red Stars. Each of them contribute something different to the team. And in their own ways, every day each one of them is putting forth an effort to make this organization successful. Their minds are constantly working, constantly contemplating on what they can contribute as individuals and as a team to succeed, to get the word out, to win games.
The players are not only putting time in on the field to become successful players, but they're also making player appearances at various events and helping coach at the
Red Stars soccer camps. The Red Stars front office staff are in the office countless hours a week- promoting, selling tickets, managing, brainstorming. They have caring and supportive owners, who I had the privilege of taking a charter bus to the first ever Chicago Red Stars game with in St. Louis. What owners in the professional sports world join their fans on a 6 hour bus ride to a game? It doesn't happen. That's how special this team is.
Red Stars owners, staff and players (Chioma Igwe) socialize after an outing to a Chicago Cubs game.
