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The newly minted Chicago Stars open up their 2025 home campaign in a chilly, cloudy afternoon matinee, hosting the Houston Dash. Pretty solid turnout for a ugly day. Stars on the attack early and winning majority of the 50/50 balls. Good sign, after the opening game loss to Orlando. Just playing with more tempo and urgency.
I must say I’m a fan on the blackcherry new Dash jerseys. They look dynamic!
Winning the ball has been the key for the Stars, and it proved true when Jameese Joseph picked the pockets of a Dash defender Paige Neilsen in the Houston box, and a one-one-one with the goalie, Joseph calmly puts it away and it results in a 1-0 Stars lead in the 19th minute.
Gretchen Schneider/Chicago Stars FC
It only took one minute for Nielsen to redeem herself and put one in to the back of the goal, to tie the game at 1-1. Houston looks like a lot more dynamic team this year.
After the tie, Houston seemed to be more in control of the game, with more scoring opportunities and dictating the attack.
At halftime, it’s a tie game. The Stars need to get back to what was working for them early on in the game. Houston weathered the storm and took control midway through the first half.
Hannah Anderson enters the game to start the second half, replacing Sam Staab. The move makes sense, Anderson is one of the most dependable players on the team and Staab is on a pitch count, coming back from the ACL injury, she’ll likely be on a minutes restriction for the first few game.
Gretchen Schneider/Chicago Stars FC
Houston continues to look dangerous, hitting the post on their first shot attempt of the second half. Additionally, the wind is really starting to pick up and the drizzle of rain has joined also.
Houston gets a breakaway and with some nifty passes and a cross to the unmarked Maggie Graham who easily puts it in. Alyssa Naeher had no chance stopping that. It’s 2-1 Dash.
A mass substitution by Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson. Rookie sensation Micayla Johnson gets into the game and immediately makes a dynamic run with the ball, weaving through defenders. She’s a highly regarded young prospect that the Stars were lucky to secure in the offseason. Could be the future of this team. Will be interesting to see how Donaldson integrates her throughout the season.
The rain is coming down in the final 15 minutes and it’s just going to make things harder for the Stars to make this comeback. It indeed was the case. Slipping and sliding for the last 10 minutes of the game and the Dash was able to hold onto the 2-1 win.
Tough loss for the Stars in the home opener. 0-2 to start the year, still a ton of soccer left, but next weeks game at home is going to be big. Gonna need some points coming out of it.
Next Match
Chicago Stars FC vs. Racing Louisville FC, March 30, 2025, at 3 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium
Observations:
An odd situation happened near the end of the game. A Dash player went down on one knee, the referee called a stoppage of play, went over to check and the player was just tying her shoe. There was an impending throw in for the Dash, but the referee waited till the player tied her shoe and got up to call the whistle and resume play.
Never seen anything like this before. It was on the edge of extra time, but I still don’t believe it was time wasting, because the a Dash player was ready to throw the ball into play. Just bizarre occurrence that I never witnessed before. Not sure if this was the referees individual decision or this is somewhere in the rulebooks? Common sense would say, play on, nobody is stopping play for someone tying their shoes.
