Nicole: Five wins. Two losses. Twenty-two draws. That is the reality staring down the barrel of the Chicago Stars FC as we head into the final stretch of the 2026 NWSL season.
Kevin: And it gets worse when you look at the standings. Sixteenth place. They are not just struggling; they are fighting for their identity against a league that has moved on without them.
Kevin: I'm Kevin. And if you thought last week was tough, today we are going even deeper into why Chicago sits at rock bottom and what Vlatko Andonovski has left to play with.
Nicole: We put out a fresh, detailed show like this every single day. It takes a small team working late nights to pull this together. If you love the content, please chip in via the link in the episode description. It keeps us free and daily. Thank you.
Kevin: Exactly. Maitane had two shots for Chicago. Julia Grosso had thirty-one accurate passes. That is a mismatch in build-up play. The Stars are trying to play through the midfield, but the opposition press is suffocating them. They lack the technical quality to bypass that pressure consistently.
Kevin: It’s a death by a thousand cuts. And right now, they are bleeding out.
Kevin: Grosso is a technician, but she is surrounded by players who don't offer the same mobility. The opposition knows where she is. They trap her. Without width and speed in support, the build-up play stagnates. You see it in the low xG. They aren't creating high-quality chances.
Kevin: As of today, no official release. But his performance—two shots against Angel City—suggests he is not the focal point anymore. The coaches are looking elsewhere. It’s a sign of desperation or a strategic shift. Either way, it’s a negative indicator for stability.
Kevin: Success is development. Getting young players minutes. Testing systems so Andonovski has data for next year. Winning is secondary. If they win three more games, it’s a miracle. If they win zero, it’s expected.
Kevin: Not really. Those highlights show how other teams are playing. High intensity, high scoring. Chicago is playing low-scoring, low-energy football. It’s unwatchable for many fans. The gap is widening.
Nicole: We’ll see you tomorrow.