Soccer

Allison Schlegel and Ava Cook were the goal-scorers.
Podcast
Equal Play
Ways To Subscribe
Saturday’s match has an afternoon kickoff, a rarity that required the Fire to adjust to the schedule.
Nearly 52 weeks later, Swanson is on the other side of her rehab, gearing up for her fourth season with the Red Stars. Swanson and the team open the NWSL season Saturday on the road against the Utah Royals at 6:30 p.m.
Americans claim title despite stunning loss to Mexico in the group stage
The team’s new designated player hasn’t been a factor so far, but that hasn’t been his fault.
The Fire look good in their new kits, but they’re still winless after 2-1 loss.
For the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, the Fire will be in their traditional color when they host FC Cincinnati.
The friendlies are part of the team’s preparation for Copa America.
They couldn’t hold a late one-goal lead, allowing the Union’s Daniel Gazdag to score in the third minute of second-half stoppage time in a 2-2 draw.
By any metric, the Fire had a productive offseason, but they know they won’t be awarded any trophies for doing well in the transfer market.
“I am excited to be back with the Red Stars! These last few years have been such a blessing in Chicago, even with the ups and downs, and I can’t wait to be back,” Swanson said in a statement.
“I feel so at peace remembering my time in Chicago as I take this next step in my career,” Davidson said.
Chicago opens the MLS season at Philadelphia on Feb. 24. The home opener vs. FC Cincinnati will be March 2.
“I’m excited to work with this talented team that includes some of the NWSL’s best players to turn the Chicago Red Stars into a championship club both on and off the pitch,” Donaldson said in the team’s release.
Cucho Hernandez and Yaw Yeboah scored in the first half and the Columbus Crew held off LAFC in a 2-1 victory Saturday.
Leetzow was hired by U.S. Soccer in 2020 and oversaw the independent investigation — conducted by former U.S. Justice Department official Sally Q. Yates — into systemic abuse and sexual misconduct that permeated the NWSL.
Each Saturday night will include a double-header on Scripps’ over-the-air ION network.
Lionel Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time.
Luis Rubiales is now barred from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban will expire before the next women’s tournament in 2027.
A Chicago native, Lindau will be part of the U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy National Team that will play at the Parapan American Games next month in Santiago, Chile.
Andonovski takes over a club that went 8-12-2 and failed to make the NWSL playoffs this season, but that has a lot going for it.