Preview: Chicago Stars FC vs. Gotham FC
NWSL Chicago Stars FC

Preview: Chicago Stars FC vs. Gotham FC

August 1, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Chicago Stars FC News Release


CHICAGO - Chicago Stars FC (1-9-3, 6 pts) returns to National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) regular-season play to take on eighth place Gotham FC (5-5-3) Friday, August 1, at SeatGeek Stadium. The club will host their Bark in the Park match and welcome fans' furry friends. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Bark in the Park beanie patch, while fans who bring their pups will be invited to participate in a dog parade at halftime.

Where to Watch

Stream: NWSL+

Previous Result:

CHI: Chicago lost to Portland, 1-0, in Portland

GFC: Gotham beat Bay FC 2-1

Storylines

Previously on Chicago Stars FC: As Chicago - and the rest of the NWSL - prepares to start the second half of the season, let's recap the Stars' first half of 2025. The first 13 matches of the season were, unfortunately, ones to forget for Chicago. The club lost the first three matches of the season before finally putting points on the table with a win over Bay FC, which featured a brace from Ludmila with Jameese Joseph assisting on both goals. Though the team tried to turn the tide, late match winners and match-tying goals kept the Stars from progressing and forced a coaching change that saw Chicago and Lorne Donaldson part ways. Masaki Hemmi took over as interim head coach and promptly helped the team earn three draws against Gotham FC, Angel City FC and Seattle Reign FC. After the final regular-season match of the first half against Portland (1-0 loss), the club announced the departure of Hemmi, who took a new coaching opportunity, and assistant coach, Ella Masar, was named the new interim head coach. During the international break, Chicago played two matches in the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, both against Brazilian clubs, Corinthians SC and Palmeiras. Unfortunately for Chicago, who rotated much of the roster to give low-minute players a chance to show their skills, the team lost both matches and finished fourth in the tournament. Masar was clear in the press conferences pre- and post-Teal Rising Cup, the team's focus is on Gotham. With the East Coast team arriving Friday, we'll see if the elongated prep time helped the Stars ahead of the resumption of the NWSL season.

Welcome & Welcome Back: On the more positive side of coin, Chicago welcomed back Mackenzie Wood, who was reactivated from the 45-day injury list and played in the club's second match of the Teal Rising Cup, putting up an incredible performance despite the long injury and recovery process. The Stars also welcomed (or welcomed back) Sam Angel, who joined the club from Sweden and previously played on the Chicago Red Stars reserve team a few years ago. Angel played in both Teal Rising Cup matches and showed off a bit of her abilities up and down the left wing. Now that the 2025 UEFA Euros is over, the team will welcome defender, Kathrin Hendrich to the team. With these reinforcements, we'll see if the Stars can turn the season around and make the most of the remaining 13 regular-season matches.

The Pizza Wars: Heading into Friday's match, Chicago and Gotham are separated by 12 points and five spots on the NWSL table, but every match is a toss-up in the NWSL and any team can win on any given day. Looking at the head-to-head stats, Gotham's advantage is made clearer when you look at number of goals scored (13 to 18), goals allowed (27 to 13) and possession percentage (43.7 to 54.6). Basically, Gotham holds the ball more, scores more and doesn't let the other team score as much as Chicago. However, on the defensive end, the Stars have more interceptions (134 to 94) and more tackles (162 to 127) than Gotham, and have a more accurate shooting percentage (52 to 48). Gotham was one of the teams Chicago played to a tie in the first half of the season, and while the team has struggled, you can bet that Gotham will be playing with a chip on their shoulder, while the Stars just need to stay true to their game, knowing they can play this team and earn a draw - or better.

Check out the Chicago Stars FC Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 1, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central