On August 12, Chicago Stars FC announced that the club parted ways with Head Coach Martin Sjögren and Assistant Coach Anders Jacobson.  Karina Báez will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Báez has served as an assistant coach for the Stars for three seasons and has extensive experience in various technical roles, including as a head coach abroad.  Báez previously focused primarily on analytics. Prior to joining the Stars, Báez worked as a scout for the Mexico Women’s National Team, bringing extensive experience in player evaluation and match analysis.

In addition, former Chicago Stars FC head coach Lorne Donaldson will return to the club as interim director of coaching for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season, overseeing all technical and analytical aspects while reuniting with a familiar roster and staff. Donaldson returns to the Stars following a hiatus after his departure from the club in April 2025. The Jamaica native and former professional player first joined the Stars ahead of the 2024 NWSL season. During his tenure, he led the Stars from a last-place finish in 2023 to a playoff berth in 2024 with a 10-14-2 regular-season record that year.

Nicole Lukic also joins Chicago Stars FC as a full-time assistant coach with an extensive background in player identification, talent development, and high-performance coaching across the professional, youth national team, and collegiate pathways. Most recently, Lukic served as Head Coach of Spokane Zephyr FC in the USL Super League and as Director of Talent Identification for U.S. Soccer’s Women’s Youth National Teams, where she helped oversee player evaluation and development strategies for the nation’s top emerging talent. In her role with the Stars, Lukic will play a key part in the individual development of players throughout the roster, leveraging her experience building player pathways and maximizing performance at every stage of the game. Her track record of fostering growth, creating high-performance environments, and helping athletes reach their potential will further strengthen the club’s commitment to developing players on and off the field.

Chicago Stars FC announced on August 10 that the club has signed Spanish defender Oihane Valdezate through the end of the 2026 season, pending International Transfer Clearance (ITC). Valdezate joins as a free agent from AS Roma and will occupy an international roster spot. A native of Trapagaran, Spain, Valdezate joins the Stars after competing for AS Roma in Italy’s Serie A Femminile and UEFA Women’s Champions League. The versatile Spaniard, who has played as a midfielder as well, brings experience from some of Europe’s top leagues. She spent five seasons with Athletic Club in Spain before making the move to Rome in 2023.

After week 16, Sam Staab leads the Stars with 1,568 minutes played, including 17 starts and appearances in Chicago’s 18 matches. Staab also leads the squad with 307 touches, 993 passes, 111 clearances and 22 blocks. Manaka Hayashi leads the Stars with 37 tackles while Nádia Gomes leads with 66 recoveries. Offensively, Julia Grosso leads Chicago with 18 chances created, while Jameese Joseph leads with 14 shots. Jordyn Huitema leads with four goals, followed by Gomes with two.

The Stars have a 12-10-9 advantage over Seattle Reign FC dating back to 2012. Friday’s match will be the first time Seattle and Chicago face off in the 2026 season.

During Chicago’s last match against Bay FC on August 9, midfielder Anna Gasper made her first NWSL start in a Stars jersey since being signed by Chicago on July 9. Defender Sam Staab made her 150th NWSL appearance against Bay. Bea Franklin’s next appearance will be her 50th match played in a Stars jersey.

Goalkeeper Katie Atkinson was announced by the league as the Chicago Stars’ nominee for the 2026 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, which recognizes an NWSL Player for outstanding service and character off the pitch and in the community. Atkinson will team up with Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The center is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for pediatric oncology and treats more children with cancer and blood disorders than any other hospital in Illinois. Before joining the Chicago Stars, Atkinson was previously Racing Louisville FC’s nominee for the 2024 edition of the award, partnering with another local children’s hospital, Norton Children’s. Lund worked extensively with pediatric oncology organizations throughout her time in Louisville and plans to continue doing so in Chicago, beginning with the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Lurie Children’s.