Sports
Chicago Stars Host Houston In Home Finale, Fan Appreciation Night
Giveaways and pregame activities are planned Friday as the Stars close their home schedule at Northwestern's Martin Stadium.
BANNOCKBURN, IL — Chicago Stars FC will wrap up its 2026 home schedule Friday night, hosting the Houston Dash during a Fan Appreciation match at Northwestern University's Martin Stadium in Evanston.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with the match streaming on NWSL+, according to the club's preview.
The evening will include pregame activities in the Fan Zone, including children’s activities in Supernova Square. Fans entering the stadium will receive a themed patch and LED batons, courtesy of presenting sponsor United Airlines.
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THUNK, Northwestern's oldest a cappella group, will perform the national anthem before kickoff.
Stars Looking To Rebound
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Chicago enters the match with a 5-21-2 record and 17 points after falling 3-1 to Seattle Reign FC at Martin Stadium on Sunday. Houston, which lost 2-1 to Orlando that same day, comes in at 8-14-6 with 30 points.
The Stars hold a 16-11-8 advantage in the series dating to 2014, but Houston won the teams' earlier meeting this season, 5-0.
Chicago's loss to Seattle included several individual milestones. Forward Simone Charley scored her first goal since joining the club, while goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz made her first NWSL start of the season.
Mallory Swanson made her 78th appearance for Chicago, moving into 10th place in club history. Defender Sam Staab made her 27th start of the season, setting a club record.
Staab has appeared in all 28 matches and leads Chicago in minutes played, touches, passes, clearances and blocks. Jordyn Huitema leads the team with four goals.
Interim head coach Karina Báez will lead the Stars into Friday's match. Named to the position Aug. 12, Báez earned her first victory Aug. 23 when Chicago defeated Racing Louisville, 3-2.
Building Toward 2027
The home finale comes as the Stars prepare for changes on and off the field.
As Patch previously reported, Chicago acquired Zambia national team forward Racheal Kundananji from Bay FC earlier this month for $700,000 in intra-league transfer funds. The deal was the club’s first roster addition under Chief Soccer Officer Vlatko Andonovski, who joined in September.
The Stars will return to Martin Stadium for all 15 league home matches in 2027 and make their Coachella Valley Invitational debut during the preseason.
The club also plans to open its performance center in Bannockburn in 2027. The 10-acre site will serve as the hub for team operations, with two full-size soccer fields, a goalkeeper-specific field and a 45,000-square-foot building with training and recovery spaces.
Past Coverage
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