The Chicago Stars parted ways with head coach Martin Sjögren and assistant coach Anders Jacobson on Wednesday, ending a rocky first season for the Swedish tactician in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Assistant coach Karina Báez will take over as interim head coach for the rest of the 2026 campaign.
The move comes as little surprise given the team’s results. Chicago sits at the bottom of the 16 team league with a 4-13-1 record, the fewest goals scored in the NWSL and one of the worst goal differentials in the circuit.
The Stars have not won since early July, when they edged the Utah Royals, and they carried a lengthy winless streak into Friday’s road match against the Seattle Reign.
Sjögren arrived in Chicago after building his reputation as head coach of Norway’s national team and later Swedish club Hammarby. His tenure never found traction, and the losses piled up quickly enough that ownership decided a change was needed with more than a third of the season still to play.
A Familiar Face Returns
In a somewhat unexpected twist, former Stars boss Lorne Donaldson is coming back to the club, this time as interim director of coaching overseeing the technical staff.
Donaldson previously led Chicago to a playoff berth in 2024 despite a losing record, but he was let go in April 2025 after a poor start the following season. His return suggests the front office is leaning on someone who already knows the locker room to help stabilize things down the stretch.
“This is a group of players I truly care about, and I’m very happy to return to the Chicago Stars for the next several months,” Donaldson said in a statement released by the club. He added that he was looking forward to reconnecting with familiar players and staff while chasing wins in the closing weeks of the season.
Coaching Staff Sees Further Change
The shakeup did not stop there. Chicago also brought in Nicole Lukic as a new assistant coach, focused on individual player development. Lukic most recently served as head coach of USL Super League side Spokane Zephyr, a franchise that has since folded, and previously worked as the first head coach of USL-W club Minnesota Aurora.
Club president Karen Leetzow said the organization is committed to building a real contender heading toward 2027, adding that a plan is already in motion.
The Stars have been searching for stability since firing general manager Richard Fuez back in May, and they remain without a permanent GM, with Beatrice Caliani currently handling those duties on an interim basis.
With five games worth of losses defining Sjögren’s brief run, Chicago now hopes fresh voices in Báez, Donaldson and Lukic can salvage something from a season that has largely slipped away.
